Page 42 of Scars of a Passionate Revenge
She let out a sigh as he pulled his mouth away from hers. She could not bear it, when he drew his lips away from hers.
But when he placed his mouth on her neck and began to kiss her there, his hands wandering down from her waist towards her bottom, she felt the loss no longer. The softness of his lips on her skin and the fervor with which he kissed her seemed to set something inside of her on fire.
She allowed her own hands to wander, across his muscular shoulders and down his back. She knew that what they were doing was scandalous, but she could not stop herself. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders, and he shrugged it off, so that it fell to the ground. This enabled her hands to roam even more freely across his body, and the hardness of his muscular shape caused her to catch her breath. She had never felt such desire, never allowed herself to imagine the things that were now entering her mind.
His mouth moved ever lower, towards the bodice of her gown, and she let out a moan as his hands moved upwards from her waist towards her breasts. Surely he was not going to… But yes, he cupped her breast and squeezed it gently and she felt as if she might burst from desire.
“Alice, do you want me to stop?” he whispered, his voice scarcely audible.
She did not hesitate even a moment before answering “no”—the word escaping from her lips as a gasp.
He pushed the front of her bodice down, freeing one of her breasts, and began to caress it with his hands, gently at first, but becoming more ardent as she writhed with pleasure under his touch. Then he brought his lips down to her nipple and licked it with the most delicate of movements, causing her to shiver with pleasure. She had never known such feelings, and now between her legs she felt something almost like burning.
He pushed her gently downwards, so that she was now sitting on the ground, with her back against the tree, and he continued to kiss her, more deeply now, with their tongues intertwined in their mouths. He pressed his body against hers, and she could feel a hardness in his breeches which filled her with longing.
She knew only the vaguest of details about what happened between a man and a woman—the thing that she knew should only happen once they were married—but she found that with Benedict, she did not feel afraid.
Would she allow him to go all the way, out here in the woods where they were hidden from view? She knew that she should push him away, say no, insist that he did not compromise her virtue, but the fire inside her was too strong and she knew that she could not resist.
He moved his hands now to where her skirts were rucked up around her legs, and her heart was pounding with anticipation as he pushed up her skirts and his fingers made contact with the delicate skin of her thighs. She could not help but let out a moan as they crept ever closer to her center, which was moist with desire.
He kissed her neck, her breast, her lips; his hand all the while approaching that secret part of her that no one had ever touched. And as his fingers pushed aside her underthings, she let out a gasp of desire as she felt the electrification of his touch, beginning to caress her.
The heat began to rise in her as he increased the pace of his caress, and she leaned back and met his gaze, staring at him in wonder.
But then, he withdrew his hand and looked at her, almost in horror. He pushed her skirts back down, covering her up, and moved away from her. “Alice,” he said, his voice coming out almost as a croak. “I am sorry, I should not have….”
She shook her head. “Benedict, it is alright.” She wanted to continue, to tell him that she wanted him, that she loved the way he had touched her, that she wanted it to continue forever, but she could not bring herself to say such scandalous things out loud. Her desire for him was beyond anything she had ever imagined, and she knew that she had come very close, then, to giving him everything she had to give.
“We should return, Alice,” he said gently, standing up and offering her his hand so that she could do the same.
She adjusted her dress, and he reached down to the ground to pick up his discarded jacket.
Her heart still pounding, and the desire still throbbing between her legs, she followed him along the path and back to where the horses were waiting. He would propose to her now, she was sure of it. If she had had any doubts, she would not have allowed things to go so far. But he was saving her virtue, she knew, because he loved her and did not want to compromise her anymore.
And although her body ached for his touch, she loved him even more for holding back and protecting her from the censure of society, should anyone find out that they had taken that final step together before sealing their relationship with holy matrimony.
***
As Benedict mounted his horse a little while later, and they began the brief ride together back to the stables, his mind was racing. It had taken every ounce of his self-control to hold back. She would have given herself to him, then and there against that tree, he was sure of it.
And why had he held back, when that was all part of his plan? He could have taken her virtue, then returned to the house and packed his bags, and departed for London, never to be seen again, having posted his letter to the baron during the course of the journey. And then all hell would break loose for Alice and his family, and he would have achieved his aim.
But something held him back. He realized that he wanted one more magical memory with her, before he ruined everything forever.
They dismounted at the stables, and he moved to stand close to her. There was no sign of the groom, so he took her into his arms and kissed her softly. “Alice, I would like to show you the stars again,” he whispered.
She smiled. “I would love that,” she replied. “But you know it would not be possible, here. Someone would see us, we would surely be found out.”
He shook his head and gave her a cryptic look. “Wait and see, Alice,” he said. “I promise you that I will find a way.” And with that, he turned and walked away. They still made sure to return to the house separately after their rides, to avoid suspicion, although Benedict was sure that people had begun to notice that they were often absent from the party at the same time. And this, of course, was all part of the plan. And tonight, he would implement the final phase, then he would leave, and never see her again.
Chapter 19
The day passed much the same as the previous days at the house party, apart from the fact that Alice was even more distracted than ever with thoughts of what had taken place between herself and Benedict that morning in the woods.
By the time dinner was finished, she was more than ready to retreat to the privacy of her own room.
“Are you quite well, Alice?” Clara asked, as she rose from her seat and made her excuses.
