Page 49 of Binding Their Hearts

Firm, heavy strokes mapped all he could not see: the strength of her ribs, the subtle hollow in the curve of her hip, the slight swell of her stomach as she breathed. Alice needed the security of possession, not the teasing touches of foreplay, a delightful discovery their relationship had manifested for her.

Cupping her breast, he added pressure until a soft sigh tumbled from her lips. Her nipple pebbled under his palm. His arm kept her tight against his body while he shifted his leg, thigh sliding atop thigh, foot skimming down her calf to her slowly flexing toes as she stretched within the bounds of her universe. He rolled infinitesimally forward, letting her feel the weight pinning her and the heat of his cock between their bodies.

“All’s well, dearest. Safe and sound in my arms.” He infused his whispers with the low rumble she and Jay loved so well in their games. “You’ve no responsibility here, no decisions to make, no calculations to consider. Your existence itself is perfection.”

With a lilting hum, he raised a like reply, as if calling her back from a maze of endless hypothesizing. Her promotion, though gratifying, presented challenges that stole her from him not merely in body—she’d once again arrived home after dinner had cooled—but in mind. The weight of the world reached her here, in their bed, where she ought to find peace and comfort.

As she struggled to find her footing at work, her attention to their relationship suffered. As did his own ability to tend to her needs. He could not help what was not present to be helped. But for now, she lay in his arms. He need only bring her mind back to her body to grant her respite.

“You need release, Alice.” With a low growl, he targeted her neck. The slow, deep kisses he delivered were as much to satisfy his hunger for her as hers for his embrace. Possibilities churned alongside desire. Overnight bondage might help her find more restful sleep but would demand careful monitoring. The mummification-like restraint of a sleep sack might be to her liking, though his body rejected the thought, his nose wrinkling as he traced the cord of muscle along the side of her neck. “Preferably one that does not put you out of my grasp.”

Her breasts received a parting caress before he trailed his knuckles down the soft skin of her stomach and delved into the short curls above her mons. He brushed the silken hood of her clitoris.

She twitched in his arms. A garbled query emerged from her throat. Two questioning notes and a sleep-thickened whisper. “Henry?”

“Rest easy, dearest.” He lightly kissed her cheek. Sliding his leg back for better maneuverability, he traced her labia with patient attention, her folds and crinkles known to him in minute detail. “Allow me to craft you a lovely dream to ease your tension. Adrift on gentle waves, rocking toward safe harbor.”

She stretched in sinuous motion, her backside flexing against his aching cock, and hummed agreement. “Love you, Henry. Need you.”

“As you should,” he murmured. Protective devotion, the fire of possession, swelled in his chest. Her trust buoyed and anchored him in beautiful balance. She needed these moments just as he and Jay did. If the time did not exist for them, he would have to carve it out elsewhere. “And a sentiment well returned. I love you, my Alice.”

Holding his thumb atop her clitoral hood, he slipped two fingers into her wet heat, curving and stroking with firm pressure. As he increased the stimulation, he woke the rolling shudder he sought in her.

Her wrists flexed, fingers straining. He tightened his grip, briefly so as not to grind delicate bones, but distinct and harsh enough to remind her of his dominance here. His sweet girl demanded a show of his strength. Her stubborn independence made submission to a weaker master impossible.

To have won the devotion of one so strong and driven ignited the possessive ego, the growling id. He would guide Alice through this new challenge as he had each one before.

“Please.” Whispering, she rolled her cheek against his and landed kisses at his jaw, her eyes lidded. A surging tension overtook her body, folding her ever smaller against him. “No waiting, please, please.”

“No waiting.” Not tonight. “Fly free, darling girl.”

Her climax erupted, her body a vise around his fingers as he drew out her orgasm as long as he dared. The rapid flick of his thumb would grow too stimulating for her as her pleasure ebbed, but until then, he would wring every last iota of tension from her. True exhaustion would let her slumber in peace.

As her legs fell slack and her shoulders sagged, she lolled against his arm in a mumbling stupor. He quickly slipped his fingers free and raised her leg, making room for his own. Minuscule adjustments aligned their bodies, and he pushed forward with a low groan, his impatient cock finally pleased with its new circumstances.

Alice’s agreeable murmur might have been thanks or praise. She nestled closer, bumping her ass firmly against him and stroking his palm with her newly freed fingers.

“Shhhh.” He dotted the top of her shoulder and the line of her collarbone with kisses, tasting the flushed warmth of her skin and inhaling the delicate musk of her arousal. “Bedtime, sweet Alice.” His thrusts barely parted their bodies. “I’ll rock you to sleep, shall I?”

Her hair rustled against his cheek as she nodded. “S’good, thank you.”

Tucking his face behind her, he paced himself with long breaths at the back of her neck and steady strokes of his cock in her heat. His caresses aimed now to soothe rather than arouse. The intensity mattered less than maintaining the heightened endorphin response in her body, chasing away her anxiety with comfort.

When all worked in harmony, her body became the instrument of their pleasure and his mind the virtuoso coaxing free the perfect performance. He kept her clasped to him, tormenting himself with a refusal to find his own climax as he monitored her responses. Minutes passed as her breathing slowed and deepened. She lay silent and boneless, harsh lines and rigid muscles evaporating into the night air. A smile graced her sweet face. He kissed the corner of her upturned lips with reverence.

With a quiet hiss, he slipped free and rolled clear enough to tuck the covers snugly around her. Sprawling on his back, he laced his hands behind his head and tipped his gaze toward the no longer sleeping man at his side. “If you’re awake, I’ve left a task for you to complete.”

“Awake and hard enough to drive nails.” Jay, matching his whisper, inched toward him and pressed his cock against Henry’s hip. “Might be messy if we’re thinking of the same job.”

“You know we are. Sheets can be washed.” He captured Jay’s mouth, delving within, taking possession and breaking off only as he began to whimper. “Shh. Absolute silence tonight, my boy. We’ve only one primary rule.”

“Don’t wake her, uh-huh.” Jay slid one hand along the inside of Henry’s thigh, his palm broad, his fingers splayed. “You worked extra hard to help her sleep. I’m…” Jay rested his head beside Henry’s, his forehead against the pillow and his mouth at Henry’s ear. The hitch in his throat was unmissable. “I’m worried about her. Like, a lot worried.”

“We’ve entered a time of transition.” He threaded his fingers through Jay’s hair, the fine strands a soothing repository for his own tension. Serendipitously, Jay loved the action as well, whether as a sign of attention and affection or the harsher grip Henry used to claim him. “Many transitions, stacked precariously atop one another. But the nature of these things is temporary, my brave boy. We will weather the changes and create the new rhythms and rituals of our next home. Our married home.”

“I love you, Henry. You and Alice both.”

The aching earnestness in Jay’s whispered devotion welled tears in his eyes, and he pressed a softer kiss against Jay’s lips. “You are my life. Never doubt it.”

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