Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrighted characters.

Rated MATURE.

Excerpt 3: Covenant & Consummation

"So show me."

That was an invitation Frank gladly accepted. He leaned down and kissed Nancy as he traced the skin along the edge of the satin down to the small of her back. Unfortunately, the eyelet closures foiled him, and Nancy giggled against his lips.

"Having trouble, Hardy?"

Frank grunted in frustration. "What is this thing? Like a chastity belt or something?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Nancy said, reaching around to try and help. "Hannah and Betty hooked me into it."

Leading her over to the bed, Frank chuckled. "I think I'm actually going to have to take a closer look to figure out how to get you out of it."

Nancy was giggling again. "Frank Hardy can get himself out of rope bonds, handcuffs and chains but is stymied by a wedding dress!"

Frank sat on the edge of the bed and put his hands on her hips, turning her so the satin covered buttons that camouflaged the eyelet closures were at eye level.

"Not stymied, just impatient," he said mildly.

He slipped his fingers under the fabric and easily undid the first eyelet now that he could see it. He dropped a light kiss onto the skin that was revealed in the process. As he exhaled, a tremor slipped up Nancy's slim body. He grinned.

"That's better."

Slowly he undid each eyelet, his lips trailing lower. As the last one opened, he slipped his hands underneath the dress, cupping the supple curve of her hips. Nancy let the dress slip down off her shoulders, making room for him to slide his hands around her waist, coming to rest lightly on her stomach as she pressed back against him.

He kissed his way up her spine, slowly standing. As he made his way along her now bare shoulder, Nancy's head lolled against his neck, her hair tickling him. He caressed her, slowly moving his hands up her torso craving the feel of the silky skin on the underside of her breasts. But the odd texture he encountered there stopped him.

"What the heck…?"

Nancy giggled and pulled away from him. "Sorry, those are the self-adhering bra cups. Let me hang up the dress and get those things off."

Frank was mesmerized as he watched her move to the closet and shimmy out of the dress before carefully hanging it up. The lace bikini underwear she had on left very little to the imagination and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to walk over there and attack her.

"You… are… a tease," he said quietly.

He had been unable to curb the reaction of his body to her at all this evening, and now was no exception. Though her back was to him, her low, throaty chuckle sent a shock through him causing a tightening in his groin that was at once excruciating and wonderful.

She turned and dropped the bra cups onto the dresser before gliding toward him with a come hither smile. "There, no more surprises."

She stopped directly in front of him and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"This hardly seems fair. You're still fully dressed." Her lips turned down in a cute little pout.

He put his hands on her hips, hooking his thumbs into her panties. "Whose fault is that?"

She pulled the tails of his shirt out of his pants and undid the last button. Forcefully moving his hands, she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and then stripped his undershirt up over his head.

An involuntary shiver accompanied the feel of her hands skimming around his waist as she pressed herself against his bare chest. She smiled up at him.

"I'm correcting my error."

He wrapped his arms around her, meeting her lips in a slow kiss and then using his tongue to savor the slight variations in the flavor of her lips, cheek, teeth, tongue. Totally wrapped up in his exploration of her mouth, he was caught off guard when she unzipped his pants. Her hands sliding around his hips and over his butt to push the pants out of the way ripped a groan from him.

She had been driving him slowly insane all evening, and his patience with the foreplay snapped. He stripped off her underwear and then scooped her off her feet. Taking her to the side of the bed, he laid her down.

She scooted over to make room for him and he happily stretched alongside her. Sliding one arm under her head while his other encircled her lower, he pulled their bodies together, eliminating the space separating them with a relieved sigh.

nh

Wrapped together, they lost themselves in each other. Time lost meaning as they caressed and fondled, bodies twining closer and closer until it was impossible to discern one from the other. Unwilling to sate the escalating desire to couple, they prolonged the exquisite yearning that became sweeter and more intense the longer they played.

Neither of them made a conscious decision to end the anticipation. It happened as naturally as birthing a baby, only instead of one being becoming two – two became one.

But the unity could never last for long. Mounting tension along the nearly indiscernible line that separated them would not allow it. Like an earthquake, the orgasm rocked them, the intense pleasure of release countered by sorrow over the loss of oneness that it signaled.

nh

Frank propped himself up on his forearms and stared down at his wife. He could feel the contentment in her sleepy smile deep in his soul.

Her arms slipped up around his shoulders, pulling him down to her.

"Relax," she said with a smile.

"I feel like I'm going to break you," he protested.

"Mmm, no, I like to feel your weight on me." As if to make her point, her legs wound around his waist. He gave in and sank onto her, his desire quickly rekindling with the feel of her wrapped around him.

That low, throaty chuckle sounded again, and he lifted himself to look into the face of the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.

"Are you ready so soon?" she murmured with a sexy little smile.

Gently stroking her cheek to brush the hair out of her face, he gave her a teasing grin.

"It's your fault, sweetheart."

Her smile broadened. "Good."

She pulled him down, and one last, coherent thought registered before he lost himself in his wife.

I am one lucky man.

NH

A/N: And that's the start of the wedding night. I hope you've enjoyed the outtakes. And a big 'thanks' to those who have reviewed!