A Husband for Margaret(20)

“For her?”

He settled next to her and pulled her into his arms. “And for me.”

“You?”

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he softly admitted, his breath on her cheek. “I worried she might find me lacking.”

“It’s hard to believe you could be lacking in anything.”

He let out a slight laugh. “She said the same thing, but she ended up showing me how to do some things better.”

Even if her heart was pounding with anxiety, her eyebrows furrowed. His comment peaked her interest. “Some things?”

His lips brushed her cheek. “I know you’re not Hannah. You don’t need to think I’ll compare you to her.”

“I didn’t think that to begin with,” she replied, aware that the movement of his hand which ran up and down her arm in slow, methodical strokes was relaxing her.

“Good. I know we rushed into this marriage.”

“Which is what happens when a woman asks for a man to come out west to marry her.”

“That’s what attracted me to you in the letters you wrote to my brother, you know. You’re so matter of fact about things.”

Though she could only make out the shadow of his face, she detected the smile in his voice. She grinned. “Some people don’t like that about me.”

“You’re kidding?” he whispered before he kissed the corner of her mouth.

She cleared her throat. “No.” There went her shaky voice again, but this time she couldn’t decide if it was from nerves or the thrill of being kissed again.

When his mouth descended on hers, she forgot all about their conversation. Suddenly, her attention was drawn specifically to him. He shifted closer to her, closing the small gap that had been between them just moments before. His skin was warm against hers, and she didn’t have to know the exact difference between a man and a woman to know what was pressing into her hip. Her hands tightened on the sheet.

He lifted his head. “It’ll help if you relax,” he softly said.

“I can’t will the nerves away.”

“Maybe not, but I bet I can help.” He pried her hands off the sheet and kissed her palms before he held her hands. “You are now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. I won’t do anything to hurt you. It might be uncomfortable this time, but I’ll do what I can to ease that part.”

“Uncomfortable?”

He sighed. “I’m just making it worse.” He waited for a moment and asked, “Would you rather wait? Maybe this day’s been too much. We can lay here and talk. There is more we could learn about each other, and then you might be more comfortable with this.”

His concern touched her and she loosened her grip on his hands. “You would wait, wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t want this to be a bad experience for you, Margaret. This is one of the better parts of a marital relationship, and I want you to look forward to it.”

She let go of one of his hands and slowly brought her hand up his arm, noting the strength there, and stopped her exploration at his shoulder. It was strange to be touching a man this way, this intimately, and yet it was wonderful at the same time. She licked her lower lip and dared to say, “I do like kissing you. Can we do more of that?”

“Of course.”

He leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. Her toes tingled from the simple action. His actions were gentle. In no way did she feel rushed or compelled to continue, and that fact alone served to relax her further. She responded to him and followed his lead when he wanted to deepen the kiss. While he still held her hand, his other hand rested on the small of her back and massaged her with soothing circular motions.

The tension eased from her in slow increments, and this time when she felt his arousal press against her, she didn’t shy away. He continued to kiss her, still gentle even as she became aware of his growing passion. And, surprisingly, she realized her body was beginning to anticipate what was to come.

For once in her life, she decided she wouldn’t analyze things. She would let her feelings lead the way. She wiggled closer to him and brought her hand to his jaw, noting the roughness of it. That surprised her since he made it a point to shave, but she supposed that if a man had to keep shaving, it was because the hair wanted to grow back. It was a reminder of how he was a man and she was a woman.

He groaned and shifted so that she ended up on her back. While he continued to kiss her, his hand slid up her side until it cupped her breast. The action sent a spark through her. Now, this wasn’t so bad, she decided. She hadn’t imagined what it’d be like for a man to touch her like this. Part of her thought she’d be horrified, but instead, she found it rather pleasing and wished for him to continue.