Page 74 of A Raven Revived

He turned her chin gently and looked into her eyes. “No apologies. You’ve been through more than anyone should ever have to endure, and have been dauntless through it all. I’m glad you finally took a moment to not be. You are allowed to be vulnerable or scared or hurt, or whatever else you need to feel. I know you’ve had to rely only on yourself for a long time, but you have me now.”

Her breathing was still uneven and shaky. “I think I’ve been waiting to hear that we wouldn’t be able to marry for one reason or another. Waiting for something or someone to take you away from me again. And now that we have permission, it’s really going to happen. Isn’t it?”

His smile was so tender as he gazed at her. “It was going to happen with or without permission. I am never going to lose you again.”

“I must be the luckiest woman alive.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. But you’remywoman, and I love you.”

She was definitely the luckiest woman alive. She turned and leaned back in his embrace again, the only sound that of the carriage wheels as they rumbled along.

“There is something else that may have contributed to my sudden outburst,” she said quietly.

“Have I been pushing you too hard?”

“No.” She shook her head. “You’ve been wonderful.”

“What then?”

She let out a long sigh. “I thought Ash must have killed my father, or at least knew who did, but after talking to my mother—.” She paused to reconcile her thoughts. “It wasn’t him.”

A long moment passed before he said anything. “How do you feel about that?”

He hadn’t said she was wrong. “You think I’m right, don’t you?”

He squeezed her hand. “I think your mother loves you, and she lived in fear of what your father might do to you, or to her, for a very long time. When he sent you to Auburn Ridge, and her fears became reality, that must have been extraordinarily difficult for her.”

“You don’t think it makes her a bad person?” The truth was, she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. In a way, she was proud of her mother, but she was also sad. Sad that she’d had to do something so heinous to have some kind of peace. She wasn’t sad that her father was dead, that was undeniably true.

“I think it makes her a mother who wanted to protect her daughter in the only way she could. Besides, after what your father did to you, I imagine his days were numbered one way or another.”

He was right, of course. She’d been with Ash long enough to know he wouldn’t have just let that pass.

“You know,” he said, turning toward her. “Just because we need to stay presentable doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun.” He grasped her chin gently and kissed her. “Do you remember the first time I touched you, all those years ago?”

“I might.” She would never forget it. He’d introduced her to pleasure, and at the time, it had been the most incredible experience of her life. “Four years is a long time, though. Perhaps you can remind me.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He traced his tongue over her lips before plunging inside. His kiss sent spirals of desire racing through her, and in no time, she was breathless and desperate for more.

“When are we going to get to the touching part?”

He chuckled and pulled her back onto his lap. “Patience never was one of your stronger virtues.”

He reached under her skirts and settled his hand on her calf, his movements achingly slow as he brushed his palm up the inside of her thigh and into the slit of her drawers. She held her breath as he neared her sex until finally his fingertip slid along her heated flesh, and she groaned as a wave of pleasure washed over her.

“Mmmm. You really did need to be touched, didn’t you?”

She should feel embarrassed that she was already so aroused, but she was far too needy to feel anything but the delectable sensations of his touch. His lips returned to hers and as his tongue slid over her own it somehow only increased her body’s demand for more. Slowly, he slid one finger into her body, and she sucked in a desperate breath.

“I don’t remember that from the first time.”

“Would you rather I didn’t?” His smile was devilish.

“Gerard Fitzwilliam, if you stop now, you may be in danger of physical harm.”

He laughed before claiming her lips once more. “I wouldn’t dream of stopping.” His thumb swirled over her, coaxing a whimper from her lips.

As the tempo of his movements increased, so too did the speed of her gasping breaths. Or perhaps he was following her lead, she wasn’t sure. But either way, burgeoning pleasure was quickly building and her need for release became unbearable.

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