Page 64 of In Just a Year
“I’m your wife, you have every right—”
“I have no rights, Esther. Never will I ever claim anything from you that you don’t give willingly?”
She paused.Understood.
“Me neither.”
He laughed at that, dropping his head to her naked belly. “Trust me, I’m always willing for you.” And he looked up but remained close to her middle, letting her leg rest on his shoulder. Her knee was by his ear and Esther thought she’d never seen a more erotic sight. It was absurd to lie with Benjamin Klonimus naked … it was glorious! She’d never imagined … and then he touched her. That, she’d never imagined.
“So beautiful.” He pressed his hand over the thin silk shielding her. “The most gorgeous woman on Earth.”
“You said you’d never done this, so you have no comparison.”
He looked back up at her. “Are you telling me I’m a bad judge of beauty or that my bride is lacking?” His tone was mockingly severe but Esther felt that she’d pricked his pride. She was his prize and she loved it. Their dynamic was unchanged and yet they were doing the unspeakable.
She smiled. “Neither.”
“Good. May I please continue my exploration then?”
And when she shuddered with anticipation, he tucked a finger under the lace slip and pulled it down. Esther let her leg slide off his shoulder and he slid the lace off her.
She was exposed.
Ben stared. She knew that look. It was exactly like the one he’d had every year on Purim when Eve opened the buffet. Except he was slack-jawed and had an appetite in his gaze that seemed tenfold matured.
“Stop me if I do something wrong.” He put his fingers on her folds and parted them gently, looking at her face every so often.
He begged for guidance but Esther enjoyed his clumsy touch.
“You told me to explore.” She brought her right hand to her clitoris and exposed it for him. “I did as you’d asked.”
Ben’s mouth was half open, and he watched her intently.
“Kiss me.”
“There?”
“Here.” She showed him the bean and he lowered his mouth.
At first, it was just warm. A little odd.
She guided him, unsure where, but she did as he’d done and followed her heart and what felt—suddenly, she convulsed and arched her back as he sucked her bean and stuck a finger inside of her. Oh, how absolutely wonderful! A voiceless cry emerged as she sank back onto the bed.
“I want to touch you, too.” She pulled Ben up by his head.
He followed willingly, mouth glistening, eyes hungry. Hungry for her.
She pulled his shirt out of his breeches. “May I please touch you?”
Ben, who’d climbed atop her, hopped off the bed, tore his boots and breeches off as if they were naught, and climbed right back over her. Nude.
He was chiseled perfection as she’d never seen before. Not even the sculptures that Hannah had pretended she hadn’t seen were more muscular. Even the bronze fountain at the British Museum showed well-built men, but none were so young and handsome. Soft and hard in all the right places.
“Do anything you like,” Ben said through forced breath. He propped himself up on his hands on either side of her head.
Esther slid down and shimmied to his torso. “Lie back.”
He did as he was told.
