Page 43 of Severe Husband Warning

When I open them again, Calla is watching me with that same open warmth she has always offered so freely.

“Do you know what frightens me most?” I ask quietly.

A faint crease forms between her brows. Concern replaces the softness in her smile as she searches my face.

I lace my fingers through hers, drawing her hand against my chest.

“I once believed the silence of this spire was peace.” The confession settles heavily between us. “It wasn’t. It was loneliness that had become so familiar I no longer recognized it.”

“I never knew you were lonely,” she whispers, eyes glistening.

A small smile finds my lips, stirred more by the certainty in her voice than the words themselves.

“Neither did I.” I brush my thumb across her knuckles. “And then your music filled places I had forgotten were empty.”

She cups my face with effortless tenderness, her thumb brushing lightly across my cheek. I lean into her touch, savoring her warmth.

“Can you stand?” I ask after a moment's respite, already helping her to her feet. “I'm not nearly done with you yet, wife.”

“I think so,” she says breathlessly.

Supporting her with a hand at her waist, I turn her gently before guiding her onto the edge of my desk. As gently as I could, I palm the nape and guide her down until her cheek meets the wood.

With my other hand, I pump my cock a few times, rubbing it against her wet slit.

I press my body down on her as I guide my cock into her tight sheath. A primal groan escapes me as I sink deep, thrusting slowly at first waiting for her to adjust.

“My lord,” she gasps, reaching back for me.

I free the kerchief keeping her hair in place. Pale strands tumble over her shoulders in a silken cascade, and I gather them loosely in my fist before giving it a gentle tug that earns a soft moan from her.

“You take me so well, wife.”

Her answering moan sends a fresh wave of heat through me.

“Storms,” I rasp through tightly gritted teeth as she meets my hips. The pace she sets is urgent, almost frantic, as she uses me to chase her climax. “Fuck, yes.”

“Rothgar! Yes!” Her cry echoes through the study. I shall remember that sound for the rest of my life.

Storms, I need her nearer.

Releasing her hair, I ease her upright until her back rests against my chest. Her head falls against my shoulder as I cradle her jaw, turning her face toward mine for a slow kiss despite the urgency consuming us.

I find a steady rhythm, slamming into her hard.

Calla tightens around my cock so hard with her orgasm, she brings me over the edge with her.

“You undo me, love,” I whisper against her mouth when I spill my seed inside her.

She sighs, her weight settling against me.

Only when her breathing steadies do I murmur a quiet spell. Warm water gathers in the washbasin near the hearth, a clean linen cloth drifting into my waiting hand. I tend to her with unhurried care before conjuring a robe of soft charcoal wool, its lining warmed with faint storm magic.

“There,” I say, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Much better.”

Before she can protest, I slip one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her into my arms.

“I'm starting to think you doubt my ability to walk,” she answerss, nuzzling against my shoulder.