Page 97 of The Scent of Intuition
“You don’t ask for what you want, so you can show it with this.”
This was not going as she’d hoped. Bea crossed her arms in front of her body.
“See? Right now, your body language says that you’re not pleased with me and yet you won’t say anything.”
“I’m a lady, it’s not my place—”
“Shhh.” Alfie came close and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I know you were raised not to ask a husband for certain things. But nobody knew that husband would be me,” Alfie whispered, but flames sparked in his eyes and set Bea’s skin ablaze with the need for his touch. “In a marriage with me, you’re my equal.” He cocked his head. “Perhaps my superior in many ways.” Then his mien darkened, and he spoke with a sincerity that left Bea breathless. “You are my love and my life. Always speak your mind with me. Please never hold back, for I need to know what’s in your mind to make you happy in your heart.”
She bit her cheek.
“Right now, I can see, you want something, but you won’t ask for it. So, I made this oil for you.” He picked up the flask and turned it upside down, then back. He lifted the dauber out of the flask and handed it to her. “Show me where you want me to kiss you. Telling me what to do doesn’t have to be with words.” Alfie’s eyes softened, revealing a vulnerability that spoke volumes, a silent plea wrapped in desire.
At first, Bea hesitated. She had no words.
He’d known that, and that’s why she was holding the dauber with the sweet almond oil.
She touched her collarbone gently with the glass dauber; the cold hardness was like ice on her skin.
Alfie’s eyes tracked the dauber’s path with rapt attention, his gaze lingering on the glistening spot where it touched her skin before he leaned in, his lips brushing softly against the fragrant skin. Bea held the dauber as if it were a key while Alfie kissed hercollarbone slowly and with such reverence that she burst into goosebumps.
When he lifted his head, casting her a look that was loyal and yet fierce like a wolf, another wave of courage washed over her. She dabbed a little of the oil on her shoulder. His unwavering gaze, full of longing, followed her every movement, making the room feel smaller and their connection deeper. With the flicker of a mischievous smile, Alfie bent down and kissed her there, too.
“It’s working.” Bea couldn’t suppress a grin.This would be fun.
Alfie nodded and licked his lips as his gaze dropped to her mouth. He tugged at his cravat and loosened it. It was really too bad because he had been such a dashing groom dressed in crisp white and black.
He pulled his cravat off and shrugged off his boots.
Hm, on second thought, Bea had to gleefully admit to herself that the only thing better than her elegant groom was her naked husband.
He unbuttoned his shirt, his pupils dilated, reflecting a quiet devotion and an unspoken promise as they locked onto Bea’s, unyielding and warm. He was waiting for instructions.
Bea inhaled deeply and shifted the dauber to her left hand, with which she was holding the flask. Then she tilted the flacon and poured a little of the fragrant oil onto her right palm.
Alfie’s brows narrowed, and he stilled. The way his gaze followed her every movement, unwavering and full of longing, made the room feel smaller, their connection deeper.
She rubbed the oil on the back of her neck and spread it as low as she could reach on her back.
Alfie’s gaze grew more intense.
Without a word but with a proud grin like a peacock, Alfie stepped behind her and lowered his mouth onto her neck. Hefollowed the path she’d painted closely, kissing the scented area with increasing passion, each kiss lasting just a moment longer than the last. The contact of his hot mouth on her skin made the tiny hairs on her neck prick up and a wave of chills rolled over her arms, instantly replaced by the heat of her longing.
He kissed her tenderly while she tilted her head forward, giving him greater access. Bea reached up and started to pull the pins from her upswept hair. Without stopping to kiss her back, Alfie’s hands slid up her sides to her arms, over her elbows, and up toward her wrists.
When Alfie’s hands met hers, he drove his fingers through her hair, letting it fall like a silken drape as he spun her around. His eyes were black with desire, and Bea’s breath hitched when she saw his expression. This was not admiration for the diamond of the first water, nor was it the expectant gaze that usually met her; it was raw and honest love—the unconditional and generous kind that Bea knew deep in her heart only Alfie was capable of.
*
Of all thebeauties in the world, Alfie couldn’t fathom his luck to have the brightest, sweetest, and most sizzling one of all in his arms. His heart was flooded with so much love for his bride that he marveled at the sturdiness of his ribcage as his heart was thrumming so wildly, it might jump out.
He untied the laces at the back of her dress, reveling in the depth of her breath as the tight corset fell from her delicate frame. Her wedding dress slid to the floor and pooled at her feet. He didn’t know how to even begin gathering the fabric, but he suspected that her dress was sinfully expensive, so he merely put it over the chair behind him. And the woman before him was unspeakably precious. Alfie put his hands on her waist over the sheer white chemise and pressed her against him. He was finallyallowed to do this. That was a relief, and yet his blood boiled with the urgency to feel more of her and plunge into her. The desire raging in his veins was overpowering his vision and yet, he couldn’t close his eyes because he wanted to memorize this night, and every moment thereafter, with his love.
Oh, his love.
His bride.
His wife.
