Page 8 of The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon
If he had asked, she would have told him.Butto be fair, she had never asked him what he wanted their life to look like, and now she wished she could forget it.Wipethe truth away.
William rolled over to face her. “Ourlife will be filled with other things.Likechildren and family.Ourlife will leave a different mark on you.”Hetouched the pale scar on her lip. “Ahappy one.”
Ella cupped his cheek. “Let’snot worry about tomorrow.”Itsweight proved too heavy for her to deal with right now. “Wehave such little time together.Letus not waste it on the things we cannot control.”
William pressed a kiss to her mouth.Shetugged at the hem of his shirt, desperate to feel the warmth of skin under her fingers.Tolose herself in that hunger of his kisses.Hishand slid up her shirt and cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his calloused fingers.
“I love you,Ella.I’lllove you until death comes to claim me.”Williamkissed her neck.Hisfingertips danced over her ribs, moving down.
She couldn’t say it back.Nomatter how hard she tried to get the words to form, they would die on her tongue.Soshe kissed him back.Shetugged his shirt over his head and helped him slip out of the rest of his clothes.Shedid the same, hoping she could show him that she did have feelings for him.
William pressed her down on the wool blanket.Hiskisses were warm on her stomach, his fingertips light on her hips.Shehad a desire for him, a need.Butnot love.Sheoften wondered if she was capable of love.Shehadn’t experienced the giddiness thatSissyoften spoke of.Thethought ofThaneflashed in her mind.Hissadness, and how badly she wanted to take that sadness away.Tobe with him.
Was that love?No, she couldn’t love a man she barely knew.Thatwas lust for a very beautiful man.Stopthinking of other men while withWilliam.Right,Ellareminded herself.William, who made his way back to her mouth and settled between her legs.Shetangled her fingers in his hair and nuzzled his neck.
“What’s wrong?”Williamasked.
“Nothing.”Hervoice was breathy.Shedidn’t want to think about anything but the need that grew low in her belly andWilliam’sneed that pressed against her inner thigh.
“Then why the sadness?”Herubbed his thumb under her eye, wiping away tears she hadn’t meant to shed. “I’llstop if you want me to.”
“No.Thisis not sadness.”Shewrapped her legs around his waist.Sheneeded his desire to burn away these feelings.Toremind her this was her life or would be.Andit was a fine life.Onefilled with a man who loved her.Whomet most of her needs.Likethis need. “William, please.”Shearched into him.
He smiled down at her. “Well, since you asked so nicely…”
She closed her eyes, welcoming him into her body.Welcomingthe warmth he brought as it spread throughout her limbs.Shewould learn to love him, learn to love this life, because her old one was the decay that was killing her.
CHAPTER5
ELLA
Ella set the last dirty plate in the washtub.Everythingached.Herback and feet from standing all day, and her head hurt from overthinking her dreams last night.Normallyafter her time withWilliam, she could fall into a somewhat restful sleep.Butlast night…
Last night her dreams had been plagued with images ofThane, or at least that was the face she gave the man in her dreams.Thesedreams hadn’t been comforting.Shedreamt ofThaneon his knees before her, his lips bright with blood, saying words she could not hear.Thefeeling of death had surrounded them.Shehad woken up wanting to go to him to ensure he was alright.
She had been thankful to see him trudge up to his room this morning.Helooked tired, but at least he was alive.Shehad tried to think of reasons to check on him.Butthere were none that didn’t make her seem a bit odd and desperate.
“Are you alright?”Clara’svoice cut throughElla’sthoughts.
“Yes, why?”Ellahadn’t meant to be so short.
“Because you keep huffing and mumbling to yourself.”Claralooked up from the dough she was kneading.
“It’s nothing.”Ellastacked the clean plates for tomorrow’s meal.Itwas only something if she made something out of it.Wow,Ella, that was profound.
“I heard you spoke toMr.Tenebris.”Clarabrushed the flour from her hands. “What’she like?”
“Taken,”Ellasaid over her shoulder.Sheneeded to remember that also.
“You asked?”
“No.Hetold me he is looking for someone.And,” she said, cuttingClaraoff, “he ordered a dress.”
“Who ordered a dress?”Sissyasked, coming in with a pile of dirty linens.
“Are you sure?”Clararolled the dough into balls and placed them in a pan.
“Who?”Sissyasked again.
