Capturing Tess by Anna Stone

Author:Anna Stone [Stone, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Violet Ocean Press
Published: 2022-12-26T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

The fireplace roared to life, its warmth filling the drafty room. Ava rarely used the large sitting room at the back of the house, but it was one of the few rooms with a fireplace that still worked. And when Tess had mentioned one night how nice it would be to sit before a fire, Ava had arranged for it to happen.

It was the perfect evening for it. Riley had gone to the mainland to take care of some personal business, and they weren’t due back until tomorrow, so Ava and Tess wouldn’t be interrupted.

As Ava stoked the flames, Tess sat down on the thick rug in front of the fire. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen a real fireplace lit up like this before.”

Ava set the poker aside and joined Tess on the rug. It had been a few days since that night in the basement. And that night had changed everything.

Since then, she’d kept Tess at her side every possible moment. Ava had always preferred solitude. It was entirely unlike her to crave the company of another—a 22-year-old girl, no less.

And yet, Tess’s presence warmed her heart more than the fire did.

Tess rested her head on Ava’s shoulder, a soft sigh rising from her chest. It was so easy for Ava to lose herself in her, in the way Tess made her feel. Because it wasn’t lust. It wasn’t a drive to protect her. What she felt toward Tess ran deeper. Their connection ran deeper.

The other night had proved that a thousand times over. Tess understood her. She understood that to Ava, complete and utter surrender—to their desires, and to each other—was the purest form of intimacy.

That was why Ava rarely shared her desires with anyone. They were too personal, made her too vulnerable. Because in many ways, surrendering to those carnal impulses, letting go of her inhibitions, felt like a loss of control. But with Tess, that surrender felt so easy, so natural.

How could something that felt so right ever be wrong?

The two of them were bound by a forbidden secret. Their lives, their very fates, were inextricably intertwined. They always had been, even though Tess didn’t know it.

But the connection they had in the here and now? It existed outside of all that. It was real. And it was beautiful.

Tess spoke up beside her. “You know what we need? Something to drink.”

“I can send for a bottle of wine,” Ava said. “Or something stronger.”

“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of… hot chocolate.”

“Sure, that can be arranged.”

“No need. I’ve been sneaking into the kitchen and making myself hot chocolate almost every night since I got here. Guess I felt the need for something… comforting.” Tess got to her feet. “I’ll go make it.”

Before Ava could say a word, Tess left the room. Barely ten minutes passed before she returned, two cups of hot chocolate in saucers in her hands.

She carried them over to Ava and handed one to her before sitting down again, taking care not to spill on the rug.

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