Chapter 19

CHAPTER19

It was one of those night. The sleepless ones. The restless ones. The ones where Leo hoped sleep would come, but it would taunt him with its refusal to arrive and bring with it much needed respite from a difficult day.

On such nights, Leo always found solace in the library. Only this time, he put on his sleeping shirt… just in case.

In case what?He wondered silently to himself. He had no response to that question.

The Earl’s visit earlier that day ended on a rather unexpected note. He did not want to be the one to accuse the Earl of abusing his daughter or his wife, but it was obvious that he was a man who could not control his temper. Such men could never be trusted. He understood now why his own father had parted ways with that man.

Leo stared at the book in his hands, but he could barely focus on what it said. His mind refused to read. It was filled with different words, and most of them ended with her name. Jane.

Suddenly, a knock interrupted the silence that reigned within. His heart leaped with joy. He wanted this to happen. He had spent several nights at the library, hoping she would come, but she never did.

“Yes?” he whispered back softly. The door opened.

She was barefoot, making no sound as she entered. Her long hair flowed down her back, and her eyes curiously searched for his in the room. When she found him, she smiled.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked tenderly, glancing at the book in his hands.

“No,” he sighed, closing it, just to show her that he truly meant it. “I am trying to lull myself to sleep, but as you can see, I am as awake as an owl.”

“I see,” she chuckled at his comparison, walking over to him and sitting down on the sofa opposite him. The distance between them felt too big although he could almost touch her if he reached for her. Still, she felt too far away.

“I know I asked you this already, but…” he started, “are you all right?”

Her lips widened into a smile that hid more than it revealed. “I will be.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, feeling closer to her with each exchanged word.

She smiled even more. “You’ve already helped more than you can imagine.”

He swallowed heavily, feeling his lips drying up. He realized only at this moment that he knew so frightfully little about her, about her wishes and dreams, about the simplest things that made her smile. He knew so little, but he wanted to know so much more. Everything, in fact.

The way she was smiling at him now, he wanted to be the sole reason for each and every of those smiles. He wanted to feel her hot breath against his lips, like he did when they kissed in the carriage. He wanted to feel her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to her. But he dared not approach her. Like the previous time, he wanted to wait for her to be ready, to show him that she was.

“You are such an enigma, Jane,” he found the courage to tell her something that had been lingering in his mind ever since he met her that first time. It seemed to take place a whole century ago.

“What do you mean?” she asked, giving him a sad smile this time.

How he wanted to grab her by the cheeks and bring their foreheads to each other, to just gaze upon her and inhale her scent. Nothing else. That alone would suffice.

“You have been hiding the truth for so long,” he noticed. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for you.”

“Everyone has secrets,” she shrugged. “Some are simply more difficult to bear than others.”

“You are far too young to sound so weary,” he pointed out tenderly. Her sweetness was contagious. He wanted it all for himself. The thought of her smiling at any other man drove him insane.

With each word she said, she pulled him closer to herself. The arrangement that they had about leading separate lives seemed impossible at a moment like this. It seemed preposterous. A notion crazier than anything else he could have imagined.

“I think you know something about being weary,” she said.

The sound of her voice made him forget about everything. The world around them seemed to disappear. It faded into oblivion. All that mattered right not was his need to have her in his arms, but his body still refused to obey that desire.

He looked into her eyes. He was certain that he could see that same desire taking over her. She was fighting it, just like he was. But they were both frantic, both desperate with need, feeling this invisible connection between them grow stronger with each passing day, molding their fates together. He knew now what he did not see that first night when he met her. She was the one. She was the woman he had been waiting for his entire life. This connection so genuine, so profound, so absolutely painfully real was driving him mad, and he knew that he would not be able to live another moment without having her in his arms.

There was not a single remnant of reasonable thought inside his mind to tell him that he might be wrong, that he might be mistaken. His entire being believed her to be what he wanted, what he needed. Their gazes locked. He could feel the fire burning, eating them up alive, threatening to undo them both, unless they surrendered to it.

And surrender they did… at the same time. They jumped from their seats. Her arms somehow wound around his neck. His gripped at her waist, diminishing the distance between their bodies, making it nonexistent. They were one body now as her fingers dug into the back of his neck. His head lowered towards her while her chin lifted up. Their lips came crashing against each other, like the sea came crashing against the shore.

This kiss was different than the first one. That one was innocent, timid. It only ignited the fire that was burning brightly now. The desire they felt for each other was undeniable. Up until this point, they could turn away from it. They could pretend that it was all in their mind, that perhaps the other person did not feel that way about them. But that first kiss opened the door, and now, they were falling deeper and deeper down without the slightest idea where they would end up.

He was shocked to see how needy she was for him. Her own need set his own ablaze. All he could do was kiss her even harder, their lips locking, their tongues twirling, exploring each other. He felt like they should go slowly. She was a novice, after all. He wanted to show her how tender he could be, how caring and loving. But he could barely control his own ferocious desire. His body refused to listen to his mind. All it wanted to do was devour her.

Her lips parted, allowing his tongue to dive into her deeper. His kiss was aggressive, demanding, unlike any other kiss he ever had. The satin softness of her lips was intoxicating. His manhood demanded to be released from the constraints of his pants, but it was too soon. He pulled away only a little, and she moaned against his lips. That sweet, delicious woman. He felt like he could eat her up.

She tilted her head a little, allowing him access to her neck. He immediately seized the opportunity, settling her comfortably in his lap on the sofa. His trailed an invisible line on her smooth skin with the tip of his tongue.

“Oh…” he heard her say softly as she gripped at his hair, pulling it more tightly. The tighter she pulled, the more throbbing the need between his thighs became.

He kissed a path up to her earlobe then nipped on it gently. “I have been thinking about this from the first time we kissed in the carriage,” he admitted. Her body immediately became more responsive, more attuned with his. Little goose bumps appeared on her skin, and he soothed them with his tongue once more.

“Would you like me to show you how much I wanted to touch you?” he asked.

“Show me…” she murmured back. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised by her boldness to tell him immediately. It made him ravenous for her.

“But you have to tell me where to touch you,” he whispered again.

“Neck…” she said softly, almost shyly.

“Here?” he asked, kissing her neck tenderly, leaving a moist trail. She tasted like the most delectable dessert. He knew that no chocolate cake, no creamed ice could ever compare to the taste of her skin.

“Mhm,” she murmured with her eyes closed.

“Anywhere else?” he inquired, as the grip on her waist tightened. Her arms hugged him equally tightly around his neck, keeping him close.

“Down,” she dared to say, her voice soft and kittenish.

The warmth in his loins became unbearable. The desire to slide into her right here on this sofa was excruciating. Heat pooled in his head, to his manhood, all over his body. He could barely think straight. Good that he didn’t need to think. He simply needed to follow his instincts.

“Here?” he asked as his finger slowly drew an invisible line down her neck towards her pebbled nipple. He could feel it underneath the transparent fabric of her nightgown, the same one he had seen the first night she was here as his wife.

“Mhm,” she nodded, her voice a long, teasing moan. How he wanted to feel the velvety softness of her flower with his fingers. But he needed to go slowly, relishing each moment with her.

He pinched her nipple playfully, only enough for her to feel it. He looked down at it as it pierced through her nightgown. He wanted to lift it and put her nipple in his mouth, sucking on it. The thought made him even harder, beading with his own juices. He adjusted himself a little, every motion bringing him closer to the brink of finishing.

“Now?” he asked as his fingers went lower, crossing her stomach, her bellybutton.

“There…” she moaned loudly, this time when his fingers stopped between her thighs.

He knew where she wanted his touch. She knew it as well, but he wanted her to tell him, to beg him, to moan his name loudly as he touched her. He felt like his entire body would turn into flame. But he was patient. Tonight was for her. He wanted her pleasure.

He felt her soft mound over the nightgown, and she immediately arched her back, granting him access. He kept sliding her fingers softly over it, refusing to touch it under the nightgown although he knew that was what she was waiting for. His touch intensified. His fingers were rubbing her harder, faster. He felt her entire body tremble then tighten. She gripped at him forcefully, digging her fingers into his neck. She moaned softly, those delicate ohs muffled by the sound of her breathing as she finished, sitting in his lap, still untouched, still as innocent as he found her first.

She was still trembling when he cupped her chin and brought her lips to his for a chaste kiss. Then, their gazes locked. Her cheeks were burning red. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes were mad with desire. He could have her now. He wanted her more than anything.

But instead, he gently picked her up and took her to her chamber. They walked in silence, not taking their eyes off of each other. He put her in bed, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead. She seemed… surprised. That was as much as he could see. But then again, he was as surprised with himself as she was. He wanted to wait. She was worth it.

“Good night,” he whispered then closed the door behind him.

His heart was beating like mad, but that was nothing in comparison to what was happening between his legs.