Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
That evening after the servants moved the tree to the foyer, boxes were placed all around and she and Lucian decorated it. Each ornament was made of glass or crystal or some other fragile material. They reminded Evelyn of jewels. They were beautiful.
Carols played, but other than that the house was quiet. “Where is everybody?” she asked, realizing she hadn’t even seen Lucy in some time.
“They went home to be with their own families. They won’t be back until the first. What? Why are you laughing?”
She pressed her lips tight, but her amusement was impossible to disguise. “Lucian, you’ll starve. How are you going to make it a week without people waiting on you hand and foot?”
He smiled and grabbed her by the waist. His fingers dug into the tender, ticklish skin at her side and she squealed. “It just so happens, Ms. Keats,” he said, pressing his lips against her neck. “I’m a wonderful cook.”
His mouth sealed to her throat and his hold gentled. Her body went slack in his hold as he kissed her. Breathlessly, she whispered, “I doubt there’s anything you don’t do wonderfully.”
He gazed at her. Twinkle lights reflected in the black of his eyes. Evelyn’s lashes lowered as he pressed his lips to hers, and her body sang as he deepened the kiss. He lifted her off the floor and she held on to his shoulders, legs wrapped tight around his hips, as he carried her up the stairs, never once breaking the kiss.
Fingers tugged at buttons and zippers until they were both naked. Lucian kissed her with such passion, she slowly melted into a puddle of wax. His palms turned her hips until she faced the tall post of the four-poster bed. He guided her hands above her shoulders and pressed his fingers over hers until she was holding on to the post.
His mouth traced the gentle curve of her neck. The heat of his tongue trailed down her spine. She yipped when his teeth pinched her ass, but he soothed away the bite with languid kisses.
Shivers scattered up her back and over her breasts as he continued to kiss her everywhere with those soft lips of his. She was wet and needy. Her breathy moans whispered through the room. He licked at the backs of her knees and ran the tips of his fingers over the swell of her hips. His eyes caressed her right alongside his fingers and mouth.
When he had her truly trembling with need, he turned her toward the high bed and planted her palms on the edge of the mattress. Her feet were nudged apart and his finger trailed down her spine. She arched with his touch, completely under his seductive command.
He filled her in one hard thrust that had her up on her toes. It was intense, but not what she would consider rough. His body blanketed hers as he took her from behind, possessed her. His cock sank deep into her sex and his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tight. Fingers grazed her swaying breasts, and her nipples sent shock waves to her center every time he pinched the tender tips.
She was grateful Lucian had taken her to visit with Dr. Sheffield. The birth control she was now on was a forgotten matter she wouldn’t have to readdress for another year. The doctor had inserted something inside of her that pinched for only a minute, and now they were safe to touch each other freely and as often as they pleased.
Lucian drew her hips back forcefully, possessively. He owned her body in that moment, and she never enjoyed surrendering more. Slow, deep thrusts filled her and soon she was crying out her release. He withdrew and her sex was suddenly lonesome and cold.
The mattress pressed into her back as she was lifted and turned. Lucian raised her ankles and kissed the soft spot just below where his thumbs held. He pulled her legs into a wide V, and she was full once more. His gaze never left her, and she felt as if he were looking into her soul.
His dark throat worked and his jaw ticked as he filled her with his hot release. Her body was no longer her own. Her body felt free and cherished, as did her mind. A tremor of fear slipped past her contentment. This feeling she kept hiding from, the one that kept chasing her thoughts into corners, was becoming too big to ignore. It made her want to place distance between Lucian and herself, yet at the same time, the thought of even a brief moment without him terrified her. Giving up Lucian, she feared, would be worse than living without air.
***
Evelyn awoke to something tugging at her hand. Turning, she blindly felt for Lucian, but his side of the bed was cold. Something tugged at her finger. As she rubbed her eyes, she heard the quiet hum of Christmas carols. She could smell the piney fragrance of the tree from downstairs and the trace of fresh-brewed coffee.