“Yes,” she whispered, arching her neck to give him better access to her throat.
Once more he swung her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, where he placed her on the bed. He lit the bedside lamp, which cast a yellow glow over the room and enveloped them in a welcoming light.
Dawn slid under the blankets and waited, wondering if he could hear the pounding in her chest as he toed off his boots. Clad in just his trousers, Jasper sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes seemed the silver of mercury as he looked at her.
“What do I do?” she asked. What they were about to do must surely be like a dance, with steps she needed to learn and practice until she became proficient.
He caged her body with his arms and leaned forward, resting his weight on his knuckles. He kissed her neck and left a trail of fiery kisses as he progressed down to her collarbone. “You don’t do anything but relax and enjoy. We have all night, and I intend to take my time finding out what you like and what makes you gasp.”
“That seems rather passive.” Dawn tried to recollect the advice in The Handbook for Ladies, but despite its three hundred pages, only one sentence was devoted to marital relations. It advised the newlywed young lady to close her eyes and use the time to plan the next night’s dinner menu. The only dinner item Dawn could conjure in her mind was pudding, as Jasper’s attention turned her insides to jelly.
“There is as much pleasure in giving as receiving,” he said as he stroked her body through the thin cotton of her night attire.
A shiver ran through Dawn as Jasper touched her gently. She sighed and pressed her head back to the pillow. While she soaked up his touch like parched earth blessed with warm rain, she decided to embark on her own exploration. With hesitant touches, she traced lines along Jasper’s torso as far as she could reach. She revelled in the shape of muscles under skin and ran her nails along a bicep.
Jasper sucked in a breath and captured her hand.
“Did I hurt you?” she whispered. Had she done it terribly wrong? Perhaps she should try to plan dinner menus after all, or if she stuck to her strengths, planting arrangements.
He smiled and pressed her hand to his chest. “Quite the opposite, but I prefer it to be harder. Remember what I am made of. You cannot hurt me.”
“Oh.” Being brave and taking him at his word, Dawn scraped harder with her nails as she ran her hand up his pectoral.
Jasper closed his eyes as he let out a ragged gasp of “Yes.”
He enjoys my touch. Heat shot through Dawn at bringing him even a small portion of the pleasure he gave her. Jasper’s head dropped as he returned to kiss and stroke her through the flimsy layer of fabric. As pleasure unfurled in her body, Dawn no longer tried to hold in her soft cries and gasps. Her nervousness evaporated, and she found the nightgown an obstacle that needed removing so there was no barrier between them. Likewise her seeking hands were frustrated by Jasper’s trousers, as there were other parts of him she wanted to explore.
“Take it off, please,” she whispered, pulling the fabric up her body.
Jasper slid his hands along her sides as he removed the delicate garment and tossed it to the floor. Then he removed his trousers before sliding back into bed beside her.
Dawn thought she would be embarrassed to be naked before a man, but all she wanted was his hot skin pressed to hers. She bloomed under his touch and sought his heat like a sun-loving plant. Dawn moaned and pressed herself closer as the weight of him against her increased her need. Her fingers dug into his back, but he wouldn’t be hurried. Liquid heat rolled through her torso and pooled low in her centre.
Her arm tickled as the Cor-vitis sprang into life and began twisting between them. With naked flesh sliding against naked flesh, the bonding plant exploded in a frenzy of growth. The main trunk that ran from Dawn’s palm sprouted numerous offshoots that raced over their bodies. Leaves appeared and shimmied as it covered them in a green blanket. Dawn thought the plant would be an annoying impediment, but it seemed visible yet intangible. Its tendrils split apart and reformed each time they moved. Even its touch was a whisper against her skin as though Jasper dragged the finest silk over her and it made her gasp.
Time lost all meaning as Jasper created a secret world for Dawn. In the cosy bedroom, he showed her pleasure she had never experienced before, teaching her about her body’s responses to him. Each time she crested a peak, she thought that was the ultimate and she couldn’t climb any higher. Then Jasper would give her a scant moment to catch her breath before he lavished more kisses, touches, and strokes over her body, urging her higher and higher.
Drunk on love. Dawn’s mind spun in a blissful state as she let go and trusted in Jasper. The Cor-vitis tickled the inside of her legs as Jasper’s rough cheek brushed her skin. She clenched her thighs together and squirmed as pressure built inside her. Her body craved something that was yet out of reach. All she knew was that she wanted more and didn’t want it to end.
She sighed, rubbing her skin against his as she dragged her nails over his muscles. Her hunger for him was a yawning void inside her that demanded more. She couldn’t get enough of him, and each stroke and caress fed the hunger and made it voracious.
“More,” she whispered. “I want more.”
He pushed off his arms to put a margin of distance between them. Dawn arched her back to follow him. The ache in her breasts needed the pressure of his hand or touch of his chest to alleviate them. She was a fire that needed to be fed before it would be sated.
A chuckle rumbled through him. “Are you sure you want more?”
“Yes.” Her cry turned into a gasp as he lowered himself and slowly joined their bodies.
Dawn closed her eyes in wonder, marvelling at the feel of him. Her gardening mind formed a pun about the earth Elemental ploughing deep furrows, then the thought spiralled out of her head, chased away by a spreading ripple of pleasure. At last her ache would be satisfied, and by instinct she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer, deeper.
Jasper refused to be hurried even as Dawn raked him with her nails and bit at his shoulder. He laughed and maintained a slow, gentle rhythm that she was sure would drive her mad. His slow thrusts stoked her internal fire to the exploding point.
Just when she thought she could take no more, pleasure erupted through her body. She cried out, and Jasper groaned as he followed her over the precipice. Several heartbeats later, he rolled to one side and pulled her close.
Her heart galloped so fast she hoped she didn’t expire in a cruel twist by the Grim Reaper. Dawn lay in Jasper’s arms and marvelled at what had occurred. Not just the physical aspect, although she was heartened by his promises to do it again and often. It was the change wrought by the tiny Cor-vitis.
The plant appeared to have exhausted itself and disappeared, but it had turned her body into a canvas, painted in a palette of greens and browns that obscured the black lines from Ava’s poison. Intricate patterns covered every inch of her skin. Even the palms of her hands and, when she waved a foot in the air, her soles, sprouted Celtic knots in never-ending spirals. Jasper was the same, and it fascinated Dawn that when she compared their arms and chests, he wore the exact same pattern but slightly larger to encompass a bigger area.
Jasper chuckled and stroked his hand along her arm. “It won’t always be like this. Think of it like a bonfire. This is the first explosion of tall flames, but over time it will reduce to the quiet embers that contain the true heat. Each time will be different, but the permanent mark will be smaller and more discreet.”