Page 19 of Reflections of Silence

He leaned closer, his breath kissing my lips when he paused. A visible shudder wracked him, his grip on the chair back stretching the fabric behind my shoulders.

“I should—Gella—” He used the name I'd preferred since childhood without knowing, and I accepted it, without thought.

“You should,” I whispered, and wrapped my hands around his collar, tugging him down to me.

His lips found mine, pressing hard at first, then softening, exploring. His tongue swept across the seam of my lips, and I gasped at the intimate caress. The tension that wound tight inside me all day unspool as he thrust his tongue roughly inside my mouth, then as his kisses before danced in light flicks against my own.

I followed his movements as though it were a waltz for two alone, letting him lead and learning how he wanted me to respond to his silent commands. My body fizzed with need and aches I’d never experienced in my life. Flirtations in Paris were so commonplace that they meant little to nothing at all.

This experience was well outside of my frame of reference. Every touch, every kiss left me craving more of him. Cool fingers brushed my warmed cheek, knuckles grazing my jawline as he tipped my head back, slanting his mouth across mine until hearced over my body. I moved with him, seeking more contact, more kisses…more.

His hands tangled in my hair, fisting the loose ends as he deepened the kiss. A moan slipped from my lips, or maybe it was his. It didn’t matter; we were both as lost in each other, our bodies entangled and fighting against clothing that got in the way of our discovery. One arm slipped behind my waist, lifting me against his hard form to pull me closer.

The fabric of my jacket curled back as though by his will alone. It dropped to the floor, leaving my shoulders bare to his hungry touch. When his cool hands pressed flush to my back, I whimpered. He traced my shoulder blades, long fingers sliding beneath my dress as I clung to him, swept away in the emotion.

Sensation whirled around me in a dizzying montage of hands and lips and tongues. My skin heated wherever he touched me, his hands tugging at the edge of my dress.

“Wait,” I gasped, breathless, as the eyelets holding the material together began to part. I clutched my dress up, pressing it to my chest. “Sebastian, shouldn’t we…?”

Be in a bed?Wasn’t that the proprietary thing to do? His touch, so experienced over my innocence, reminded me how little I knew of what a marriage was supposed to be beyond Amy’s strange interludes and stories I weren’t sure whether to believe in, or not.

His soft laugh brushed the edges of my mind, his kisses trailing along my throat to the curve of my ear. Without offering me an answer Sebastian sucked and licked at the sensitive spot there until I cried out; a wanton sound that left me in a realm of embarrassment and pure need. Heat gushed between my legs, a sweet ache tingling swollen flesh there.

“We should,” he said firmly.

The material at my breast tugged tight. An eyelet popped free, then another. Pulling me from the chair Sebastian bracedme against, he dragged us to the floor, kneeling over me. Strong arms cradled my weight until my head met the plush carpet with a gentle bump, then his mouth was on mine again, and I couldn’t think at all.

Swaths of material tangled around my legs. I twisted, flicking at the knotted fabric until I could move again. Sebastian grasped my waist, his hands encompassed me, and jerked my body up to meet his. That arched, wicked mouth still punishing mine, he pulled me hard against his chest.

My world inverted, blood rushing in both directions. Every kiss left me senseless and overwhelmed, reacting to his touch by pure instinct. I explored his shoulders and chest, running over the planes of muscle there, the curves and ridges beneath his fine shirt.

He groaned, shucking the offending article over his head. Red lips parted, he stared down at me like I was the last meal he’d ever eat and was determined to gorge himself. His chest heaved, a slick of sweat gracing his hard muscle, giving him a carved quality. As though he wasn’t quite of this time, or any other.

Sucking in a long, shuddering breath of my own, needing the calming, cool air to soothe the heat that flushed me head to toe, I reached tentative, trembling hands to run my fingertips over the lines of his stomach.

Sebastian stopped breathing altogether, his jaw clenched, eyes wreathed in dark flame that went on and on behind a dark soul lingering there. His silence offered a sort of permission. I resumed my journey, running over hard ridges of lean muscle, tracing the tight peaks of his chest.

The breath he held hissed between his teeth, but he didn’t stop me from touching him. Braced on one forearm, his grip around my waist loosened, sliding along my backbone. Spikes of painful pleasure followed his caress. I arched with the sensation,surrendering my body to his touch. He tugged my corset down, the tips of my breasts springing free above my chemise that he shredded seconds later.

Groaning, he dipped his head to suck my nipple into his mouth, returning his hand to my hair with his other, pulling my head back. My throat bared to him, he pulled my body into an arch, and held me there. Lips and tongue teased my nipple, tugging and nipping. A sharp sting left me crying out. His gaze raised to meet mine.

The predator in him stared out at me, undisguised. I cried out again as he shifted his hold to capture both my wrists, pinning them at my back.

“Do not fight me.” The command in his voice was evident.

I nodded, unable to draw in a full breath to answer him.

Something in his eyes flickered as I submitted to his will, giving my body over to his demands. His fingers still tangled in my long hair, I remained in my arch, captive to his needs.

His smile grew as he watched my struggle. The points of my nipples ached. I tilted my shoulders back, shameless in my desire for his mouth on my skin. His breath brushed the breast he tortured, a single flick of his tongue drawing a long sound from my throat.

I strained at his hold, needing to touch him, to drag his mouth to my breast and encourage him to suck, but I had no leverage or strength against his impenetrable grip. His control absolute, I could do nothing but submit to his hold over my body and let him do as he pleased.

And I wanted to submit to him.

Laughing softly at my predicament, Sebastian shifted to feast on my other breast. His kisses and nips left me drowning in a sea of pleasure and pain. I arched deeper against him, aligning my half-exposed body to his, needing the contact. Pleasure built between my thighs, slicing new pathways inside my body towhere he sucked on my nipples, alternating and teasing until I crested the wave, my body liquid and easy against his harder form.

A sharp pain hit me, knocking me further into oblivion. Reality spun away from me, coiled in a ribbon of pleasure that went on and on. Sebastian’s voice whispered half-words in my mind, as though he commanded that, too. I swam closer to those sounds, but they shut off as fast, a dreamlike realm where nothing was ever truly attainable.

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