CHAPTER 3

As he responded to her touch, Anna sighed. How lovely he was, this masculine creature, this large, commanding person who fell so completely at her mercy. She wanted to love him in every way she could comprehend or invent. She wanted to show her pride in him, protect him, sooth him, excite him, care for him, spoil him. She was overwhelmed by feeling as she took him tenderly in her hands, and then her mouth.

Anna loved this, to just luxuriate in him for a while, in a kind of aimless sensual daydream. She cherished the velvety softness, the tautness, firm and tender as a plum, the tremors of sensitivity; she loved to taste, slide and taste again. She took him deep, then lingered, making slippery spirals, then again. She could hear his breathing and she reached up with one hand to unbutton his pajama shirt, tucking her hand inside, wanting the feel of soft hair between her fingers.

"I want you up here," he said.

"I'm so comfortable," purred Anna and she continued her own little rite of lazy worship, letting her mind wander. He was a treasure, he was a sweet, he was a needy creature, she was feeding on his pleasure. She looked up. John's head was back, he was biting his lower lip. She wanted more now, she wanted to be greedier. She came up on her knees.

Before she knew what had happened he leaned down, slid his arms under hers and swept her up. For one dizzy moment she thought she was falling, but he had flipped her on her back and now pulled her up on his chest as he moved down in the chair. With one arm wrapped across her stomach and his hand around her hip, he held her snugly against him. The other hand hiked up her nightgown and his fingers played on her belly, slipping lower to explore; they dipped in dew and his breath chafed her ear. His fingers circled in the moisture, then his hand moved up and his thumb circled on her lower belly; he fell into a rhythm with this as he rotated his hips under her, slipping just into her and then stopping.

Anna was scrambling with her feet but couldn't touch the floor; her feet slipped off his shins. She couldn't find the sides of the chair with her hands. She lay helplessly with her back on his chest, unable to brace herself anywhere.

"Can you move?" he rasped.

"No!"

"Good,"

He slid down still further in the chair and she was even more supine, gravity pulling her on her back. He was able to control every motion now. He pulled his hips away under her and eased them forward very slowly, gliding barely into and out of her. His hand continued its tantalizing play. Anna whined.

He was kissing her throat under her ear as his fingers found a spot that electrified her and danced back and forth in tiny motions; the dew was nearly flowing from her. Anna felt the inevitability of release building but she had no way to follow it. He allowed her body to drop lower and pushed his hips up, giving her more of himself. Anna crooned, her entire body hanging on, needing, poised for the deep inner stroke.

He hiked her up again, sliding almost completely away from her. Anna gasped, writhing, but she had no hold anywhere. His fingers found another spot, began teasing again. Anna wheeled her feet with no ground to go to. His thumb circled on her belly and he stopped kissing her throat to whisper,

"I'm very comfortable,"

Anna gave a thin shriek. He eased her body up and down now, giving himself to her but never completely, stroking her until she was ready to lose herself and then pulling back again. Anna's body pulsed desperately on him, gripping, begging. She was bound for release anyway, it couldn't be stopped. He felt this and let her slide down far enough so he could fill her completely.

Anna turned her head and cried into his neck. He began to give himself to her in earnest. They both found long, drawn out bouts of fierce joy, shuddering together; they found themselves veiled in sweat and tangled in night clothes.

He brought his legs up and sat up, creating a lap for her; at last she could turn and wrap her arms around his neck. She kissed him deep, still heaving, while his arms went around her.

"You are beastly sometimes," she said.

"A man can only take so many orders in one day,"

"Is that so?"

"As you have witnessed,"

Anna thought about this as she ran her fingers through his hair, which had sprung up thick from their exertions. She had gone behind his back to dig up a secret, forced a new idea on him and brought home ugly furniture. It was a bit much to ask a man to do, all in one day.

"You're right," she said. "I've gotten used to having my way, I think. You spoil me,"

"As long as we know it's my fault," his eyes glimmered as he smiled at her. Anna traced his brows and kissed his eyelids.

"I love you," she said, "And I wanted you to be free, free of pain and bad memories and-"

"And the past?"

"No. Just the things that weigh on you,"

"I would have done the same, you know. I understand why you did it. And I don't blame you for anything, nor His Lordship,"

"And you don't mind me rubbing your leg?"

"No. I don't mind...any of that,"

He paused.

"But the cushion," said Anna.

He gave her one of his eloquent looks and Anna burst out laughing. "I'll hide it," she said.

"Later," he said, "I want to fall asleep holding you. Now,"

Anna kissed him. "Yes, husband," she said.