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William was completely oblivious to her presence. He moved so swiftly, his agile feet twirling him around the room with lethal precision. He continued to jab towards the end of the room, then whirled around, raising the foil before him. He paused, his eyes darting to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth didn’t stop to think. Gasping, she stepped away from the door and pulled it closed behind her, wincing at her stupidity. He’d clearly seen her and even if he hadn’t, her closing the door would surely draw his attention.
She squeezed her eyes shut as embarrassment rocked her, turning her back to the room. Somehow, she knew she wouldn’t be able to escape. And a part of her wished she wouldn’t have to.
After a moment, Elizabeth’s heart sank when the door opened behind her. “Did you think I would not see you?” came Williams’s deep voice.
Elizabeth bit her lip, reluctance turning her limbs to lead as she turned to face him. Whatever excuse she’d had on the tip of her tongue dissipated at the sight of him up close. His chest was well defined, hard, and glistening with a lovely sheen of sweat. The outline of his midsection appeared to be cut into six parts and Elizabeth had to resist the urge to run her hands down the ripple it created.
“Have you taken your fill?”
Elizabeth snapped her eyes back to his face. There was no expression there, and it only made her embarrassment deepen.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, looking away. She prayed he wouldn’t see her blushing but also knew it was fool’s hope. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was looking around the manor for you and when I saw the light under the door, I grew curious as to what was going on—”
“Why?”
Her eyes darted up to him. “Pardon me?”
“Why were you looking for me?” His foil was still in his hand and it touched the floor when he leaned one shoulder against the door jamb. “I thought you had intended to retire to bed early.”
She nodded slowly, licking her dry lips. She couldn’t gather her thoughts, not when his bare chest was literally within touching distance. “I had,” she managed to say. “But I found that I could not sleep. I’d hoped for some company, but now that I see that you’re busy, I shan’t bother you any longer.”
Elizabeth swiveled on her heels, desperate to make her escape. She barely took a single step when his hand clamped onto her wrist and whirled her back around with very little force. His green eyes appeared as dark as thunderclouds as he stared down at her. “You cannot possibly think that you can simply walk away after you’ve ruffled me like this?” he asked, though it didn’t sound like much of a question.
“W-what do you mean?” The touch on her wrist was beginning to burn, sending tendrils of heat throughout the rest of her body. He was closer now, the heat of his own enough to drive her insane.
“Everyone is asleep, Beth,” William said to her, his voice a low rumble that made her nipples pebble against her nightgown. “And so should you. Yet, you come here wearing nothing but your nightgown to see me.”
“I…”
“I’ve been trying my hardest, Beth, to stay away from you. You do not seem to want to make this easy for me.”
“How can I when I only want the opposite?” she asked in a breathless whisper. Something was building within them, a tension that seemed to charge the air with smoldering intensity. Elizabeth felt something building in her, something weakening her knees and making it very difficult to think straight.
“So damn stubborn,” he murmured, just as his eyes dipped to her lips.
Elizabeth didn’t care about the curse. She didn’t care about anything other than the fact that he was moving closer to her, that his head was dipping towards her. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and eagerly anticipated what was to come.
The press of his lips against her was gentle at first, exploratory. As if he was waiting for her to protest or to pull away. But that was the very last thing Elizabeth wanted. She wanted more of him, every inch of him she could get. The feeling threatened to consume her entire being.
As if he read her mind, William gave her exactly what she wanted. He slid a large hand around her waist, pulling her against his chest. His sweatiness should have repulsed her but it made her longing grow deeper, made her desperate to run her hands against his broad chest and cup the back of his neck. She felt bold in that moment, spurred on by the intense feeling she could now recognize as sexual desire.
It was that desire that sparked her insides with heat when William slipped his tongue past her lips. The feeling was foreign to her, but she followed his motions, swiping her tongue against his, letting him pull her lip in between his teeth. Allowing him to take control of the kiss the same way he seemed to be taking control of her body.
