As though sensing his quiet perusal, her chin tilted up, her gaze finding his. Their eyes locked, hers simmering with need and desire. He was sure his were a perfect match to hers.
"You're beautiful," he said, so she'd hear.
Her eyes reflected her pleasure at his words.
"I'm glad you find me beautiful," she said in a low voice that hummed deliciously over his ears, sending awareness deep into his body.
"Do you doubt your beauty to me?" he asked, though he knew it wasn't well done of him to ask such a question. How could she believe he found her beautiful still after five years of marriage when his actions had pointed to just the opposite?
Would a man who still loved his wife and thought her to be the most gorgeous woman in the world treat her the way he had?
Yes.
He winced at his frank admission. But yes, he did still love his wife, and yes, he thought she was the most beautiful woman on earth, and yes, he'd treated her as though neither were true.
"No," she said without hesitation. "You've removed all the worry I had that you no longer desired me or found me beautiful. When you look at me like you're doing right now, I feel beautiful."
He crossed the distance between them and gently threaded his fingers through her hair, stroking and allowing the strands to spill over his hands like the finest silk.
"I'm very glad you feel beautiful, Chessy. Because you are. And in no way should the way I look at you be the measure by which you consider your beauty. You're beautiful inside and out. A more loving, giving woman I've never known. And you're mine," he said with ultimate satisfaction. "I'm never letting you go. Never doubt how beautiful you are to me. To others. You shine, baby. When you walk into a room, everyone stops to look at you. You're a joy to watch. Your kindness and compassion glow from the depths of your soul. I don't deserve you. I never have. But thank God you're mine anyway."
She angled her head, nuzzling her cheek into his palm as he gently stroked the satiny-soft skin with his fingertips, simply enjoying the way she reacted to his touch. So responsive. So honest. There was no holding back for her. It was one of the many things he loved so much about her.
She had no inhibitions. She didn't just live life. She attacked it. What she enjoyed, she enjoyed wholeheartedly with zest and fervor that attracted people to her. Others just flocked to Chessy, her personality a magnet that held people in her thrall. It was one of the main reasons he'd taken her to so many business functions in the beginning. Before he felt guilty for using her to further his career. It sounded worse than it was. The word used wasn't a pleasant one. But he'd benefitted from her ability to have people-especially men-eating out of her hand. Not that women weren't similarly drawn to Chessy's warmth and genuine sweetness. But he wasn't an idiot. He knew his wife's effect on the opposite sex. Just as he knew she'd never in a million years even entertain the thought of straying. Not his girl.
She put people at ease. Made them feel as though they'd known her forever. She exuded genuine warmth that couldn't be faked. There wasn't an insincere bone in her body.
And she was his.
He bent at the waist so he could brush his lips over the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair deeply into his nostrils. Desire surged hotly through his veins, giving him a heady sensation. He felt drunk, intoxicated by her essence. He was the most fortunate of men. He accepted it, knew it for the truth it was. Most men in his position never got a second chance at perfection. The opportunity to make amends for many wrongs performed. He wouldn't waste a single moment. He'd grab on with both hands and be on his knees, grateful and humbled by his wife's forgiving nature.
"Tell me what you'd like tonight," he murmured next to her ear.
His mouth pressed against the shell of her ear and he nuzzled softly, grazing his teeth lightly over the delicate skin and then sucking at the tiny lobe.
She shivered and he grew harder, his erection straining at the pants he still wore. It was a scenario they'd enacted before. He, the Dominant, asking his submissive how to please her. Yes, he was in absolute control, but in essence he was hers, his pleasure hers, his desire whatever she desired.
"My hands … behind my back," she whispered, her eyes closing when he traced the edge of her ear with his tongue. Her breath hitched and he smiled as he drew away just enough to take in every facet of her expression.
"Me on my hands and knees … you behind me," she continued in a shy, faltering voice.
He loved that even as uninhibited as she was in bed, she was still adorably shy when expressing her fantasies. It was the perfect blend of good girl meets bad and a glimpse of her inner vixen who came out to play during intimacy.
"You taking me hard," she said breathlessly. "Not stopping even if I beg you for mercy. Refusing when I say no. Your hand twisting in my hair, pulling as you thrust into me. You demanding me to remain still and to take whatever you give me."
His own eyes closed. He took long, measured breaths to still his racing pulse. All the blood in his body pooled painfully in his groin, his dick so hard that it had reached the point of pain. He couldn't move for the material of his underwear abrading the sensitive head of his penis. Already there was a bead of moisture coating the tip. He was imagining being balls deep inside her, plunging and straining even harder to go deeper. Him holding her in place to meet his thrusts, his hand, as she'd whispered, tangled in her hair, forcing her to take whatever he dished out.
It was one of the many roles they played during sex. Their love life was wide open and wonderfully diverse. If it could be imagined, they enjoyed it. He knew how damn lucky he was to have such a wonderfully responsive lover. Wife. Best friend. It was cliché but, in his case, so very true.
"I like the way my girl thinks," he said in a husky, passion-laced voice.
"Think my man is up to giving his girl what she wants?" she asked with a teasing glint to her eyes.
He tipped her chin up with one fingertip and brushed his mouth over hers. "I think I can manage. It's a hardship but I can swing the sacrifice."
"Good," she whispered against his lips. Then she slid her hand up the inside of his thigh to cup his bulging erection. "I'd hate for this perfectly good hard-on to go to waste."
ELEVEN
CHESSY ran her fingers lightly over Tate's erection and then grew bolder in her caresses. Her husband was very well endowed. Not enough to make the logistics impossible but certainly enough for her to never complain in that department. Too much, and a girl had major appendage issues. Too little? And it was inevitable disappointment.
She liked her man just as he was and had no complaints about his prowess in bed or in domination. She was positively giddy with anticipation over Tate taking control back. Reasserting his dominance and his mastery over her body. Nobody knew her better than Tate. Though she hadn't had many lovers before meeting Tate, she'd had enough to know perfection when she found it. At the time, being young and hopelessly naïve, she'd lamented the fact that Tate hadn't been her first. She'd had this ridiculous romantic notion of gifting him not only with her submission but her virginity as well. Now she was glad he hadn't been her first because there was no doubt in her mind that he was miles above any of the other men she'd been with.
She was also secretly, and not so secretly, smug and delighted that Tate had admitted he'd never had a woman-a submissive-who was so perfectly suited for him. They were just meant to be, as corny as it sounded to say it aloud. But nothing about her relationship and ensuing marriage caused her any embarrassment. She was proud of who and what she was with him. He'd never given her any reason to feel shame for her desires and she loved him deeply for that. For always praising her boldness when it came to embracing her needs and desires.
"Baby, you're killing me," he groaned. "And I want to give you everything you want tonight. It will be my honor-and privilege-to give you whatever you need from me. My love. My control. Whatever makes you feel safe and cherished."