Leo told her it didn't have to happen until she was ready. How could he mean it, but not mean it? A cold shower would be futile if he climbed in bed with her afterwards.

He slid over next to her and kissed her. She had learned to respond to his mouth, next was his hands and then the rest was obvious.

He found her breast and cupped the lace. She hitched when he brushed her nipple. "You like that?" His voice was thick. His mouth followed his hands. When she arched her back, he smiled.

Returning to her lips, he said, "Your body knows what it wants. The only thing stopping you is here." He tapped her forehead.

She blushed, but he kissed her to distract her. His fingered itched to explore her fully. He'd bet his paycheck she was wet. Instead, he promised to go slow.

Time stood still, and he didn't know if it had been minutes or hours. His plan was to let Isla take control by sliding down onto him. When his boxers came off, he felt her tense, but his brave, beautiful, sensual wife slowly followed his prompts and touched him just right. She wrapped her warm fingers around him and moved them up and down until he stilled her hand. He had been jerking off regularly, but his cock knew the difference between his release and the night he had been longing for. He was afraid their first coupling would be over quickly.

Once she stilled her hand, it was time for his to prepare her to receive him. He brushed his fingertips across her navel and slipped them inside the sexy panties. Thank you, Lilli. Isla tensed.

He kissed her sensually, and she relaxed. "Darling, I'm going to touch you and show you real pleasure. Close you eyes and relax."

He would love to taste her but needed to wait until Isla had fully blossomed into an orgasmic woman. He smiled hoping her first was on its way. Slowly he slipped his fingers over her soft pubic covered mound. He didn't have to dip inside to feel the moisture. She was dripping with arousal.

"Relax," he whispered, as he slowly parted her lips.

She tensed, when he inserted a finger to wet it. Fully lubricated, he told her to relax again, as he swiped to her clit and back. Her own ridge formed, and he continued to slide across it applying more pressure. Her legs squirmed, before tensing. He watched her face as her core shuddered silently.

He pulled out his finger and held it to his nose. Inhaling her scent, he stopped short of licking it. Instead, he licked her mouth in a passionate kiss.

"Did you like that?"

"What was that?"

He chuckled. "That was an orgasm. If I do it right, you'll feel one when I'm inside you."

She opened her eyes. "If you do it right?"

"It might not happen every time. I'm afraid I'm over excited and might finish before you start this first time. Making love isn't perfect every time like in the books, but even without you feeling like you just did, we'll be as close as possible and will celebrate our love."

"But not making love, a baby."

He smirked. "Not tonight. We'll be practicing."

"I need practice."

He kissed behind her ear. She still had her flowers in her hair. As he picked them out, he said, "What do you want to do now?"

He found a hairpin and wished he had let her hair down earlier. He felt like a bumbling teenager.

"I want to have my first time, so I'll stop worrying."

He chuckled. "It's not the most romantic proposition, but I won't say no. Will you do what I say? It might be better if you decide on your comfort level." He kissed the woman in wool off her face. "Trust me."

She nodded. "Yes."

Leo strained to hear, as he stood and got a condom from his bag. He put an extra on the nightstand and opened one. He had gone down a little but when he gazed at her perfect body; the blood filled him. "These need to come off." He pulled off her panties. He blushed when he noticed her eyes taking him in. "Now you've seen me naked."

She blushed as he rolled the condom on. When he pulled at the tip of the latex, his own tip felt oversensitive. He climbed on the bed and turned onto his back.

"I want you to climb on me." Her eyes opened wide. "It's okay. Trust me." She slowly moved until she straddled him. "Slide down. There." She slid, so she was perched over him. "I'm going to hold it still. You can slide down as slowly as you need. If it hurts, stop."

He held his breath as his tip found her entrance. She slipped his tip in and the sensations took his breath. A quarter of an inch at a time felt like torture. Her eyes were closed and her tongue stuck out like when she cut with scissors. It was still adorable, but Leo was barely holding on. Finally, when he was fully in, she opened her eyes and looked at him. Her face looked proud like a child thinking, I did it.

"We're joined completely. Does it hurt?" She shook her head. He moved his hips as he guided her to rock. It took very little movement before he lost control with a guttural groan.

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head back and forth, as he continued with a long orgasm. "You did to me what my finger did to you." With her lying on top of him, he laughed. She looked at him. "Honey, you don't know how much I let you down." He might have done better as a teen in his girlfriend's basement. "It was much too fast and one sided. I'll make it up to you."

"But I did it?"

"Yes, we did." She smiled. He held her tighter. "I love you. Do you want to sleep or have me try again?"

"Sleep."

He wasn't disappointed, especially when she returned wearing a negligee. Leo woke to Isla's bottom tucked against his arousal. He had no guilt waking her as he began kissing her neck.

It was late when they finally emerged from the bed. He let her shower while he checked in at home. His mother teased him for being out of bed.

"We'll stop by before heading to The Cape." Leo was in no rush to sit in Saturday traffic waiting to go over the bridge on Route 3. Zach kept telling him he should have gone to Maine, but he didn't want to be that far from his kids. His past had changed him.

To his disappointment, Isla appeared dressed. After his shower, they left their honeymoon suite behind. The kids greeted them when they entered. The kitchen made his stomach growl, as he went for coffee.

"Sit both of you. I'll make a new batch of pancakes."

Leo smiled and shook his head at Isla. His wife was ready to insist on cooking. Cody distracted her.

"You have presents! And cake!"

Leo laughed. "We could eat cake for breakfast."

Isla said, "No, you won't."

His parents laughed. Maggie said, "Pancakes will satisfy your sweet tooth."

"After we eat, we'll open presents. Then pack." He looked around. "Where's Percy?"

"Sleeping." Riley complained.

"In this house, with your noise." Leo grabbed her and hugged her.

Riley giggled. It was cliche, but he was truly happy. The stress of the wedding night had been lifted. When he met Isla's eyes they twinkled. His butterfly had blossomed.

"When are you setting out, son?"

He looked from Isla to his dad. "I'm not sure we're in a big hurry. Isla needs to move her things over."

His mother placed pancakes in front of them. Leo dug in right away. Bill said, "Someone worked up an appetite."

"Dad, we hardly ate at the reception."

"Let him be, Bill." Leo smiled at his mother.

Everyone talked about the wedding and the reception. Cody asked, "Why are you going on vacation without us?"

Leo held his fork in midair. Isla said, "To celebrate our wedding and get used to being married." Leo didn't have an answer. Not like hers.

Percy appeared. "What's all the racket? Why aren't you two off doing what newlyweds do?"

"Great to see you too, Perce." Leo glared at him.

"What do newlys do?" Cody asked.

Isla stood. "I'll go over to Marcia's." She grabbed the key and ran out the door.

"Dad, what newlys do?"

"Kiss, but my wife left without kissing me."

Riley snickered. "Kiss."

Leo felt pink. What did his daughter know?

It was afternoon before they left the house. His father had left to take Percy to the airport in a rental car.

Once on the highway, Leo asked, "Ready for some quiet time just the two of us."

"I'm going to miss them."

"Me too. I love how you love them. Now you are married and a stepmother, will you have the talk with Riley?"

"Me?"

"I could ask Lilli."

"No! But it should be you."

Leo groaned internally. "Okay, we'll do it together."

Isla giggled. "We do it together all right."

"Someone had fun. How about we try out the bed first and then walk on the beach?"

"And get lobster?"

He laughed. "We can definitely have a lobster dinner."

"Leo, why are your parents staying in the basement when you had me stay in your room."

He smiled. "It's our room now. Why? Because I wanted you in my bed."

"So you could scare me."

He chuckled. "No, although our middle of the night meetings were always interesting."

The traffic was moderate down to the Sagamore bridge which crossed the Cape Cod Canal.

Leo's voice cracked. "Thank you for loving me. I know I made it hard, especially after Autumn died. When we met you I was living day to day, just getting by. Gradually, you changed me. I wanted to get out of bed just to see your face. You took the loneliness away in the evening. Your enormous heart took us in and I fell for you even in my grief. I will always miss Autumn, but I will look forward to our life together."

"That's beautiful."

"If we wrote nontraditional vows, I would say that and I promise to love you and take care of you." He frowned, because he failed the first time.

"You gave me a family. I love you, but I'm not good with words like you."

Leo laughed. "Let's have a great honeymoon before we start the rest of our life together."

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