The Countess Page 0,45

her world rocked under an explosion of pleasure so intense her whole body vibrated with it.

Tearing her mouth from his, Christiana cried out and then turned her face into Richard's shoulder and bit down, holding on to him with everything she had for fear he'd leave her to drown in this swel of sensation. However, Richard held her as she rode the waves, and only once the worst of her trembling passed, eased from her embrace.

Spent and lethargic, she opened her eyes to see what he was doing and then gasped in surprise when he reached for her nightgown and quickly tugged it gently from where it had pooled around her waist and hips, removing it from her completely.

Christiana felt herself blush, but raised her hips to al ow the material to be removed. He tossed the material aside and then rejoined her in the bed, climbing between her legs and urging them wider apart as he crawled up her body.

Richard stopped to press a kiss to the curve of one hip along the way and Christiana sighed as the gentle caress caused a tingling to erupt there and spread outward. He then moved further up, pausing to press a kiss to her bel y that sent it jumping and rippling with growing excitement. He next took first one nipple into his mouth for a quick suckle and swirl with his tongue before turning his attention to the other to do the same. By this time Christiana was breathing heavily again, the relaxed satiation of moments ago forgotten and she curled her fingers in his dark, silky hair and tugged lightly. As delightful as what he was doing was, she suddenly wanted Richard's mouth on hers again. He answered the silent demand, shifting further up her body until his hips rested between her thighs and he could reach her mouth with his. She felt his hips shift and his hardness rub across her core as he claimed her lips in a kiss, and responded by groaning into his mouth and raising her knees again to tilt herself into the caress. Richard chuckled at her eager response, and then nipped her lower lip lightly as he rubbed against her again. Christiana sucked almost desperately at his tongue to keep him from withdrawing it again, however he did, easing it out, only to thrust it back in, this time plunging his manhood into her at the same time.

At least Christiana thought that was what he'd done. She was now ful to bursting, her body straining around something much larger than what had invaded her earlier and the only thing she could think was that the very large appendage that had fal en out of his breeches when she'd opened them was now planted firmly inside her.

While Christiana had been ignorant of what exactly the consummation was, she was smart enough to figure out this was it. And she wasn't at al sure she liked it.

However, while his tongue withdrew from her mouth, he stayed planted firmly inside her and merely lifted his head to get out in a choked gasp,

"You're a virgin."

Christiana peered up at him blankly, wondering at his surprise since they definitely hadn't done this on their wedding night. But then she recal ed that he'd had a good deal to drink at the wedding celebrations and it suddenly occurred to her that he might not even be aware that he had never properly consummated the marriage.

Clearing her throat, she pointed out gently, "I was a virgin."

Richard groaned and dropped his face into her neck.

Thinking he was feeling unmanned by the news that he had not consummated the wedding as he'd apparently thought, she patted his back soothingly.

"You were quite drunk on our wedding night. I am sure you would have consummated it otherwise."

"I'm sorry," he muttered into her throat. "Had I known I would have gone more slowly, taken more time to better prepare you."

Christiana wasn't sure what he meant by better prepare her, but didn't say so.

She simply lay there and patted him again. However, now that the excitement that had possessed her for the past several minutes was fading, she was having second thoughts about what she'd done. And what she was doing. Dear God, she was soothing the man who had made her life so miserable for the last year. Worse than that, she'd actual y consummated the marriage. It could not be annul ed. What had she been thinking? Unfortunately, she suspected she hadn't real