Iftia: Lyx Palace, Matrimonial Bedchambers
• Elianna •
Sitting atop of the velvet sheets of the matrimonial bed, Elianna wasn't quite sure why the thought that Rowan may enter any time now had set her heart thumping in a feverish pace.
A while ago, Kiran and Jana had helped her out of the wedding dress. Accessories, laces and layers. It was a rather tedious task and by the time they helped her into the bath, she already felt worn out from all the trouble and time taken to remove everything. After a comforting bath and a light meal, they had dressed her up for the wedding night.
Elianna cleared her throat and looked down, peeking at the layer underneath the blush silk robe and blushed furiously. Good heavens. The sheer white dress she wore underneath did almost nothing to hide the contours of her body, instead, they clung tight to her skin to reveal every curve. Hastily pulling onto the silk robe, she fumbled to wrap herself and conceal her embarrassment.
She froze the moment she heard a clear click on the door and Rowan had appeared right behind. He was dressed in a dark robe, loosely tied at the waist to reveal his firm chest and those perfectly tight ridges that sculpted his body. Elianna clutched tighter onto the smooth silk of her robe as she swallowed a nervous gulp.
"Why do you look anxious?" Rowan laughed in a mellow, deep manner that nearly caused her to jump. She watched as he made his way to the table placed at the corner and poured a glass of wine. Holding it towards her, he asked, "Would you like to have some?"
"Y-Yes," she stammered, feeling that some wine might help to rush some of the nerves out of her mind.
He handed a glass to her and she quickly emptied the contents in a single gulp. Feeling a burn trailing down her throat, her face scrunched tightly and she shook her head, wanting to erase the uncomfortable feeling.
"Eli?" Rowan called her name in a question, his tone concerned. Resting his own glass down, he walked towards the side of the bed where she sat. He lowered himself on a knee and rested his palms on her flushed cheeks, facing her directly. His brilliant blue eyes bore into hers, and she held onto her breath as her eyes widened. He asked slowly, "Are you okay, love?"
Not knowing how to answer him, her face heated embarrassingly. She nodded slightly before lowering her head further and burying her face into his palms. He chuckled, softly and tenderly, and said, "If you're going to be so adorable, I'm not going to hold back anymore, my wife."
She let out a soft grumble and he withdrew his hands, landing one on her waist and the other on the back of her knees to lift her up. Surprised by the sudden action, she instinctively found support by folding her arms around his neck. He held onto her firmly and moved them into the bed. He placed her into the soft sheets and his large frame towered over her. Elianna let out a surprised shriek, "R-Rowan!"
He paused, "Is there a reason to why you're so flustered?"
"Please w-wait," she panicked.
Rowan reacted almost instantly as he stilled and tensed, but his grip on the sheets beneath them tightened. She slowly peeled her eyes open and glanced towards him. At the sight of his remorseful expression, her heart broke and she quickly pushed herself to sit. She leaned close but he backed away from her. Words were messily phrased and she tried to explain, "Rowan, it's not—"
"I hurt you the last time, didn't I?" His tone caused her heart to wrench and she knew that he was referring to the night when his haunting nightmare had hazed over his rationality. After that night, they hadn't shared a bed and he had been careful when being around her.
Yet, she wanted to let him know that he hadn't hurt her at all. In fact, he was so gentle with her after he came to his realisation. A rush of emotions pooled at the corner of her eyes and she knew that she had unintentionally hurt his feelings. Her lips parted but none of the words had formed themselves.
Holding onto his hand, she placed it on the waist tie of her robe. She couldn't explain her predicament and the only way was to show him. Her heart already decided that if she's going to die of embarrassment, she might as well die in his arms. Her hand pushed to close his fingers on the smooth fabric but he resisted, trying to pull his hand back.
"Eli, we don't have to do this."
"Don't say anything, just take it off," she said quietly, feeling the heat travelling up her neck to her face as she directed her gaze at him.
"I cherish you, love," he sighed, resting her back on the bed. "I won't do this to you until—"
"Rowan!" she interjected, unintentionally raised her voice, almost shouting at him. When he pulled his hand away, she grumbled and unknotted the waist tie. The soft blush silk slid off her body, revealing the sheer dress and the pale of her skin underneath. She kept her gaze on him as she wanted to let him know that she's desperate to reciprocate his feelings but had been overwhelmed by her own nervousness.
Even in the dimness of the bedchamber, she saw the red smearing across Rowan's cheeks as he glanced down at her. Stammering, she scolded, "D-Don't turn red!"
"Damn," he choked. "Eli, my heart nearly stopped entirely."
※
• Rowan •
Rowan thought he had forgotten how to breath when he focused all his attention on her. She laid beneath him with her warm brown hair messily splayed over the pillows and white sheets. The sheer fabric of her nightgown had done little to cover all the beautiful curves on her body. Under the warm candlelight and silvery moonlight, her beauty was exquisitely ethereal and otherworldly like a goddess.
Eventually, she buried her face in her hands and she was red all the way to the tip of her ears. Her pale skin flushed warmly in a lovely shade of pink as she tried to hide herself. Curling up on her side, she whined softly, "P-Please say something or do something."
"Eli, look at me," he breathed. Leaning down, he slid the silk off and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. Her skin was smooth against his lips and the soft scent of lilacs never failed to calm his senses. He continued, "Won't you look at me, love?"
"I'm utterly embarrassed," she grumbled petulantly into her hands. "How am I supposed to face you?"
"Why are you feeling shy?" he chuckled, his hand landed on the small of her back and nudged her gently. He assured, "You're beautiful, so achingly beautiful."
The woman beneath him wiggled her body and slowly turned to face him. He first caught sight of her eyes that were shimmering in liquid gold — the pair of eyes that held his breath captive the moment he locked gaze with her. Even after so many years, the light in her eyes remained and never dulled in its clarity. The gold remained pure, rich and beautiful, just like her.
Delicately, he moved his hand to cup her cheek and his fingers traced the line of her jaw down to the hollow of her collarbone. She breathed out a sharp exhale and his hand dipped slightly together with the movement of her chest. A sweet sound reverberated in his ears and he leaned down and hovered his lips over hers. "I'll just take your garter," he murmured against her lips. "We don't have to do anything tonight."
He pecked a kiss on her nose and moved his hand up the length of her thigh, feeling for the ornate silver chain. A hand stopped him and he looked towards her with widened eyes as she whispered, "I haven't said that you could remove it."
"You're going to make me earn it, aren't you?" he laughed. "I'll cuddle you to sleep and you have to give it to me the next morning, alright?"
"Really," she let out a mellow exhale, her hand ran down the length of his body. He tightened his jaw and pinched his brows into a tight frown as she played against his restraint once again when she tempted, "You complimented that I'm beautiful, but you're not going to do anything?"
"I can't hold back if you're going to be so alluring," he pleaded desperately.
"You don't get to back off after sweet talking to me, my husband." She wrapped her hand tight around his neck and arched her back to lean close to him. Her softness melted against him and his restraint forgone. He circled an arm onto her waist and lifted her against him. He kissed her and their tongues danced slowly against each other while he positioned her up, straddling him.
He pulled his robe off him before his fingers pushed the silk off her arms and went underneath the hem of her tempting nightgown. Her body quivered against his touch and she moaned softly, striking at his senses. His desires were clawing their way out in an almost primal desire to devour and claim all of her but he tamed them fully. All because he wanted to hold her in the way she deserved — slowly, tenderly, reverently.
One of his hands cupped her breast while the other teased against the warm moisture between her legs. Her nails dug into his skin in a satisfying way and his lips trailed a path along her collarbone, grazing his teeth lightly against her skin, "Is this enough?"
"Not enough," she responded.
Her pace of breathing quickened when he slid his fingers into her and her body leaned weakly against him as she repeated his name again and again through her moans. He felt on the verge and on the edge, about to be thrown over by every feeling of her against him. Slanting his head, he claimed her lips and stopped her from driving him insane with her sweet voice. He kissed her until she came undone in his embrace, and continued to kiss her until strength left her totally as she clung onto him with almost only her desperation. He kissed her ear and mumbled, "Is this enough, my wife?"
"Not enough," she panted. "More."
"Be careful what you wish for, love," he cautioned.
"More," she repeated, her tone remained firm.
Removing her nightgown, he lowered her back down on the sheets. His hand wrapped onto the nape of her neck and inched himself into her slowly. He moved slow, with her comfort as his priority even when his own mind was blanking out at the tantalizing sensations of her, mercilessly torturing his self-restraint. She continued to hug him closer to her as she whimpered his name, "Rowan."
"I love you," he exhaled huskily. His arms wrapped closer around her body as he felt her tightening around him and he surrendered to her, heeding to her requests for more. He picked up his pace and moved against her.
"I love you too," she smiled, with tears glistening her amber-coloured eyes. "Always do, and always will."
※
good heavens, i need somewhere to hide, haha.
a wedding tradition:
in iftia, wedding garters (the piece of jewellery worn around the thigh) are to be removed by the man on the wedding night to complete the marriage.
please vote and comment if you're enjoying the read!