Mag-log inRyder threw a fierce look toward the door as if he could see through its thick wood. “Didn’t I tell you, I’d kill if you disturbed me again? Do you have a death wish?”“Can’t you contain yourself until you’re back home? We must leave again for the capital as soon as we reach the estate!”“Delaying things by a day or two won’t be the end of the world! Stop whining!”“Commander!”“All right! I’m coming, I’m coming! You ruined the mood, you little bastard!”Ryder ran a hand through his hair, and Amelia stiffened as he spat out a string of creative expletives that she had never heard in her entire life. He sprang up, his face tense with annoyance. “Get the carriage ready! We’ll depart soon.”In response, the man behind the door stomped away to obey the order and Ryder let out a deep sigh and looked down at the floor. “I shouldn’t have brought those bastards with me….”Amelia watched him silently. “Wait here,” he said.“I’ll find something for you to wear.”She nodded, her pale face peekin
Amelia awoke to something pressing down on her chest and feeling suffocated, she blinked her eyes open, only to find that a tanned, muscular arm completely blocked her vision.She raised her head slightly and Ryder was fast asleep, his head buried in her hair and memories of the previous night came rushing back and she blushed.Under the blanket, they were tangled in a naked embrace, his long and sturdy legs intertwined with hers. He hugged her tight, like he might a favorite pillow.Amelia had never known such an affectionate embrace not even her own mother had held her with such warmth.As her eyes roamed uneasily around the room, it occurred to her that she should find something to wear before he woke up because if he found her like this, he might…Burying her face in her hands, she recalled how she had writhed in his arms. How could she face him again?She would rather throw herself out the window because a proper lady would never have acted the way she had.Her nursemaid had made
Amelia looked up at him with wet eyes, overwhelmed by the closeness they shared.Their bodies were pressed together like two lumps of clay, and with every rhythmic movement, it felt as ig they were being kneaded and reshaped into something entirely new.She could barely tell where she ended and he began. How was it possible to feel another person so intimately? Every ragged breath, every quickened heartbeat, and every bit of warmth between them seemed to draw them closer.Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that felt almost natural, as if they had somehow become one. The sensation was overwhelming, leaving her breathless and unable to think clearly. “It feels so good…” he moaned, his voice thick with emotion as he drew her even closer into his arms.His heated skin glistened with sweat, and tiny droplets slipped down his chest, falling onto her breasts.He held her tightly against him, unwilling to allow even the smallest distance between them.Amelia looked up at his hardened fac
Amelia was suddenly overcome by fear, though she could hardly understand what frightened her so much.A deep flush had spread across her cheeks and down to her chest, leaving her skin burning with embarrassment.The unfamiliar sounds escaping her lips only made matters worse. She had never heard herself sound this way before, and the realization left her painfully shy.Her limbs seemed to lose all their strength, growing weak beneath the overwhelming sensations.Unable to bear the thought of Ryder hearing her helpless moans, she buried her burning face against his shoulder, hoping to muffle them but no matter how desperately she tried to compose herself, Ryder's unwavering attention to that most intimate part of her only intensified the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her body, until it became almost unbearable.“S-Stop…Ah!” Amelia whimpered and panted as her insides threatened to dissolve. “It’s all right....just let yourself feel.” He ignored her pleas and continued with his tor
Amelia nearly rolled her eyes. Patient? He had been shouting all this time!If this was patient, then Ryder placed his hands on the small of her back, and her thoughts came to a screeching halt.She froze as his hands inched downward, making their way beneath the blanket that covered her. “W-Wait…!” Amelia kicked her legs in alarm. She was wearing nothing but a thin tunic.Unperturbed, Ryder slid a hand under her buttocks and lifted her slightly.He pulled the blanket out from under her and tossed it to the floor.Amelia frantically pulled the tunic over her legs, but Ryder simply rolled up the tunic’s lower half and reached underneath to cup her high-perched breasts.She let out an unceremonious cry as the roughness of his warm hands brushed across her tender skin, sending strange and intense sensations coursing through her body. “W-W-Wait…”Ryder, who had been burying his nose in the nape of her neck, raised his head. He wore a disgruntled look. “Is that your favorite word? Or have
Amelia had been treading cautiously, but she could no longer suppress her curiosity. “W-Why are you t-taking me w-with you?”“What?” Ryder stopped in his tracks. He had been walking toward the door with the tray in his hands, but he now turned to examine her. “What do you mean?”“I kn-know you d-didn’t marry me b-because you wanted t-to…so I d-don’t know why you’re t-taking me w-with you…”His face hardened. She held her breath, unsure if it had been her stutter or the question that displeased him.She continued, her words stumbling over her trepidation. “W-We’re…W-What I mean to s-say is…We d-don’t kn-know each other w-well enough to be…to be m-man and w-wife…A m-man like you d-doesn’t have to t-take me…You c-could have any w-woman…”“Shut your mouth!” Ryder stomped back to her bed and slammed the tray down, his eyes smoldering with anger. “If you don’t want to come with me, just say so!”“N-No, th-that’s not w-what I....!”“Don’t try to fool me! My castle may not be as large as Whit






