Page 35 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
Luke lay in silence, listening to Jenny finish her cleaning, listening to the whistle of her breath as she blew out the candle. He tried to sleep, forcing his eyes closed and breathing deeply, slowly, to calm his mind. But sleep would not come, even as the rustling sounds died down to be replaced with soft and gentle snoring.
His eyes opened wide again, all by themselves, and no matter how much he told himself to sleep, he couldn’t. Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts of Alison.
Of her kiss.
He remembered the softness of her lips, the wetness of her tongue. He thought of the feel of her body against his, so supple, so lithe beneath the folds of her gown that normally hid her shape so well. His arms had held her tightly against him and his body had responded to the feel of her, pushing himself harder against her in a fit of passion.
How he wished she was there now, lying on the pallet next to him, her head in the crook of his shoulder, her warmth becoming his warmth. He imagined turning his head to see her beautiful face, and then leaning forward to kiss her smile. He thought of his hands roving over her body, molding around her gentle curves, and he felt his breath catch in his throat.
He didn’t dare think further than that, as tempting as it was. He wasn’t sure he could handle thoughts of her naked flesh… not yet, anyway, and it felt oddly disrespectful to her.
Luke groaned and rubbed his face in his hands. There was no way he would sleep tonight. Not with thoughts of Alison running through his mind, plus his concern for his sister. He swung his legs over the side of the pallet and sat up, staring into the dark.
He needed to do something to calm his mind, to distract himself. He got up, pulling on his trousers then his jacket over his nightshirt, and he snuck as quietly as he could from the hut.
The night air was cool on his clammy flesh and he welcomed it, as it cooled the heat in his heart and loins as well. The stars above twinkled happily in the clear, black sky, and his feet plodded over the gravel as he made his way to the stables. He would brush them for the day, and as he did so, he would tell them all his woes, for horses make excellent listeners.
