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Abigail never thought to ask Lucas where she was to meet him after everyone settled in bed. She secured the belt of the long coat she wore around her waist. She hoped she didn’t run into anyone, because if caught, she would never recover from the scandal.
When Lucas spoke of how her attire enflamed his desire, she wanted to entice him with the silky negligee she wore underneath her coat. Selina had dared her to purchase the scandalous nightgown. Once Abigail held the soft fabric between her fingers, illicit had thoughts floated in her mind and she accepted the dare. Now she waited with eagerness to see Lucas’s reaction.
She jumped at a branch slapping against the side of the house. She hadn’t realized the wind had increased. Abigail picked up the candle and wandered closer to the window to look outside. However, it wasn’t a branch hitting the window, but little pebbles. Abigail looked out the window and saw Lucas tossing one pebble after another at her window. She blew out the candle and slid open the window.
“Lucas,” Abigail whispered.
“Abigail.” He dropped the pebbles and wiped his hands down his pants.
“Are you responsible for all this ruckus?” Duncan called out from his window.
Abigail gasped and pressed against the wall, mortified that Duncan had discovered Lucas.
“Quiet before your parents awaken,” Lucas hissed.
Duncan scoffed. “As if they could sleep through all the commotion you are making.”
“They will if you close your window and cease with all your ramblings.”
Duncan leaned out the window. “Yer plan to steal Abigail away for a tryst wasn’t planned out quite well.”
Lucas swiped his hand down his face. “I realize that now.”
“Perhaps you should have climbed the trellis near her balcony. Or at least snuck in through the library doors. You know my father never had the lock fixed.”
Lucas closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to rein in his irritation. If his cousin didn’t stop blabbering, his aunt and uncle would soon learn of his arrival. Then the evening he had arranged for Abigail would be ruined.
“Shall we put Lucas out of his misery?” Selina whispered from the doorway.
Too caught up in listening to the gentlemen, Abigail didn’t hear Selina enter. Now Selina was a witness to Abigail’s embarrassment at getting caught sneaking out in the middle of the night. How had everyone else snuck out without ever getting caught?
Selina held her hand out in invitation. “If you do not leave now, you will miss your chance.”
Abigail stepped out of the darkness, ran across the bedchamber, and took Selina’s hand. Selina guided Abigail down the back staircase and to the door, which would lead her to Lucas. The turning point of her life. She rested her hand over her chest, hoping it would help settle the rapid beating of her heart.
Selina held Abigail by the shoulders, taking in her attire. A mischievous grin lit her face when she noticed Abigail’s bare legs. “Are you wearing what I think you are?”
Abigail nodded.
“Oh, he does not stand a chance.” Selina chuckled and urged Abigail to the door. “Go rescue your prince.”
Abigail gripped Selina’s hand before she left. “Thank you.”
“Gratitude is unnecessary between friends. Only ensuring their happiness is.” Selina smiled, then nodded for Abigail to go.
Abigail stepped outside and waited for Lucas to catch sight of her. Every wish she held was about to come true this evening.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas caught a slip of white moving from the townhome. He turned, and Abigail walked out of the shadows. His cousin’s smart remarks no longer held his attention. Everything else faded away. Abigail’s arrival was a beacon of light that overshadowed everything.
The memory of Abigail standing amongst the flowers with the breeze blowing her hair around would forever hold a place in his heart. It was the moment he understood what she risked by stealing away with him. He didn’t need for her to express her affections with words; her actions alone spoke of the love she held for him. And he hoped she understood his love by his actions this evening and by the one he had planned for the night of Duncan and Selina’s ball.
He strode over to Abigail and swept her into his arms. “You take my breath away.”
Abigail curved her hand around his cheek. “As you do mine.”
Duncan broke the spell that wrapped around them. “Daylight will break soon.”
Lucas scowled at his displeasure. “Blabbering Scot.”
Duncan’s laughter spilled across the garden, sure to awaken the household. “No-nonsense Englishman.”
Abigail’s giggle drifted back to the window as Lucas whisked her away to the carriage.
Selina coaxed Duncan away from the window. “Leave your cousin be, my love. Your wife is in need of your attention.”
Duncan strode to his wife’s side, pulled her into his embrace, and ravished her lips. After a while, he lifted his head and whispered, “Is this sufficient? Or perhaps you desire more attention.”
“Oh, definitely more.” Selina’s husky whisper spoke of the desires she wished for Duncan to fulfill.
In another wing, Susanna stood in awe of the couple in the garden. Her nephew held the ability to make a scandalous gesture, after all.
Ramsay urged Susanna away. “Come from the window, my dear. Allow the couple their privacy. You can gloat to Colebourne on the morrow of the miraculous event.”
Susanna crawled into bed. “It is so romantic.”
Ramsay rolled above her. “Do you wish for romance, my dear?”
Ramsay never allowed Susanna to answer. He took her lips in a sweet, endearing kiss. However, if she were to answer, it would be to tell her husband he filled every day of their marriage with romance.
~~~~~
ABIGAIL NEVER LEFT Lucas’s arms. He set her on his lap for the entire carriage ride. When she asked about their destination, he told her it was a surprise, then spent the rest of the drive kissing her. In between his kisses, he whispered compliments of her beauty. Every time she attempted to respond, his mouth lowered, and she was at the mercy of his love. Each kiss was sweeter than the last.
Lucas fought to keep his passion reined in. Abigail’s softness molded against him, letting him know she wore little under her coat. His fingers itched to peel the garment apart and discover what she wore. But he fought the temptation, knowing full well once they reached the cottage, he would unwrap her. Her kisses were a distraction enough to keep his thoughts at bay. While he kept them light, he sampled the passion they both craved to explore.
When the carriage stopped, relief overcame him. He no longer had to resist Abigail. Lucas disembarked with Abigail still in his arms, and his long strides covered the distance to the cottage. His coachman already had his instructions for the evening and would return for them before dawn. He had called in a favor, and when he glanced through the window, he noticed Ralston had fulfilled the requests as he asked.
The only item remaining was the most nerve-racking for him. The other details to set the scene were simple to accomplish. Laying himself open to Abigail and showing her every vulnerable side, however, was a daunting task he needed to fulfill.
When he stepped through the doorway, the atmosphere transported them into a romantic setting of seduction. Candles littered every available surface, bathing the cottage in their warm glow. Rose petals lined a path toward the fire that flickered in the hearth. Scattered across the floor were pillows and blankets, beckoning them closer.
Lucas set Abigail on her feet and stood back from her as she took in what he had prepared. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
Abigail trailed away, following the rose petals. Lucas had put forth a tremendous effort to seduce her this evening. However, Abigail didn’t view it as a seduction. They both knew what he had implied when he asked her to steal away with him this evening. She agreed because she ached to have their connection wrap her in its warm embrace again.
Their brief visits and his anonymous flowers weren’t the same. Oh, she had guessed who sent them on the first day but pretended ignorance when Selina poked fun of them. Abigail found them endearing and had slipped the cards into her pocket when no one watched. She then stored them with his other letters where he pretended to be Lord Ross. While she waited for Lucas to arrive, she had read through all the letters again. Every act declaring his love was stated. She had been too blind to see his intentions before. But no longer.
She turned around to face him. Lucas waited, unsure of her reaction. He stood still, afraid any movement would cause her to flee. The poor dear. He had suffered enough for his deceit. She untied the belt around her waist. Abigail no longer wanted their past to affect their future. She had forgiven him.
She opened the coat and slid it off, and it pooled around her feet. Abigail chose to love Lucas.
His groan filled the cottage at the sight of the thin garment molded to Abigail’s curves. The negligee left nothing to the imagination. It only inflamed his desire to claim her again. The silk hugged her breasts and dipped low. One long slit opened the front of the decadent gown, tempting him to come closer. He needed no other encouragement to sweep the garment away and feast on her heavenly body.
Lucas strode toward Abigail with purpose. The gleam in his eyes informed her of his intentions. He didn’t allow a single doubt to enter her mind when he grabbed her and drew her to the floor. His lips devoured her with a drugging effect of pure ecstasy.
“You, my dear, are a vixen set out to destroy my soul,” Lucas whispered as his lips trailed a line of fire to her breasts.
“’Tis was my intent,” Abigail whispered, arching her back. She ached for his lips to satisfy her needs.
Lucas’s tongue licked along the valley of her breasts. The singe only intensified the need for the full burn. When his lips clamped onto her nipple through the lace, Abigail dug her fingers into his hair and held him close. He aroused her with soft licks and bites, while his hand slid up to where her gown opened and teased her with gentle caresses between her thighs. She opened her legs in welcome, but his fingers only brushed across her curls, never once touching where she most desired.
Abigail hitched her leg around Lucas’s waist, opening herself to his touch. Her hands grew frantic and tore at his clothing. He chuckled and stood up, discarding his clothes, one piece at a time, in agonizing slowness. Abigail slid the straps off her shoulders, but Lucas shook his head at her to stop. Abigail obeyed, her straps forgotten when Lucas removed his pants. His desire pulsed between his legs.
Abigail rose to her knees, her hands guiding their way along his legs before curving around his muscular thighs. Her hand wrapped around his hardness and guided it between her lips. Gentle. Slow. Her tongue teased him with erotic strokes.
Lucas’s breath hitched as he watched the goddess below him on her knees, pleasuring him. His legs almost gave out on him as her mouth wrapped around his cock. Her gown had slipped and her globes beckoned him in the firelight. The fabric clung just above her nipples, teasing him with a glimpse each time she shifted. When her mouth glided down his cock, drawing him deeper, he knew he would never last if he didn’t stop her soon.
When Lucas tightened his hands in her hair, Abigail understood the power of her touch. Her tongue swirled around, chasing the pulsing of his hardness. With each beat, she pressed her mouth tighter around him. He arched his hips to match her movements, unraveling with each thrust.
When Abigail’s fingers dug into his buttocks to take him in deeper, Lucas exploded. He couldn’t control himself even if he tried. He was powerless to resist her sweet lips and the caress of her fingers. Abigail pulled away from him with victory in her gaze, and he lost himself in the passion surrounding them.
With a growl, Lucas lowered Abigail to the blankets and devoured her lips like a drunken man thirsty for one more drop of her sweetness. Except he couldn’t quench his thirst. The taste of Abigail only made him thirsty for more. He rose above her and raked her form with his gaze, unsatisfied with how she remained covered. He wanted nothing more than to tear the gown off her and stake his claim. But as his eyes traveled back up her legs, he noticed the gown had risen around her hips, offering him a view of how wet Abigail was.
Abigail watched Lucas lick his lips as his eyes devoured her. If she thought he would ease her ache soon, she would be mistaken. Instead, he lowered her gown slowly where the whisper of soft silk caressed her skin as gently as he would soon.
The soft brush of his lips started at her ankles and climbed higher, applying more pressure. By the time his mouth hovered over her core, Lucas had heightened Abigail’s senses to a need out of her control. Her body shook with desire, where only Lucas could ease the ache consuming her soul. His warm breath stroked the fire of her need.
With one soft caress of his tongue, Lucas eased the ache his body kept tightly strung. At his first lick, he savored Abigail’s wetness. He ran his tongue around his lips and moaned at the exquisite flavor. Abigail’s thighs shook around him with the barely controlled need she clung to. A need Lucas wanted her to relinquish to under his tongue.
He slid two fingers into her tight pussy and she arched higher, pressing her core against his mouth. He met her unspoken demands with each twist of his fingers and each lap of his tongue. When his tongue struck relentlessly against her clit, Abigail exploded around him.
“Lucas. Lucas,” Abigail cried out.
Still, his satisfaction remained beyond his reach, waiting for her to unravel around him and offer him the same power he had given her. His tongue slowly stroked along her folds, his thumb brushing across her clit with a gentleness he far from felt. His mouth soothed her with kisses until she melted underneath him with soft moans, declaring her pleasure.
When she relaxed her hold against him, he started the sweet torture all over again. The stroke of his tongue grew firmer, his thumb pressed harder against her nub, and his mouth grew possessive, stealing every last will she held onto. He drew out her passion, building her need higher. When he had her right where he wanted her, hanging and ready to fly over the edge, he rose above Abigail and slid deep inside.
Abigail gasped at the powerful thrust of Lucas. She had been on the verge of breaking into a million pieces when he entered her and filled her completely. He paused deep inside and stared into her eyes. Abigail moaned at the intense emotion pouring from him and wrapping her into his embrace.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. His hand slid along her cheek and Abigail noticed how it shook against her. “I love you with everything I am, Abigail Cason.”
Abigail slid her hand against his cheek. “And I love you with everything I am, Lucas Gray.”
The love shining from Abigail’s eyes wrapped around Lucas. He brought their hands together above Abigail’s head and slid in and out of her slowly. Each movement rippled through them. Their gazes stay connected as they loved each other. Each moan echoing in the cottage played a melody their bodies ached to hear. When Abigail tightened around him, Lucas gave himself over to the power of their love.
Lucas rolled over and gathered Abigail close. He needed to bare his heart to her. However, it could wait. For now, he only wanted to enjoy the pleasure of holding Abigail in his arms.
Abigail nestled closer, soaking up Lucas’s warmth. She wanted to assure him of her love. However, it could wait. For now, she only wanted to enjoy the pleasure of his arms wrapping her in his love.
In these moments, no words were necessary.