For many minutes all they did was kiss, their lips melded together in a passion that grew between them. Marianne became aware of her body in ways she never had before, the ache between her thighs grew into an intense throbbing, centring around the small bundle of nerves, which longed to be touched.
Never had she wanted a man until this moment, but now she began to understand what pleasures could pass between a woman and a man, and she longed to experience these at the hands of her husband. Therefore, when he broke their kiss at last, leaving her breathless she was left gasping for air, and for more of him.
Captain Stuart read her mind, and began to unlace the front of her nightgown until it was loose enough for him to lift over her head. Marianne crushed her arms against her breasts, hiding her nakedness from him. He did not pull them away, refusing to force her to give into him in anyway.
Instead, he kissed her neck, slowly working down and along her collarbone, causing the heat between her thighs to grow. She was wet there; she could feel the slick moisture, something she had never experienced before.
Captain Stuart's hands joined his mouth in stimulating her into a state of arousal unlike she had ever known. How she had grown into a woman without ever needing to experience this before she did not know. Yet it seemed he had a gift for drawing intimate pleasure from her body. His lips kissed the swell of her breasts, and then the back of her hands covering them.
She could stand it no longer, needing to know what it was like to feel those lips on her sensitive flesh, and so she dropped her arms slowly, allowing him to look upon her for the first time.
Tentatively he reached out and stroked her skin, cupping her breast in his hand and then rubbing his thumb over her nipple until it became hardened into a stiff peak, and so sensitive it made her gasp. Her whole body responded, with her skin feeling feverish and her insides turned to liquid fire.
Yet this was nothing compared to the way her world exploded when he placed his lips over her nipple and sucked it into his warm wet mouth. His tongue rolled over the stiff peak and circled it, Marianne found herself pressing forward, offering herself to him. Captain Stuart used one hand to stroke her free breast, while his other slid down and stroked her between her legs at the point where her clit ached and throbbed.
Now she knew what other women found attractive in their men, the ability to draw pleasure in a way only they could. Marianne arched her back and pressed forward, not able to comprehend how she could have been so afraid of her husband.
Then she remembered the act of penetration, and how painful that would be. Perhaps she different down there to other women, because at this moment all she wanted was for him to be inside her, her sex ached with a need to be stretched and filled.
Captain Stuart eased her back down so that she was lying on the bed, and then he stood up and removed his clothes. Marianne looked upon him, seeing his well toned chest, muscles flexing as he shrugged his shirt off his shoulders. Her fingers itched to touch him, but she did not have the confidence yet, and so she watched, mesmerised by the beautiful creature he was.
When his fingers moved to his pants, she held her breath while he undid the ties holding them up. Once loosened he let them fall and she saw him in all his magnificent glory, his cock proud and erect in front of him.
Now she felt afraid, she had never been allowed to turn and look at her first husband when he was naked, so this sight was new to her. Were all men this big, surely he would never fit inside her.
Frightened eyes looked at him, and he saw how she felt and lay next to her on the bed, stroking her back to soothe her.
“We will go slowly, and I promise I will make sure you are ready before I enter you.” He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her full lips. “Trust me, Marianne.”
His mouth kissed her neck, kisses trailing down along her collarbone before moving to her breasts. Licking her nipples, each in turn he made her want him more and more, and then he moved lower, down over her stomach. With his hands, he gently eased her thighs apart, and she held her breath in anticipation knowing he was looking at her most private place.
Leaning forward he kissed her thighs, working upwards towards her sex which she was sure now dripped, it was so wet. Yet he did not mind, using his tongue to lick the length of her slit, and then flicking it lightly over her clit. Marianne had nothing to compare this to, the pleasure almost immeasurable.
Settling down between her thighs, he proceeded to lick and nip her outer lips until they were swollen and full. When she was slick with arousal he pushed his tongue inside her, as deep as he could before drawing back out.
Marianne whimpered like a small animal, lost to the touch and feel of him. Her mind drifted away and the only thing that mattered in her world was what this man between her legs was doing to her to make her feel this way.
Captain Stuart moved to lick her clit, his finger dipping inside her sex, gently easing into her before pulling back out. When he had stretched her a little, he used two fingers to push deeper, his tongue and teeth busy satisfying her demanding clit, which throbbed like an open wound, needing relief.
In and out he worked his fingers, three pushing into her deeper and deeper. Marianne felt a tension fill her body, her senses heightening until she craved release. Her husband gave her that release, his mouth and fingers working as one to send her crashing through wave after wave of pleasure.
She writhed under him, thrashing about as she came, her sex tensing around him and then pulsing and throbbing, gripping his fingers as they worked inside her. Gradually the sensations left her, replaced by a feeling of near exhaustion.
Slumping back she lay gasping for breath, Captain Stuart kissed her thighs and worked his way back up her body until he lay by her side content that he had showed her what her body was capable of. The next thing Marianne wanted to know was how she could make him feel the same. Was her body even capable of giving him so much pleasure?
“I take it you have learned that a man can give a woman great enjoyment,” he said, kissing her shoulder.
“I do not know what you want me to do now,” Marianne said earnestly, wanting to please her new husband.
“Now I would take you, consummate our marriage and tell the whole world you are mine, Marianne. A wolf takes a mate for life, and he does not share that mate with any man.”
“Then help me learn how to be your mate, Captain Stuart.”
He burst out laughing, and she looked appalled that he had found her remarks funny.
“I am sorry, Marianne,” he said, and then his voice changed, all humour gone. “But after what we have shared, and what is to come, you can not speak to me so formally. My given name is Marcus.”
“Marcus,” she said, liking the sound of it.
He smiled, and she reached up, placing her hand on the back of his neck and drawing him down to kiss her. He obliged, his lips moving against hers while his body slid between her legs. Marianne parted her thighs to accommodate him, knowing what was to come, and no longer feeling afraid.
Marcus slid his hands between their bodies and stroked her clit before sliding along the length of her sex, before pushing inside. Slowly he made her want him again, his finger massaging her sex until she was close to her second orgasm, her outer lips swollen with need.
Then he moved his hand, and guided his thick cock towards her sex, teasing her with the head of it until she ached with need. Sensing her readiness, he pushed forward, her outer lips parting to allow him to penetrate her. Gently he thrust forward, feeling her tense as he breached her outer walls. Yet he continued, kissing her mouth and stroking her breasts while he slowly inched inside her.
Marianne tried to relax, however she knew there would be pain, there always was. He eased himself deeper, but instead of pain, she found her body yielded to him, moulding itself to his cock, wrapping tightly around him. This gave her a glimpse at what his body could do to hers. The friction between them a wonderful sensation that she wanted to go on forever.
The old Lord had always pushed into her hard while her sex had been dry; the searing pain had been terrible. However, this was different, this was sensuous and slow, and her climax built while he moved deeper.
When he stilled she knew he was buried inside her up to the hilt, she had taken him, all of him. No longer did she feel different, she was made just like any other woman, Marked or Unmarked, and this gave her the confidence to participate in this act of union.
Softly at first, she touched his back, running her hands along the length of it and feeling the shudder of pleasure pass through him, causing tremors where he was buried inside her. Her mouth tasted his skin for the first time, finding him musky and tangy at the same time.
He tasted of the outdoors, of forests and earth. Was this the particular taste of Marcus, or the scent of the wolf into which he could change? It was a mystery that one day she hoped to solve.
For now, she was content to place feather light kisses along his arms and over his chest while he lay still inside her. They had all the time in the world, and he did not want to rush her and break the spell of contentment that enveloped them. They were man and wife, and for this moment, they were closer than either of them had ever been to another person. Their joining intimate, a trust neither of them had felt before.
When her mouth grazed his nipple he gave a groan, and he began to move inside her, easing out of her before pushing back in. At first, he moved gently, allowing her to get used to the new sensations. However, he had held himself in check for too long, and the beast in him needed to find release.
So his thrusts became harder, yet instead of causing her pain she found him thrilling. Her body responded to him, and teased him to move harder, and faster. He lifted her thigh and changed his angle, grazing her clit as he moved. Marianne forgot about touching him, all she could think about was the orgasm that was building inside her.
Then she came, her body tensing around his thick length, she grasped at him, digging her nails into his back as she came. Her actions encouraged him, sending him over the edge and he filled her with his thick warm seed, the contractions of her sex drawing it deep inside her.
Now she knew why she had never conceived, the old Lord had never filled her like this, she had not been barren; rather he had been the one at fault. Now with this young virile man she had every hope of conceiving their child and bearing him an heir.
Marcus came hard, his climax causing him to cry out, a sure to sign to anyone listening that the marriage had been completed. He had laid claim to her in every way, and no man had the right to take her from him. Not even the King.
Chapter Nine
Marianne lay in Marcus’s arms, her head resting on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It lulled her to sleep, for now driving away her worries about what tomorrow would bring.
His arms held her possessively close, even in sleep, and she welcomed the feeling of security he gave her. With Marcus as her husband, she hoped she would be safe once they had returned to Marsh Hall.
She drifted off to sleep, the rise and fall of his chest comforting her, until her dreams took over. Marianne could hear a wolf howling in the distance, a sound full of pain and sorrow. She wanted to run, and yet she was drawn to it. After several minutes, she saw him, black fur, and eyes filled with hunger.
She should run, she knew she should run, but she could not. This creature's pain was her pain, and so with an outstretched hand she approached him.
The wolf turned to her, and moved forward to greet her, but then at the last minute it bared its teeth and leapt at her. She screamed, the noise, and fear, thankfully waking her up. It was then that she became aware of Marcus; he was still asleep but muttering and tossing around next to her.
Marianne placed her hand on his chest and gently shook him, trying to wake him from his disturbed sleep. At first, she thought he could not feel her, and then his eyes flew open, and for a fleeting moment, she saw the wolf in him, and then he was upon her, his hand going to her throat and he pinned her down to the bed.
She wanted to scream, but no sound would escape her lips, powerless she lay at his mercy, a look of brutal strength in his face. Then an awareness came in to them, and the animal subsided and the man she so desperately wanted to love was there, kissing her neck and apologising over and over again.
“I am so sorry. I have been a soldier too long, and am not used to having someone next to me in bed. When a soldier fights, he must always be on his guard, even in sleep. I thought you were attacking me.”
A sob escaped her, she had been afraid; the beast in him had scared her. He held her and soothed her, his whispers turning to kisses, that she could not resist, and so he made love to her. It was the only way he knew how to share a part of himself with her.
At first, he was gentle, his hands stroking her, his mouth kissing her flesh. Arousal came quick, his stiff length pressed against her thigh, and she wanted him. Her body, having already had a glimpse of what pleasure he could give her, wanted more of him. Her arms went around his neck and she drew him close to her, her mouth hungry for his.
He met her with the same passion, his tongue sliding between her lips to join with hers. Marcus slid his hand along her thigh and drew it up towards her sex, finding her wet with the heat of her arousal. She parted her thighs and allowed him to push his fingers inside her, driving her to near climax before pulling away and then moving his wonderful body between her thighs.
Full of haste, this time he did not tease her. Instead pushing into her and slowly filling her in one smooth movement of his hips. She gasped at the fullness, her sex stretching for him, yet there was still no pain. Her body could almost have been made to accommodate him, her moist sex fitting around him tightly like a glove.
Marcus did not pause; he pulled back out of her before thrusting deep inside her. Gradually his thrusts became rougher; he circled his hips to stretch her, his body rubbing against her clit as he moved. Marianne met him stroke for stroke, pushing herself forward onto him, encouraging him to push deeper and deeper.
They were like wild beasts mating, neither able to get enough of the other. He dipped his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth, his tongue rolling over it until she arched her back and wanted to beg for mercy.
Yet she did not want him to stop, every fibre of her being wanted him, to be joined with him and never be parted. If this was not how true mates felt, then she did not know how she would have been able to take any more if she were a wolf.
His mouth switched to her other breast, licking it with the flat of his tongue before nipping it with his teeth, The pain was exquisite and pushed her over the edge, her nails digging into his back as he jerked hard into her, spilling his seed deep inside her.
He cried out, burying his face into her neck as he used short sharp jerks to finish. Her sex contracted around him and she milked his cock of every last drop of his seed. Marianne's whole body filled with waves of pleasure that were like a fierce and endless ocean. On this ocean, she was lost with Marcus, no idea of where their passion would take them, until they crashed on to the shore and it was over.
“I am sorry if I hurt you.” These were the first words he uttered when he was finally able to speak.
“You did not.” She stroked his cheek with her hand, seeing the concern etched on his face.
“I meant to go slow, but I could not control myself.”
“Is that not a good thing? I had feared you would find no pleasure with me, so your lack of self control is reassuring.”
He held her hand and turned it so he could kiss her palm, his tongue pressing against it and drawing a circle that made her insides clench and her sex feel ready for him again. She watched him, mesmerised by his sensuous nature, something she had never once expected from a wolf soldier.
“And your neck,” he said, moving his mouth to kiss the tender skin where he had gripped her. “I am so sorry.”
“I startled you, I will know better next time.”
“I u
nderstand if you do not want to share my bed at night when we reach Marsh Hall. It is nothing unusual for a lady to choose to sleep away from her husband.”
“That is not what I want. We are husband and wife, and I would like to know you, to be as though I were Marked.” She glimpsed now the Mark he carried, as if a wolf had clawed his flesh, but there was no scarring wound, only a red birthmark to show where he belonged in this world.
“Marianne, please believe me, it makes no difference to me whether you carry the Mark or not.”
“It does not trouble you that I will never be your soul mate?” she asked, unable to believe it made no difference.
“No. You must understand that to be Marked can be as restrictive as your life has been. Oh, I know people look at you differently. Where mates are concerned I have seen many that were not well matched, but were still expected to be married. My mother was one, she hated my father, he was often violent to her, and drank away most of his money. Yet she never had a choice, she was forced to marry him.”
“I did not know. The only Marked I have seen married always seemed so well suited.”
“Believe me, you have been lucky. And what if a wolf fell in love with a feline. That would be a truly unsuitable marriage for both clans. It can be unfair.”
Marianne thought back to Helena Villiers who had fallen in love with a dog. The joining was unthinkable. Yet they may have loved each other deeply, but Helena's family would not even entertain the thought of their daughter marrying so low.
“But I can not change. I can never share that with you.”
“Then we will find other things we can share. I aim to make a go of our marriage. To make it work. Do you promise to do the same?”
She had never been asked for her word on anything, it had never seemed she was worthy of making a promise. “I will try as hard as I can to make this work. I promise.”
“Good.” He kissed her head. “Now we should sleep. Tomorrow will be another day of smiling until our jaws ache in a bid to make the Court happy.” He sighed and lay down, resting his head on the pillow.
Marianne : Unmarked (His) Page 8
