260

***

After that, they sought solace in each other's embrace day and night. Whatever invisible barrier once restrained Cárcel had vanished, and Inés craved him more than ever.

Every time they were behind closed doors, passion would take over. In the early light of dawn, their lips would meet in the cool breeze on the balcony; by morning, they sought each other out in the dining table; their hands explored each other by the windowsill in the cabinet at sundown, in the greenhouse at noon, with the curtains drawn, at night in the bathroom, in the hushed intimacy of the armory... Inés didn't mind where they were-whether seated on his lap in the sun-drenched greenhouse, or sprawled across the floor of the armory-as long as Cárcel wanted her as well. They would reach out to each other with an urgency that bordered on desperation, their lips colliding in fervent kisses, their bodies entwining as if to close a distance neither could bear. Their desires seemed unable to be quenched, and their longing only grew deeper. Even in the privacy of a moving carriage, they surrendered to their desire.

It was the Feast of St. Carlo. Inés's presence in Caltzela remained a secret, so instead of the city's grand chapel, they went to a humble one in Yolanda's home village. The chapel was nestled in the mountains, two hours' ride away, so it was like a small journey that had them up in the early hours of the morning.

Yolanda, their old, trusted cook, had been donating to the chapel her whole life, to thank them for taking care of her when she lost her parents as a young girl. Though cooks were not high-ranking household staff like butlers or housekeepers, they were paid quite well, so Yolanda's years of service and generous donations made her a precious member of the humble chapel. Thanks to her request, Cárcel and Inés were able to attend Mass without notice, which was better than calling a priest to their residence.

During the journey there, they had been the picture of decorum, sitting in the carriage like a demure married couple. But on their ride back home, they had nothing holding them back. After donating a large sum of money and exiting the chapel with the utmost piety, they put all pretenses aside as soon as they shut the carriage door behind them.

Their eyes blazed with unspoken desire, each breath heavy with anticipation as they kissed. Cárcel impatiently reached for the white veil that was placed over Inés's black hair, tearing it off, letting her loosely tied hair spill free like a cascade of silk down her back. His fingers tangled in her luscious locks, releasing them only to draw her back again, like a man desperately looking for a way to satisfy his urgent need.

The carriage shook just then as it hit a bump in the road. As Cárcel's back hit the wall, Inés leaned over him, her hair splaying over him like a curtain. The wildflower scent of her hair perfume surrounded them like a field in full bloom. He breathed in the scent through his nose and, just as their lips parted for a short moment, his hands slipped to the small of her back, pulling her close until she was perched on his stomach. Her movements were deliberate, teasing, her hips rubbing against his arousal underneath her and lips swallowing his moans with another kiss. He groaned against her lips, his grip tightening on the delicate lace of her veil and the lace ribbon on the back of her dress.

Unlike the expensive veil she usually wore to Mass, the lace ribbon on her plain white dress was quite rough by comparison. But that morning, Cárcel had beamed at her, saying that he felt as though they were on their way to their nuptial mass again. He was also dressed in garments made of cheaper fabric than usual. In their simple attire, they now looked like wealthy commoners from some small town rather than the esteemed members of the Grandes de Ortega.

Inés ignored the wild mess her husband had made of her dark locks and sucked at his tongue, pushing him over before drawing away slightly and murmuring, "You make me feel like some promiscuous girl from the countryside."

"Are you certain that's entirely my fault?" Cárcel asked, leaning against the wall as he hiked up her dress to her waist. His large hands grasped her buttocks, parting her cheeks as he kissed her even more desperately. His arousal poked against her backside, separated by nothing more than her delicate undergarments and the fabric of his trousers.

"Of course it is. Look at what you are doing..." Inés breathed, her voice laced with both accusation and desire as she shamelessly rubbed her twitching entrance against him.

A low chuckle rumbled from Cárcel. "I believe you've been the one leading me astray all this time."

"Nonsense," she muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"But how else could I explain it?" he whispered, lips brushing against her ear. "I would never have been compelled to put the same hand that held the holy scriptures in between your legs. It must be you-trying to seduce an innocent country boy like me, turning me into your willing servant."

A soft gasp escaped her as she felt his fingers slide down her folds and the longest one slip into her.

"Innocent?" she echoed breathlessly. "Don't make me laugh, Cárcel."

"You want me on my hands and knees for you, submitting to your every whim-ah, Inés..." His voice was raw with desire as she guided his hand to explore deeper, pressing herself onto his finger.

With her cheeks turned rosy red, she spread her knees even wider apart over him, letting him see her entrance with his thick middle finger nestled inside, glistening with her wetness. She was shameless, holding his hand as though it were her own, using it to pleasure herself, her breath hitching with each slow thrust.

Cárcel's eyes glinted as he watched her in a daze, taking in the sight of her entrance blooming like a flower and swallowing his finger whole again and again. "Do you still insist that this is not your doing, Inés?" he murmured, his voice a low rasp.

She moaned. "I want more..."

"You've turned me into a complete fool who can think of nothing but you."

"Good," she murmured, her voice soft but commanding. "Don't think of anything else but me..."

As Cárcel brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear, she leaned into his palm with a smile. "You are unbearably endearing..." he whispered, his lips pressing kisses all over her face.

Just then, Inés's slender fingers guided another one of his fingers inside her. A moan escaped her like a sigh, and Cárcel quickly silenced her with another fervent kiss. Her hips moved rhythmically, grinding against his hand as their kisses deepened. Lewd squelching sounds filled the carriage. She took yet another one of his fingers, her hips lifting and falling as if she were taking in his arousal.

Cárcel let out a low, rumbling laugh, his eyes dark with desire as he took a firm hold of her hips with his free hand. He pulled her down with more force than she could muster herself, plunging his fingers deeper into her. Occasional jolts of the carriage intensified his thrusts, and his lips traveled up her earlobe to nibble at the rim of her ear as he breathed raggedly.

"You are pleasuring yourself with my hand," he whispered, his voice thick with lust.

"I know..." she gasped, feeling small waves of pleasure pulsing through her.

"And in a moving carriage, no less. To think you were the very image of virtue, sitting demurely in the chapel mere moments ago... Blast it, I want to strip you bare."

"Not here... we'll have to step out soon..." Her words were half an invitation, giving him permission to do so once they were home.

"And you still claim this is my fault?" Cárcel kissed and nibbled at her cheeks, leaving flushed marks on her pale skin, and let out a harsh grunt. "I want to make you a complete mess, spread my seed all over your face, your legs, and your breasts, so that no one could mistake who you belong to."

"I... wouldn't mind," she said, her moans weaving between her words.

"I'm going to thrust into you until you're so weak you can't even stand. You won't be able to use the bathroom or go anywhere without me carrying you..." He groaned softly. "Inés, are you sure you aren't trying to ruin me by arousing me beyond my limits?"

She moaned and breathlessly called out his name.

"Three fingers, and it's still not enough for you... Inés, my adorable wife."

"I want you to fill me," she begged softly. "I-"

Cárcel suddenly flipped her over, laying her onto the seat, his body hovering above hers. He grasped her cheeks with his fingers still wet from her desire, his thumb grazing her lips before slipping inside. She took it into her mouth eagerly, her cheeks glistening with her own juices. Cárcel's eyes seethed with passion as he watched her in awe. Her body arched beneath him as he pushed inside her, her vision blurring as he drove deeper. She sobbed as she climaxed, her cries muffled by his thumb swirling inside her mouth.

Each thrust of his hips sent ripples through her body, and the deeper he reached, the more complete she felt. She wrapped her arms around his back to pull him closer, now her affection as fierce as her desire.

***

The carriage lingered outside the gates for quite a while after it arrived. Inés and Cárcel were in complete disarray, as though they had engaged in a long bout of lovemaking, their bodies still entwined in the wake of their passion.

Inés was barely able to make herself look presentable with Cárcel's help. But as he tried to fix his own attire, she kept distracting him with teasing touches. After he warned her with several breathtaking kisses, she finally relented and stepped out of the carriage, flushed and glowing with a sense of satisfaction, though her limbs were heavy with exhaustion. She felt an overwhelming sense of fullness. It seemed like nothing could disturb this blissful moment.

Until Alfonso approached with an urgent message from House Escalante.