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Lucas stretched out his legs, shifting on the battered chair. The spring poking through the threadbare cushion dug into his back. At first light, he wanted to order a servant to dispose of the obnoxious piece of furniture. But he wouldn’t because it was one of the few pieces Abigail had left of her mother. His father had rescued the chair when he learned of how the servants discarded Abigail’s mother’s belongings after she passed away. It was a comforting piece Abigail sought solace with when she suffered through her loneliness. The chair and a few other trinkets were her only reminders of a time she shared with her mother. He had never realized the piece stood on the verge of falling into shambles. He had never seen it before, but Gemma had described the value of it to him.
Gemma told him how Abigail used to curl up in her mother’s lap every night before bed, and her mother would read her a story. After the story, her mother would sing Abigail to sleep. Lucas wondered if Abigail’s mother’s voice had been as beautiful as her daughter was when she sang. Did she express her emotions in the same haunting melody as Abigail did? He held a deep sense of regret, for he would never learn the answers to his questions.
Lucas focused his gaze on Abigail while she slept. When he snuck into her bedchamber, she had been fast asleep. He didn’t have the heart to wake her, even though his body demanded otherwise. He kept fighting with himself not to crawl between the covers and join her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and let her warmth invade his soul. Awaken her with tender kisses and listen to the sweet melody of her sighs as his hands stroked her awake.
When he first settled in the chair, he thought he had awakened her. She stirred, kicking off the quilt. When she never uttered a word, he realized she still slept. So he covered her, only to have her repeat the act multiple times. To say Abigail was a restless sleeper was an understatement. She thrashed around on the mattress as if she were caught in a nightmare. Only she never cried out once. Instead, she snuggled against the assortment of pillows surrounding her with a sigh.
He had hoped one of the restless episodes would startle her awake. But he grew disappointed the longer the evening lengthened. Lucas yawned. His lack of sleep settled over him, and he allowed his eyes to close for a second. He would wait a bit longer, and if she didn’t awaken, he would return to his room, then come back in the morning and catch Abigail before she had her breakfast with the ladies. After that, they could make their announcement to his family together.
He yawned again before his head drifted down. His last thought before he fell asleep was a promise to awake before dawn.
However . . .
~~~~~
ABIGAIL AWOKE TO HER body trembling. She wrapped the sheet around her tighter, reaching out for the quilt to provide more warmth. However, her hand came up empty. She dragged her eyes open. As she searched the bed, she noticed the blanket had slipped to the floor. Abigail rolled over to hang off the bed, reaching out to snag the blanket. However, she caught sight of a pair of boots attached to a set of legs stretched out in front of her favorite chair.
Her gaze didn’t need to travel higher to know who they belonged to. The goose bumps prickling her skin weren’t from the chill in the air but from the awareness of Lucas in her bedchamber. She wished nothing more than to grab the blanket, roll over, and cover herself to hide from him. However, her body betrayed her by demanding she take in his presence.
Abigail’s gaze slowly drifted higher, taking in the splendid view along the way. Her body grew warm as she admired Lucas in his relaxed state. His muscular thighs filled out his trousers, leaving little to the imagination. Her gaze swept across his arousal and traveled higher, only to return to take another peek. The gods had gifted Lucas when they created him. The evening before, she had experienced the strength of his arousal in her palm. She had even sampled a taste of his essence, but not enough to fulfill her hunger.
She kicked off the blanket when the heat of desire lit her body on fire. Abigail longed to satisfy the cravings of her every fantasy. Especially the one where she struck out with her wanton acts of rendering Lucas speechless. She moaned as she imagined the taste of Lucas on her tongue.
Abigail had turned into a depraved soul with no remorse for her sinful thoughts. However, in her defense, she was powerless to resist the passion shared between them since he first kissed her. She had waited a lifetime for his kiss, and she refused to deny herself the pleasure any longer.
With reluctance, she forced her gaze to continue its journey. His hands folded across his stomach, relaxed in sleep. Deep, even breaths raised his chest up and down. Lucas’s head lay in an awkward position, leaning off to the side. He looked so peaceful, and Abigail hated to wake him, but she knew she mustn’t allow him to remain in her bedchamber. It wasn’t fair to lead him to believe they would share anything more, even though she longed for him to join her on the bed. She had promised herself one night only.
However, she made excuses about her decision when she fought the need to brush aside the lock of hair hanging over his eyes. Was she making a mistake by accepting the governess position with Lord Ross? After their evening together, did she stand a chance at winning Lucas’s heart? If she gave him another night, would he admit to his love? Or did she only wish for the impossible?
Abigail’s thoughts remained conflicted. However, they shouldn’t keep her from making memories to keep her warm when she left Lucas. Abigail drew in her courage for the brazen act she was about to commit. His appearance in her bedchamber was the only encouragement she needed. Why else would he visit her room, if not to share in their desires? She wasn’t naïve enough to believe a marriage proposal would ever cross his lips. No. He came to discuss Lord Ross’s visit. She needed to distract him before he started off on another tangent.
Abigail slid off the mattress and crawled between Lucas’s thighs. Her hands glided up his legs as she settled in closer. Her fingers sank into his muscular thighs as she remembered the pleasure of them pressing into her when Lucas claimed her. The buttons on the placket of his trousers released with ease. Abigail’s hand dipped inside and withdrew the object of her desire. Her eyes grew heavy as her hand glided over the steely hardness. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Abigail’s desires grew in anticipation of Lucas trembling in her mouth.
Lucas released the moan he held back while keeping a hold of his fierce determination of willpower. However, Abigail had taken over his control with the softest of touches he no longer wanted to resist. He fought to resist her and halt her before she went any further. But he crumbled when he saw the fierce passion clouding her eyes. A passion he needed more than his next breath of air.
At that moment, every doubt and argument he held with himself withered away. How didn’t he understand the depth of the love he held for this woman before now?
Abigail bent her head, drawing him inside her mouth as her hair brushed across his thighs. The soft tendrils teased him with each swish. His hands sank into her curls, guiding her deeper in his pleasure. He threw back his head and moaned his gratification over her decadent gift. When her tongue swirled around his cock, teasing him, his stare fastened at the exquisite sight.
Abigail’s mouth sank lower on his cock, her tongue stroking his desire to an unbearable ache. His fingers tightened on her luxurious mane when she stroked across the tip. When her mouth milked the tip, savoring his juices, he almost flooded her throat with his desire, but he latched onto what remained of his control. He refused to come like an inexperienced schoolboy. No. He was a selfish bastard who enjoyed the sight before him too much to finish. Abigail on her knees, unselfishly giving him the most exquisite pleasure a woman could give a man. A sight forever engrained into his memories.
Lucas’s hands tightened in her hair, displaying how he tried to rein in his control. Abigail teased a trail of licks down the length of his hardened steel, eagerly waiting for him to fall apart under her act of love. Her tongue rose back up to the tip, circling slowly, drawing in each drop of his desire onto her tongue. She raised her eyes, and Lucas captured her in his gaze. His lids dropped heavy with desire, but his stare declared the passion she wrapped him in. However, he had yet to tremble the way she desired.
She wanted to undo him, to watch him succumb to the madness of their love. But wanting Lucas to fall victim to her charms showed how selfish her motives were. She wanted him to ache as he had never ached before. Abigail wanted to be a reminder of what he chose to resist. She wanted his undying love and devotion.
She held so many wants. When in reality, what she wanted most of all was the reality itself. Instead, she would grasp for what she desired most of all.
Lucas.
She pulled away and drew her teeth over her bottom lip, biting down. She stayed still. Waiting. She saw the desire building in his gaze, and the power of watching him unravel heightened her senses. His hands unloosened in her hair, only to tighten again as he fought for control. The pulse of his desire beat in her hand as she stroked him faster. Her thumb brushed his wetness down his length.
Lucas’s breathing grew erratic as he waited for her to continue. She teased him on purpose. Why? He held no reason. He only knew how he ached for her to wrap her luscious lips around his cock and finish the madness she had started.
“Abigail,” he growled.
A wicked smile spread across her face at his frustration. It spread wider when he trembled under her caress. His thighs shook with his need, tightening their hold around her. His fingers twitched as he guided her back to his cock. Abigail’s mouth widened, closing over his cock with the sweep of her lips. Before she could tease him, Lucas’s hips rose from the chair and he plunged deeper inside. The power of Lucas losing control invaded her soul.
As he lost himself with each stroke, Abigail’s tongue pleasured him. The trembles she ached to experience surrounded her as he succumb to their passion.
Lucas didn’t give Abigail a chance to pull away after she gave him the greatest pleasure he had ever received. He drew her up into his arms and plundered her lips. Each kiss drew longer and more passionate. He thought he might explode again from the sheer need consuming him with how tightly he held his emotions together. Each pull of his lips demanded Abigail’s surrender. He refused to allow her even one minute to herself for fear she would regret her gift. Even if she were the one who had instigated the affection.
When he pulled her up to him, her nightgown had ridden up her thighs, leaving her softness bare. Her core pressed against him. The wetness displayed her need, making his cock harden again. His fingers drew out her moans with each slide in and out of her. While her wet core showed how excited she had grown from pleasuring him, it was nothing compared to how her body reacted to his touch. A warmth flowed over his fingers at her need.
Abigail expected nothing more from Lucas. She only wanted to give him pleasure with nothing in return. But when he pleasured her with each demand of his fingers, her body rejoiced and ached for him to satisfy the need consuming her soul. There were no words to describe the spiraling sensations sending her over the edge. She clung to Lucas with all her might, in fear she would fall and he wouldn’t catch her. Her kisses grew frantic, and she tore at his shirt with the need to feel the heat from his skin against hers. Buttons flew in the air.
Lucas must have sensed her desperation or else he felt the same pull because her nightgown flew over her head in one swipe. The kiss they shared interrupted only briefly before they reclaimed each other’s lips in frenzy. Abigail’s hands raked across his chest before circling around to his back. She pressed her breasts against him and his heat surrounded her, wrapping her in a cocoon she never wanted to fly away from.
Abigail’s body rocked against his fingers, drawing forth his need to have her unravel. He slid another finger inside her and moaned at the tightness. He drew them out slowly and waited. When Abigail tried to move, he gripped her hips, halting her movements.
Abigail whimpered. “Lucas.”
Still, he held steady. He brushed his thumb across her clit, making her tremble. However, it was also his downfall when it pulsed a rapid beat of her need. Lucas released her hips to find her breast. He drew the tight nipple between his lips and sucked as his fingers plunged inside her sweet cunny.
Abigail’s desire heightened with each stroke of his fingers. Each time he dipped deeper into her core, her pleasure exploded with a surge of wetness. She threw her head back, and he sucked greedily on her breasts. The buds melted on his tongue. Their sweetness begged for him to savor each puckered fruit as if they were the last berries to savor. His teeth scraped against her nipple when her hair swept across his thighs, teasing his cock.
Abigail’s torment to have Lucas shake under her regard washed over her as her body shook from the same sensations. Lucas devoured her breasts like a starving man eating his last meal as his fingers built her need to an unbearable ache only he could appease. With each stroke, he wrung out her desire, only to build it to a higher level, leaving her unable to find release.
Abigail’s hips moved in sync. Only she needed something more powerful to fulfill the ache binding her in a vice of an uncontrollable need. Lucas stilled at her unspoken plea. He lifted his head and his gaze pierced her. Abigail lost herself in the storm he held her under.
Lucas saw the need reflected in Abigail’s gaze wrap around her in a fury of emotions beyond either of their control. When he slid inside her, he watched the fury calm and soften her features. He understood the desperation claiming her sanity since he suffered from the same affliction. However, once their bodies joined as one, every heightened emotion settled into a calm wave of forever.
Lucas wrapped his hands around Abigail’s waist and guided her to move with him. With each stroke, their bodies forged a bond that neither of them would otherwise admit. But one Lucas wished to succumb to. He planned to throw himself into the madness surrounding them and hoped Abigail would join him.
Lucas kept Abigail’s desperation at bay with gentle kisses while his body swayed with hers. No longer did her emotions suck her under. Instead, they blossomed in their lovemaking. With each rise of his hips, Abigail joined her body with his in a dance, claiming their love. Lucas calmed her soul. Because he was her other half and always would be.
Lucas pulled Abigail close and kissed her, slowly savoring their desire as their bodies trembled from the aftermath of passion. He closed his eyes and wrapped her in his embrace.
Neither of them whispered their undying declarations.