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softly. A cattleman learns quickly about conception and birth, and the changes that occur in your
body occur also in that of other creatures. These, he said, tracing the noticeable veins,
bring more blood to your breasts so that they can prepare milk for our baby. And this, he added,
tracing the nipple until it hardened and she gasped, enlarges to fit his mouth so that he can suckle
you.
The imagery and the tender, deep, smoky sound of his voice made her knees weak. I never
dreamed& she whispered.
He bent and lifted her, and then sat down on the seat with her in his arms. His hand traced her breasts
softly, lovingly, while hers pressed deep into the thick hair over his breastbone.
Your skin is like alabaster, he whispered. And you smell of roses. I want the feel of you under my
body, Nora, and the softness of your legs sliding against mine as I press deep into you.
Cal! She pressed her hot face against his chest, embarrassed at the things he said to her so
uninhibitedly.
You are so shy, my wife, he said at her ear, to be so responsive to me. Come closer. It s been a
long, long time since I felt your skin against mine.
He guided her hands around his neck and brought her up against him, holding her eyes while he
moved her softly against his rough chest.
It feels good, doesn t it? he asked solemnly.
She hesitated to speak, and he smiled at her.
A lady does not admit to these dark pleasures, is that it? he teased.
A decent woman is not supposed to feel pleasure, she said worriedly.
He chuckled. Oh, Nora, are you really so naive? Do you think that because society dictates stoic
indifference to the sensual, it does not exist? Tell me that you have never peeked at the words of
Swinburne.
She colored prettily and her face sought his chest.
The sensations he felt wiped the smile away and his lean hands caught her head, stilling it.
She felt him shiver. Why, he liked her face against his chest, she thought, fascinated. Would he like
more than this? He was hesitating, as if he might like to ask something of her but hesitated for fear of
shocking her.
Her breath trembled in her throat. Cal? she whispered. I& I will do anything you like.
His eyes closed on a silent groan. His hands tightened in her hair. Nora, sweetheart, put your mouth
on me, he whispered. No, little one. Open it. And& here. He guided her to the counterpart of her
own nipple and pressed her face close.
She was shocked, first at the request and then at the way he reacted, and then at the pleasure it gave her
to make him groan aloud. Under her mouth, she could feel the small, tight nipple, and beneath that, the
dampness of his skin and the roughness of hair and the deep, dull, racing pulse of his heartbeat.
She nibbled at his chest lazily, delighting in their intimacy. Why, marriage was exciting, she thought!
She smiled and lifted her head to look into his pale, glittering eyes.
Do you like making me like this? he whispered roughly. Do you like seeing me at your mercy?
She nodded, her breath too shaky for speech.
Do it again, then.
She slid against him to find the other side, and her hands smoothed over the warm muscle of him
while she tasted the strange maleness of his chest with soft, eager lips.
When he could bear it no longer, he bent to find her mouth and he kissed her until her lips were
swollen and her body was lifting rhythmically to the slow tracing of his hand.
He had her dress around her hips now, and his fingers were wandering over the faint swell of her
waist and stomach. He lifted his head and looked down, and smiled with possession at the soft rise.
You look very smug, she accused breathlessly.
I gave you my child, he said simply. He met her eyes with a faint frown. It disturbs me that I did it
so easily, and so quickly.
Because there could be a great number of children, she said, understanding.
He nodded. The alternative is abstinence. He smiled ruefully. Or other women. And that, I could
not contemplate, he added before she could speak. Nora, I find that I have no desire for other
women, since that afternoon we spent together.
He said it as if it bothered him. It lit up her face. Do not worry so, she said gently. We must live
one day at a time.
His hand pressed gently on her stomach and he looked into her eyes quietly. I want you. It would be
safe, because there is no risk of making you any more pregnant than you are. But I will do nothing
against your will.
It is shameful to admit, she confessed, but I& want you, too.
Is it dangerous for the baby? he asked. I will be very, very gentle with you.
Her arms looped around his neck. You were, even the first time, she recalled, burying her face in
his hot throat. Oh, love me, she whispered fervently. Love me, love me& !
He made a rough sound, deep in his throat, and carried her to the berth.
SHE SHIVERED FOR A LONG TIME afterwards, cradled against his nude body under the single
white sheet that covered them. He smoked a cigarette, with an ashtray propped on his chest, and
looked worried.
Her hand pressed flat over his breastbone, testing the hard muscle there. What s wrong?
You bled a little.
She nestled closer. Yes. But it didn t hurt.
Still, it may be unhealthy for the baby, he said quietly. I was rough with you, at the last. I didn t
mean to be, but my body was too hungry to listen to reason.
She recalled the fierce, rough buffeting of it with pleasure, seeing again his body arched over her, his
face clenched and wet with sweat as he cried out and convulsed. The sight of him brought her own
pleasure to a peak, and while it was less violent, it was just as satisfying.
He smoothed over her hair. I like it when you watch me, he said gruffly, and his fingers contracted.
It makes the pleasure almost beyond bearing to feel your eyes.
She pressed her eyes into his throat, because she couldn t look at his face. I like& to watch you, she
confessed in a whisper. It is very intimate.
We are married, he reminded her.
Yes, but I have learned things about myself that make me a little ashamed. I whisper things to you that
make me blush afterwards.
And you think that it s unnatural, between lovers? He sounded amused.
You re the only lover I have ever had, she reminded him.
He put out his cigarette and set the ashtray on the floor before he rolled over and pried her red face
out of hiding. You are the only lover I want, he returned, studying her face. Her hair was loose and
splayed across the white pillow, its chestnut richness barely visible in the darkened cabin when the
lights of a city flashed past and highlighted it momentarily.
His leg eased between hers and he moved her, gently, so that they were lying side by side, perfectly
fitted to each other. He put his finger over her lips when she started to speak.
Slide your leg over mine, so that I can get closer, he whispered.
She obeyed him, loving the roughness of his long leg against hers. He made no move toward greater
intimacy, and seconds later, her head was pillowed on his shoulder, with the cover over both of them.
Cal, we cannot sleep without our nightclothes on! she exclaimed. We are naked!
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