climaxed.
“Let go, Pru. Come for me. Come for me now !” he growled.
She cried out and arched her back, her hips moving at a frantic pace. Her inner muscles rippled and spasmed as she lost herself in pleasure.
“ Yes ! Oh, God , yes, Pru!” he bellowed as he held her still and pummeled her from below, his orgasm crashing over him with blinding force.
***
Another earth-shattering wave of pleasure engulfed Prudence; she raised her head and watched Kolton reach his peak. His body bowed, the tendons on his neck standing out, his muscles straining with effort. His eyes widened, an expression of astonishment flashing across his face before a look of painful pleasure captured his features, and he threw back his head, shouting her name.
They lay together in the aftermath, drained but satisfied, waiting for their harsh breathing and rapid pulses to return to normal. Prudence lay sprawled atop his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart.
He raised his hand brushed back the wild mass of hair covering her face and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“Marry me, Pru.”
Prudence stiffened. Did he have to ruin this moment by bringing reality crashing back?
She rolled off of him and covered herself with the rumpled sheet. “I thought I made myself clear on that topic.”
“You certainly did, when you spent the night in my arms, and just now, when you fell apart atop me,” he replied, rolling to his side to face her with a determined expression on his handsome face.
Oooh, it would be so easy to give in to his determined desire to be wed. But she had seen what forced marriages did to all those involved. She wouldn’t put herself through the hell her parents had lived.
He mother had wanted to make a real marriage with Prudence’s father. Prudence had heard them argue about it—it was one of her earliest recollections. But their last evening together her father went too far. Prudence was six at the time and playing in the study behind her father’s desk when the two entered.
“James, please. You’ve never given us a chance,” her mother pleaded in a tearful voice,
“Evelyn. I don’t want to do this again,” her father replied wearily. Prudence heard the sound of glass tinkling. Papa was drinking again. The fights were always the worst when Papa drank.
“Why, James? Just tell me why you refuse to make our marriage work.”
“I don’t want to discuss this again! Damn it, Evelyn, don’t force me to be cruel.”
“Cruel? How can you say you are not cruel, when I know you have taken up with another woman? I am your wife! Why do you go to her bed and not mine?”
“Our marriage was arranged; it was never a love match, Evelyn. Why can you not accept this and make a life for yourself? Why do you insist upon trying to make it into something it will never be?”
Prudence hugged her dolly tight. Papa was getting angry and that always meant he would make Mama cry. She didn’t want Mama to cry again. She would lock herself in her room and not come out for days.
“It could work, James, I know it could. If you would only get rid of that harpy and –”
“Harpy! She is no harpy; she is a gently bred lady. You will not speak of her like that in front of me, or at all for that matter!” he bellowed.
“I will speak of a woman who ruins my marriage any way I please. I am your wife! The mother of your children, I deserve better.”
“Children? We have only one child, lest you forget. You have failed to give me a male heir. In fact, you will never do so. The doctor was clear that there would be no more children after the last miscarriage.”
Prudence heard her mother gasp. “Are you saying that because I cannot bear you another child, that I am no longer worthy of your attention in bed?” her mother choked. “That this tramp can please you, whereas I cannot?”
“You will not talk about her that way; don’t make me warn you again.”
“A woman who would sleep
“Let go, Pru. Come for me. Come for me now !” he growled.
She cried out and arched her back, her hips moving at a frantic pace. Her inner muscles rippled and spasmed as she lost herself in pleasure.
“ Yes ! Oh, God , yes, Pru!” he bellowed as he held her still and pummeled her from below, his orgasm crashing over him with blinding force.
***
Another earth-shattering wave of pleasure engulfed Prudence; she raised her head and watched Kolton reach his peak. His body bowed, the tendons on his neck standing out, his muscles straining with effort. His eyes widened, an expression of astonishment flashing across his face before a look of painful pleasure captured his features, and he threw back his head, shouting her name.
They lay together in the aftermath, drained but satisfied, waiting for their harsh breathing and rapid pulses to return to normal. Prudence lay sprawled atop his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart.
He raised his hand brushed back the wild mass of hair covering her face and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“Marry me, Pru.”
Prudence stiffened. Did he have to ruin this moment by bringing reality crashing back?
She rolled off of him and covered herself with the rumpled sheet. “I thought I made myself clear on that topic.”
“You certainly did, when you spent the night in my arms, and just now, when you fell apart atop me,” he replied, rolling to his side to face her with a determined expression on his handsome face.
Oooh, it would be so easy to give in to his determined desire to be wed. But she had seen what forced marriages did to all those involved. She wouldn’t put herself through the hell her parents had lived.
He mother had wanted to make a real marriage with Prudence’s father. Prudence had heard them argue about it—it was one of her earliest recollections. But their last evening together her father went too far. Prudence was six at the time and playing in the study behind her father’s desk when the two entered.
“James, please. You’ve never given us a chance,” her mother pleaded in a tearful voice,
“Evelyn. I don’t want to do this again,” her father replied wearily. Prudence heard the sound of glass tinkling. Papa was drinking again. The fights were always the worst when Papa drank.
“Why, James? Just tell me why you refuse to make our marriage work.”
“I don’t want to discuss this again! Damn it, Evelyn, don’t force me to be cruel.”
“Cruel? How can you say you are not cruel, when I know you have taken up with another woman? I am your wife! Why do you go to her bed and not mine?”
“Our marriage was arranged; it was never a love match, Evelyn. Why can you not accept this and make a life for yourself? Why do you insist upon trying to make it into something it will never be?”
Prudence hugged her dolly tight. Papa was getting angry and that always meant he would make Mama cry. She didn’t want Mama to cry again. She would lock herself in her room and not come out for days.
“It could work, James, I know it could. If you would only get rid of that harpy and –”
“Harpy! She is no harpy; she is a gently bred lady. You will not speak of her like that in front of me, or at all for that matter!” he bellowed.
“I will speak of a woman who ruins my marriage any way I please. I am your wife! The mother of your children, I deserve better.”
“Children? We have only one child, lest you forget. You have failed to give me a male heir. In fact, you will never do so. The doctor was clear that there would be no more children after the last miscarriage.”
Prudence heard her mother gasp. “Are you saying that because I cannot bear you another child, that I am no longer worthy of your attention in bed?” her mother choked. “That this tramp can please you, whereas I cannot?”
“You will not talk about her that way; don’t make me warn you again.”
“A woman who would sleep
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