“How did you lose your sight?” She breathed softly against his neck, sending a rush of emotions down his spine.
Instinctively, his arms tightened around her, causing her to collapse against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder.
There was something about having her in his arms that made him want to keep her there forever. The emotions she created in him frightened him enough to never want to experience them. Yet, he found himself coming back for more.
Secretly, he loved it when they danced. He loved having her in his arms and basking in the warmth of her closeness. He however hated stepping on her foot or the crippling desire to pull her further into his arms and ultimately to his bed; a desire that became harder to ignore as the days progressed.
The soft afternoon breeze danced about them as he led the dance for the very first time. He found leading easier and to his pleasure, Hadassah didn't seem to have a problem with being led.
“An accident.” He whispered, reveling in the feeling of holding her close.
Time didn't seem to exist as they danced, trapped in each other's arms. Daniel noticed he hadn't stepped on Hadassah's foot all afternoon, neither had she stepped on his. Their movement was as easy as the breeze that moved about them and for the very first time, he thought they were connected. It almost seemed like Hadassah could anticipate every step he took even before he took it.
She didn't speak after that, instead, she leaned further into his arms and allowed him lead the way.
The dance lesson ended and with it, a deep feeling of disappointment. When Hadassah pulled away, his arms felt empty.
The afternoon went by, bringing about the evening. They sat and ate dinner together and when it was time to go to bed, Daniel laid awake, very much aware of the presence of the woman he was dangerously attracted to, sleeping beside him.
Was she even asleep? He longed to pull her close, wrapping his arms around her. His arms felt empty without her in it. He wanted to breathe in her scent and kiss her. His desire to kiss her only seemed to heighten with every day that went by.
He couldn't see her, but he thought he knew her. It was similar to his ability to memorize his environment, yet, different. He didn't have her memorized, he had her engraved in his heart and with everyday that went by, she seemed to take possession of larger chunks of his heart until he feared she would consume him completely.
Did he love her? He was afraid to admit it, afraid to love her and have her reject him. He was afraid the purpose for their marriage would come to an end once she comes into her inheritance and she would realize she didn't care about him. She would realize she could do better than a man lacking everything.
Still, it didn't stop his heart from pounding at her presence, nor his skin from catching fire at her closeness.
He stayed awake the entire night, thinking about Hadassah. When the day broke, he heard her crawl out of bed and change out of her night dress, even if it was obvious to him she was trying her very best not to awaken him.
He heard her cross the room and open the door, pulling it silently shut behind her as she stepped out. He realized, as he heard the door pulling shut that he missed having her lay by his side. He wanted to spend the morning lying in bed with her in his arms.
Rolling over to the side, he fought to rid his mind of thoughts of her as he fell asleep. Still, he dreamed of her. In his dream, he could see, he could stare into the most beautiful brown eyes on earth and get lost in them. He had his title also; he was Earl Talbot and was married to Hadassah. He was allowed to marry her properly, on the grounds of the Talbot estate, in the presence of many witnesses. He was allowed to love her, to take her to his bed and love her.
When he awakened that morning, Hadassah was leaning over him. He knew she was because her scent filled his nostrils.
“Are you alright?” She sounded concerned. “I waited for you at breakfast but you didn't come. I would hate to eat without you.”
As she spoke, he found himself thinking she loved him. But as quickly as the thought entered into his mind, he shook his head as if to shake it off. It was silly and impossible; she could never love him.
“I'm sorry, I hardly slept last night.” He made to stand up but bumped his head against something. “Dasa?”
“I'm fine,” He felt her pull away.
He rose to his feet and went about his business of finding something to wear. After a short while, he was dressed and they had breakfast together.
That evening, Daniel listened to Hadassah take a bath in the room, his mind creating images of the scene. He heard her rise to her feet in the tub and listened to water drip off of her body.
She emptied the tub, he thought, listening to her work. Then, she had it refilled by Leah who showed up in the room with what he assumed was warm water.
“I assume you'd want to have a bath too?”
He nodded, thankful for her thoughtfulness. He hated to show up for an engagement smelling and looking horrible. He also needed to shave and so he made his way dressing table and found his shaving cream and razor.
Settling on the wooden chair, he covered his chin that had about three days' worth of beards, with shaving cream. Then, he took the razor and began to shave.
Once that was done, he slipped out of his clothes and entered the bath. He lathered his body with soap, all the while listening to Hadassah's movement around the room. He washed his hair and rinsed, before climbing out of the tub.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he crossed the room.
“Do you mind if I pick out your outfit?”
“It's fine.” He found another towel on the bed and dried his hair with it.
“I really like this tail coat, and this shirt and waist coat...” He heard her approach and place it on the bed beside him.
“What are you wearing?” He couldn't see it but he could imagine what it looked like.
“A green dress. I'll also be wearing a corset, considering this might be a formal event.” She placed something in his lap and he ran his hand over the smooth fabric, realizing it was most likely her dress.
Was she naked then, he thought, heat spreading around his body. It was highly unlikely but unfortunately for him, he couldn't see.
“It seems lovely.”
She paused and then, after a while, said, “it is.”
When she leaned down to retrieve the dress, her fingers brushed his hand, leaving in its wake a trail of heat. How long would he be able to resist her? He frowned. Did he even want to resist her? He knew he didn't but it didn't matter what he wanted, what mattered was what he needed to do; resist her.
He took the clothes she handed to him and changed into them. It took a short while to be fully dressed, but he managed to do so without getting distracted by the woman who stood in the same room with him, getting dressed.
He walked over to the dresser and found the comb. Lifting it to comb his hair, his hand froze in the air when Hadassah called out to him.
“Wait!” She crossed the room and retrieved the comb. “May I?”
He rose a brow but nodded. She must have had to stand on tip toe to comb his hair he thought, grinning.
“What is funny?”
He shook his head, enjoying the side wards movement of the comb in his slightly overgrown hair.
When she leaned back, he felt a sudden wave of emptiness, the same feeling he always had when she pulled away from him.
“Perfect.”
“Well, I guess it is my turn.” He teased, holding out his hand for the comb.
“You seek to style my hair?” He imagined her frowning and nodded just to tease her further. He was surprised when she placed the comb in his hand. “Alright.” He heard her turn around.
Reaching forward reluctantly, his hand touched her hair. He breathed softly, trying to ignore the sparks the mere touching of her hair brought about. He brushed her hair more with his fingers than he did with the comb, burying his fingers in her hair and massaging it. He breathed softly, hardly able to contain the emotions that passed through his veins.
He felt her lean back, her body pressed to his. Leaning forward, he pushed her hair to the side and pressed his lips to her neck, a low groan forming in his throat as he did so.
He needed to stop, his mind screamed as he felt her turn around, her hands settling on his face. He failed to listen to the voice in his head when he leaned down -the comb dropping to the floor- and found her lips. The heat that raced down his spine as a result of that singular action was hardly containable. And he realized, as he grabbed her waist and pulled her against himself, that he didn't want to contain it.
Her lips parted, welcoming his and deepening their kiss. He was pleasantly pleased to have her return his kiss. He was especially pleased when her arms wrapped around his neck, causing yet another groan to form in his throat.
He leaned down and lifted her off of her feet, her legs wrapping around his waist.
Hardly able to stop himself, he felt the need to ask her permission.
“Dasa,” He murmured breathlessly against her lips, her fingers burying themselves in his hair. “Is it alright if we do this,” He moaned softly as she nibbled on his ear. “Hm?” He leaned back, stopping her. He wished he could stare into her eyes, he thought. “Do you want to do this?”
“Why wouldn't I?” He felt her eyes searching his face.
Shaking his head, he settled her on her feet, knowing he couldn't think properly with her legs curled around him.
“I do not want you to feel pressured to do anything, we do not have to do anything. I understand the circumstances surrounding our marriage and I'm willing to set you free as soon as you come into your inheritance.”
Silence. He rubbed his neck nervously as he awaited her response, the skin on his neck still tingling from the sensation of having her arms wrapped around it only a few seconds ago.
“Do you want this to happened?” She finally asked.
He contemplated her question for several minutes, not desiring to answer it. He wanted her more than he wanted to regain his ability to see, he thought, realizing then just how much he cared for her. He didn't just want her body, he wanted her heart but he couldn't admit to that without feeling like he was pressuring her to submit herself to him.
He opened his mouth to change the topic, to suggest they start heading to the mayor's manor. But as he made to speak, he found himself saying “I think I'm in love with you.”
A soft gasp followed his admission and he immediately regretted it. He wanted to apologize and tell her he hadn't meant to confess to loving her. He wasn't even sure if he did, he was silly to make such a confession and she needed to disregard it. But as he opened his mouth to speak again, this time praying his lips would cooperate with his brain, he felt something warm settle on his lips.
He responded to her kiss, enjoying every second of it.
“Daniel,” Her hand caressed the side of his neck. “I just might be in love with you as well.” She breathed softly. “Do not speak of setting me free once I turn eighteen, do not speak of leaving my side.”
Nodding to her words, he leaned forward and kissed her, pulling his eyelids shut. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. His hands traveled up her back. Finding the lace of her dress, he undid it and slipped the garment down her body. Her corset was a little harder to undo and he was impatient. After several tries, she shoved his hands aside and expertly loosened it.
When she leaned back into him, he found her skin bare and devoid of any fabric. As she worked to take off his clothes, his hands slipped down the side of her thigh, his fingers burying themselves in her flesh. She moaned softly at his action and shoved his clothes to the ground.
He leaned down and she wrapped her legs around him once more, arms latching on to his neck.
“Do you think Lady Evelyn will be offended by our utter disregard for every invitation she has extended?” She whispered breathlessly against his ears as he placed her on the bed. She pulled him further down and kissed him for a long period.
“I do not care for Lady Evelyn.” He groaned.
“All those dance lessons...” She winced when he placed his hands on her knees, parting her legs.
“...Perhaps will come in handy tonight?” He grinned.
“Perhaps.”
Copyright ©2018 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.
*Grins*