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Annalise let go of the locket, and her hand was in his hair, sifting through his locks. Blake pressed her closer to him, devouring her mouth, licking into her warmth, tasting her. She moved on him then, her bum brushing against his erect length. He was hard as a rock. Annalise’s entire body hummed with the tension of an inevitable release.
Blake dragged his mouth away from her lips, and she whimpered. “Wait,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You don’t want this.”
“I do, please. I want this. More than you know.”
Blake groaned and swept his coat off her shoulders. He unbuttoned her bodice, then started working on the corset. Annalise ran her hands up and down his back, then lowered her head and bit on his neck and collarbone.
“Wait, darling,” he whispered. “Let me get you good and naked first.”
Annalise bit on his ear and heard him groan. “I don’t want to wait,” she whispered back and started working on the buttons of his breeches.
Blake chuckled. “Impatient wench.”
He helped her undo the buttons and quickly stripped off his breeches and drawers. He tore the shirt off his shoulders, then got rid of her skirts. Annalise shivered before him in her chemise and stockings.
Blake took her into his arms and gently laid her on the bed. He climbed up on top of her and kissed her on the mouth, plunging his tongue inside, sending tingles through her body. Blake raised his head and studied her with a tender look in his eyes.
Annalise gazed back at him as he slowly twined their fingers on either side of her head. The gesture was so intimate and sweet that Annalise wanted to weep. Her eyes watered. Blake slowly lowered his head to hers and took her mouth in a sensual kiss. It was soft and wet and incredibly delicious. Annalise whimpered in frustration, wanting more of him, more of this closeness. She raised her hips and rubbed her pelvis against his hard, hot shaft.
With a groan, Blake drew away and sat up. He sat on his knees, panting and watching Annalise as a predator watched his prey. He ran a hand through his hair and scrambled from the bed.
Annalise sat up. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see you more clearly. To remember every detail of your face.” He lit a few more candles. “I want to see every little reaction on your beautiful face as I make you come.”
Annalise clenched her thighs together, her entire being pulsing in anticipation. Hot liquid pooled between her legs. She wanted to squirm, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. More than that, she wanted Blake’s hands on her again, his mouth devouring her. And she wanted to devour him in turn. She crawled closer to him, and… froze. Now in the light of many candles, she could see his back clearly. It was covered with thick white scars.
Blake turned back to her and beheld her shocked face. He winced but quickly hid behind an inscrutable mask.
“What… What are those marks?” she asked, terrified.
“You shouldn’t have seen that,” he said in a stricken voice. “I forgot they were there since I don’t see my back too often.” He stood and walked toward his shirt.
Annalise scrambled off the bed and followed him. She took the shirt from his slack fingers and put it away. When she turned to him, he stood rigid, his entire body trembling.
Annalise reached out her hand, but he stepped back.
“Did that happen when you were taken?”
“Yes.”
Annalise swallowed. So when he talked about the past being painful, perhaps he meant literally. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
Blake raised his head then, his gaze blank. “No. I’d rather not.”
“Is that… Does it hurt?”
Blake shook his head. “Not anymore.”
His gaze was still distant, and he stood there, his hands fisted at his sides, his shoulders hunched. Like an animal ready for an attack or to flee. Annalise wanted nothing more than for him to confide in her, to trust her with his woes, to share his fears. She wished she could convince him that she could help him lift the burden. That he needn’t do it alone.
He wasn’t ready for that. He was not ready to let her in, and perhaps he never would be. But from the look of those scars, he went through something incredibly traumatic. She wouldn’t be able to heal his scars, she knew. But for tonight, she could at least comfort him.
She stepped closer to him and reached out a hand, slowly as not to spook him. He watched her hand warily, but in the end, he put his hand in hers, and she tugged him closer.
Annalise enveloped him in a tight embrace the moment he stepped close enough and ran her hands up and down his back in soothing motions. She kissed his chest, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed the hollow below his throat. He chuckled, a low sound that reverberated through his chest, and Annalise smiled. Well, she’d gotten him out of his surly mood. She reached up again and swirled her tongue against his skin.
Blake eased her away and looked at her with laughing eyes.
