Heart of Fragile Stars by Cynthia Wright

Author:Cynthia Wright [Wright, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Boxwood Manor Books
Published: 2015-09-21T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

All was quiet on board Pursuit when Beauvisage collapsed at last in his favorite chair. It was a relief to open his shirt and pull off his boots. The cabin was dark except for bluish moonlight streaming in through the gallery windows.

Antonia was asleep in his roomy bunk, turned away on her side and covered by a soft blanket. His gaze fell on the enticing curve of her hip. How many women had he lain with since reaching manhood? Beauvisage had lost count, yet the thought of making love to Tonie brought a surge of passion that felt both unique and complicated to him.

Leaning back, he propped his feet on the nearby bench, closed his eyes, and let himself drift. Sometime later, a noise broke into his slumber.

“Mamochka!” Antonia was crying in agonizing tones. “No, no!” She sat up in the moon-silvered bunk, arms outstretched. “Zoya! Help me!”

He was there in an instant, enfolding her in his arms. She buried her face against his chest and he felt her tears. “It’s all right, love. I am here. You’re safe. It’s all right. Shh…”

When she lifted her wet face to him, searching, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to kiss her. Their mouths met hungrily in the starlight. She was pulling at his shirt and off it came. Beauvisage felt ravenous, not merely with a physical appetite, but for something much deeper. They fell back together on the bunk, still kissing. Her mouth was like honey. He was flooded with a desire beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

“My God, Tonie, I want you so…”

Her shift had ridden up and his hand found the bare flesh of her thigh and brushed the sweet, wet place that called to him. His erection pulsed with the intensity of his need to be inside her.

“Please!” She urged his mouth to her breast, whimpering.

Her nipple puckered against his questing tongue. When he continued to kiss it slowly, she opened her thighs and arched, moaning, against him. He could feel her heart beating faster, and then –

She pushed at him, gasping for air.

“What’s wrong?” Jean-Philippe drew back in alarm.

“I can’t breathe!” She scrambled free of his embrace. “I can’t…I can’t.”

“What is it?” Even as he spoke, he realized in a moment of horror what he’d been about to do. Was he mad? This was the woman of his dreams, the woman he meant to marry and spend the rest of his life with! “I’m sorry. Mon Dieu, I am so sorry. I never want to hurt you, Tonie.”

She sat trembling, pulling the shift back down to cover her nakedness. “It’s not your fault. I am…damaged. I was once carefree and brave, but ever since the fire, I have not been the same. I can’t stop the dreams. I see stars when I close my eyes, and then the fears come, the choking, the horror.” Slowly, she met his gaze, her own eyes glistening. “Since I met you, it’s been worse.”

Beauvisage tried to take it in.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.