Page 70 of The Last Chance
Then she met Aaron Chance, and her world spun out of control.
Some might say he had been right to avoid her, sensible to let her believe she roused his disdain. But when they kissed … heaven help her … nothing felt so glorious. That’s why the river of tears would not stop flowing.
With hard work, she could replace her material possessions.
She could not replace him. The man who tortured himself forhis father’s mistakes. The caring man who believed he was a monster.
Now, she would never get an opportunity to love him, to show him how beautiful he was inside. That’s what hurt the most.
It was a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.
An elegy for a life lost.
A heartbreaking tale of injustice.
A light knock on the door drew Joanna from her reverie. Dawn was upon them. Soon, she would be miles across the sea while her heart was still in London.
“Just a moment.” She dried her eyes and gathered herself. Sigmund would insist she ate before setting out on their journey, though the thought of food turned her stomach.
She opened the door, though her brain struggled to make sense of the handsome vision standing in the corridor. She stared at Aaron in his fitted black coat, her heart thumping hard in her chest, excitement racing through her veins.
“Miss Lovelace.”
His deep voice stirred the hairs on her nape.
“Mr Chance.”
“I came to ensure you arrived safely. I must leave in an hour and had to see you one last time.” His gaze trailed over her body like he was mentally undressing her, but then their eyes locked, and she saw her own sorrow reflected there. “How I spend the hour is up to you.”
As she struggled to keep the tenuous hold on her composure, she reached for him, slipping her hand into his and pulling him across the threshold. “This is an unexpected gift.”
“I haven’t the strength to stay away.”
“You’re stronger than any man I know.”
“You’re my Achilles’ heel, Joanna. My one weakness.” He glanced at their joined hands and sighed. “I confess, I’ve never wanted anything quite so much.”
He was not alone in his torment. Her waking moments were filled with thoughts of him, too. “Then we should not waste a single minute. Every part of me aches for you, Aaron. I know how I want to spend the next hour. I want to spend it naked in bed with you.”
Heavens, she sounded wanton, like the women at Mrs Flavell’s parties, but she could feel his pain, pain as raw as her own. What if tragedy struck, making this the only fulfilling moment of their lives?
Aaron hissed a breath. “Lock the door.”
She saw to the task, then flew into his arms. “I don’t want to talk about our problems. I don’t want this to be a sad moment. We’ll make no promises. I’ll not hold you to another vow. Let our actions be our words.”
He cupped her nape, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. “I need to see you smile. I need to watch you glow with pleasure. I need you to pretend all is well.”
“I don’t need to pretend.” She was already pushing his coat off his shoulders, her hands gliding over the firm muscles, relishing the power beneath her fingertips. “All is well. You’re here. I have never been happier.”
He drew her close, devouring her mouth as if they’d waited years, not hours, to taste each other again.
“Let me make love to you, Aaron,” she said against his lips, determined he would leave here knowing he was adored. “I haven’t the first clue what to do, but you must give me free rein over your body. Let me touch you as I please.”
We both have wounds that need to heal.
The hitch in his breath was an odd mix of want and nerves. “I’ll need you in every way possible. I need to squeeze a lifetime of lovemaking into an hour. I’ll be tender and rough and will make no excuses for it.”
Desire unfurled in her belly, a tantalising heat coiling low.
