She had the covers pulled up to her chin, but at the sight of him, she dropped the rough blankets a bit lower to study him.
He winked at her as he stripped off his coat.
Then his shirt.
She swallowed as she watched him undo his boots. The sight of him shirtless once again sent her insides spinning and tumbling.
She was nervous, certainly.
He was a rake, and in addition to worrying about her inexperience, the possible pain, and the embarrassment of a man seeing her nude, she was also worried that he’d quickly lose interest in her.
But she drew in a trembling breath. She wanted love. Always had. But in her heart, she knew she had to give love in order to receive it.
And so she dropped the covers even further and watched as he began to wash his upper half.
She covered her heart with her hand, feeling the way it beat faster. And then, he pulled down his breeches. At the sight of his muscular backside, she let out a gasp.
* * *
Chad had lost any modesty long ago. He’d been in a fair number of women’s bedrooms. And he’d heard several of them gasp, mostly in appreciation.
But with her gasp, he realized that perhaps stripping in front of a virgin had been a bit…insensitive.
What was his problem today? Why couldn’t he seem to get anything right with her?
Despite the cold air, his palms were damp. Was he nervous?
Bloody hell, he was a fool.
The one thing he actually brought to this match was a knowledge of pleasuring a woman. But even that was failing him.
He looked back over his shoulder and she burrowed back under the covers, her large brown eyes peeking out at him from under the covers. Her hair still hung in her simple braid from this morning. The long, thick rope of it lying on the blankets.
He’d already committed to stripping off his pants. He wasn’t putting them on again. “Close your eyes.”
She snapped her lids shut, squeezing them tight. That made him smile as he crossed the room. As he reached for the covers, he stopped, trailing his fingers along the silky braid instead. “Move over.”
She did, sliding to the farthest edge of the bed, her eyes still pressed closed.
He slid under the covers, the bed already starting to warm from her body.
He wasn’t a man who usually liked to share his bed space. But tonight, he was cold and exhausted, and she was so pleasantly warm and soft. “Come here,” he murmured and reached for her waist, pulling her against his much larger frame.
She was stiff and he could feel her nervous energy seeping into him. They needed to consummate their marriage. And yet…this had been the least romantic wedding day of all time. Taking her in a tiny room in an inn just felt wrong.
“Chad?” she asked, her body still rigid. “I don’t know what to do. Until the other night, I’d never even kissed a man. I…”
“Hush,” he whispered. “And relax against me, sweetheart. Today has been…” He sighed. “Awful.”
“Maybe a little,” she replied, and she started to relax, her curves pressing into his.
“I don’t know about you, but I am tired deep down in my bones.” He wrapped an arm about her waist, amazed at how well she fit into the hollow of his body.
“I am too.” And to his amazement, she snuggled deeper into him.
He buried his nose in her hair. “Tonight, sweetheart, let’s just…” What? Sleep?
/> He heard her long rush of air as she let out an exhale. “I want to make you happy,” she said in that breath. “We’re married now.”