Lessons of Love (44 page)

He felt
Jolie
's hand caressing his face and looked down at her. Her eyes held love and happiness, and he almost drowned in their beautiful mossy depths. "I love you,
Cole
. I don't blame you for anything, and you have to stop blaming yoursel
f. Now put me in t
hat bed and make love to me."

"I want to dry you off first. You'll catch cold. I
can let you get sick again."

"Cold? You
ca
n't be serious. With you…
"

"Hush, let me do this. Let me love you."
Jolie
remembered the stricken look of ang
uish and fear on his face when she
’
d first woken up and held her tongue. She would let him lov
e her until the day she died.

Cole
set
Jolie
on her feet and pulled a quilt from the bed. He wrapped her in it and began to rub her skin dry. The feeling of his
hands rubbing her body and the heat of the friction kindled
Jolie
's passion even more. She moaned and
Cole
pulled her to him, letting the quilt fall open. Kissing her belly as one hand stil
l rubbed her back and thighs.

Cole
stroked her with the quilt, d
rying her skin, brushing the sensitive areas with teasing intent. His mouth continued to rain kisses over her belly while he murmured sweet words of love to her.
Jolie
wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled his face to her stomach. To her surprise the
cheek pressed against her was wet with tears.
Jolie
fell to her knees and held
Cole
. She gathered him close and pressed his head to her shoulder. "
Cole
, please stop this. I love you. I'll say the words a million times if you need to hear them. I'll tell yo
u I forgive you even though there is nothing to for
give. Is that what you need?"

Jolie
felt
Cole
's head jerk, he nodded his reply and threw his arms around her, holding on for dear life. The floodgates opened and all his fear and guilt came pouring out.
Sobs racked his body as
Jolie
held him. "Oh
Cole
, my love, my
Cole
, I forgive you. It'
s going to be all right. Cole
please, there is nothing to forgive. You did everything in your power to protect me from
Gregor
.
You didn
’
t know. There is nothing to forgiv
e."

An anguished wail tore from deep within him and he shook his head in denial. "Yes there is. It was my fault
Jolie
. I hurt you, and then left you alone. I knew what Gregor was capable of but I left you alone. Oh God,
Jolie
, nothing can make up for wha
t happened to you, what could have happened to you. You should blame me, baby. You should damn
me to the hell and hate me."

Jolie
gripped
Cole
's face in her hands and forced him to look in her eyes. The pain she saw staring back at her tore at her heart.
His soul was screaming for absolution. "You listen to me
Cole
, you are a good man. Yes you left me, but you didn
’
t leave me alone. I was with Jonathan. Yes I got hurt, and yes I was scared, and yes Gregor could have done horrid things to me, but he didn
’
t
and I survived. I
’
m alive, and it
’
s because you saved me. Let it go,
Cole
, please, it's over."

Jolie
held
Cole
as they knelt on the floor in the soft candle lit bedroom. They swayed gently as she moved his body in a soft fluid rocking motion while she r
ubbed his back and stroked his head.
Jolie
whispered soft words of love to
Cole
over and over until she felt his body begin to relax within her arms.
Cole
clung to
Jolie
while the pain and heartbreak surged inside him. She was his light, his sanity, his lo
ve. How had he ever lived without this woman in his life? Her hushed words urged him to let it go, to forgive himself for all he had
caused, for all he had done.

"I love you, I'll always love you." She whis
pered the words over and over, s
hattering his do
ubts, chasing away the guilt, easing the pain.
Jolie
held him from her and gazed into his eyes, she looked deep into his soul. "Do you believe me?"
Cole
stared back, seeking, searching, then finding, the love she held for him inside, and slowly nodded his
head. Yes he believed her. Somehow she did love him and maybe, just maybe she was right about the guilt too. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed, trying to heave the weight from his shoulders; he wanted to
let it go, he had to for her.

"I believe you…
I
just…
"

"No
Cole
, it's over." She kissed him deeply while her hands went to the buttons on his shirt.
Cole
covered her hands with his, stopping her motions.
Jolie
looked up in dismay, shaking her head. "
Cole
, I need my husband to make love to me. I want
you, I need you, and I love you. There is no one more deserving of that love than
you, no one. Now hold still."

"No, this is all for you. Let me do it." He scooped her up and set her on the bed then undressed. This had to be done just right. Release tens
ion first, make love second. Most of the time the two went hand in hand but
Cole
wanted
Jolie
to feel totally free this time. No more memories, no more heartache and fear. She had been wounded in her soul and he wanted to help her heal emotionally before a
sking for anything physical.

"
Cole
, come to bed."
Jolie
’
s voice was hoarse with emotion and desire. Her pain had fled for the moment, replaced by a passion that only her husband had ever been able to instill in her.
Cole
looked at
Jolie
, and raised an ey
ebrow in a look she knew so well. He picked up a vile of almond oil and went to the bed. Sitting cross-legged beside her he poured some oil into the palm of one hand and then rubbed both hands together to warm it. Moving so he was kneeling next to
Jolie
, h
e commanded. "Roll over on your tummy, then y
ou are not to
move a muscle."

Cole
began on her back and shoulders, kneading and pulling, pressing hard and deep and then lighter, trying to get the knots in her muscles to loosen. The tension in her body beli
ed her words of reassurance. When he finally felt
Jolie
relax, he moved down her back, stroking and kneading in long fluid movements up and down from the small of her back to her shoulder blades and neck, lightly grazing the sides of her breasts every time
he passed. He got more oil and worked on each arm going all the way to
Jolie
’
s fingertips and back. Kneading each muscle in turn. He wanted her entire focus to be the feel of his hands sliding across her skin.
Cole
wanted to drive every last lingering ima
ge of her nightmare from her mind before making love to her body. Every moan that escaped her lips brought him pleasure, knowing he was accompli
shing what he set out to do.

Cole
continued to work his hands lovingly over
Jolie
's back and bottom. Trailing
his fingers down her legs and massaging her calves then running his hands back up brushing between her thighs to brush his fingers against her most sensitive parts.
Jolie
loved the feel of
Cole
’
s hands on her body and his actions were causing a heat to ri
se up inside h
er. She moaned and he smiled.

"
Cole
, that feels wonderful,
but now
I need to hold you."

"Reading my mind, kitten?" He lay down next to her, pulling her into his loving embrace and burying his face in her hair.
Cole
breathed deeply, her s
cent filling him and closed his eyes, content for a moment just knowing she was safely back in his arms. He pressed
Jolie
closer, enveloping her in his embrace.
Jolie
reached for his hand and entwined hers with his, looking deeply into his eyes. Their dept
h and brilliance took her breath away. Blue met green, and the rest of the world fell away. She rubbed her palm across his, gathering some oil, and reached down to grasp him gently but firmly, sliding her oil covered hand up and down
Cole
’
s cock.
Cole
moan
ed an
d strained against her touch.

"I love you,
Cole
. How do you al
ways know just what I need?"

Cole
brought her lips to his and lightly kissed her, nibbling, gently opening up
Jolie
’
s mouth. The kiss deepened and he
caressed her tongue with his, j
oin
ing their bodies in the simplest of ways, tenderly, passionately.
Jolie
moaned in her throat and
Cole
responded by moving his hands up and delicately caressing her breasts with a feather light touch, rubbing her nipples between his fingers and thumbs, caus
ing her to arch h
er body forward against hi
m.

Cole
broke off the kiss and rolled
Jolie
onto her back, pausing to look down at his wife. The strain of her ordeal was clearly evident on her face and her eyes appeared to have aged a hundred years but she s
till took his breath away. His gaze took in her lithe form, curved hips and rounded breasts, and his cock jumped with desire.
Jolie
wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed back at him, her eyes on fire, her nipples taunt, her lips parted and ready to be
tasted again. This was the
Jolie
that only he knew. The woman who was only for him. Her passion in bed had always amazed him. Her eyes smoldered with molten desire, desire for him alone.
Cole
inhaled sharply as the blood pounded through his veins. The loo
k on
Jolie
’
s face and the feel of her beneath hi
m had him dizzy with desire.

He leaned forward and circled her nipples with his tongue. First one, then the other and back again.
Jolie
cried out and wrapped her arms tighter around
Cole
's broad back. Pull
ing him closer. She was so sensitive
and he was driving her wild.

"
Cole
…
"

"Hum?" He asked still kissing one breast then the other.
Jolie
didn't answer him. She parted her thighs and ran her hands down his back, pausing on his hard muscled bottom to
press him against her as she raised her hi
ps, moving against his cock.

Cole
didn't respond with words. Instead he left a trail of kisses down her belly and over her hips, pausing to nip teasingly at her thighs, running his tongue over the delicate skin,
then kissed them open. He gently moved his hands back up her legs and pushed an arm under her hips, holding
Jolie
tight with one hand while he caressed her with the other. He slowly slipped a single finger inside her and smiled when he found her wet and r
eady.

“
That
’
s my girl. Feel good?”
Jolie
moaned and wiggled, moving them in time with his touch. His fingers were doing wonderful things to her body as one slid deeply in and out and another circled her clit.
Cole
carefully added another inside her tight
channel and paused, waiting for any sign he was causing her pain, before curling them up to stroke her sweet spot.
Jolie
’
s gasp of pleasure assured him things were going as planned so he brought his mouth down on her sweet cunny, replacing the teasing fin
ger with his talented tongue.