Once again, she hesitated, so he kept his hands raised.
“Again, I only want to help.”
“How?”
“Just… just turn around.”
After another moment’s hesitation, she finally did.
Gabriel took a moment to admire how her loose hair fell down her robe. With the hour being so late, she had already dressed for bed, and the robe she had tucked around her was thick enough that he could try to keep his wits about him and focus on alleviating her pain.
He slowly lowered his hands to her shoulders, letting her adjust to his touch. He still remembered how she had stiffened when he had taken her hand and helped her into the carriage after their wedding.
Seconds passed before her shoulders finally relaxed, and Gabriel took that as his cue to continue.
Carefully, he began to massage down her back. Throughout his time boxing, he had learnt a thing or two about easing aching muscles, especially from holding oneself in the same position for a long time.
He recalled how Letitia’s nursemaid used to move similarly, with her hand supporting her back, for Letitia could only fall asleep when she was carried by someone. The motion had always helped her drift off.
Beneath his fingers, Sibyl began to relax. He felt her muscles loosen as he kneaded them. Soon, she leaned into his touch, and he held his breath.
A small noise escaped her. “Oh, that feels heavenly.”
His eyes closed for a second as he collected himself. His fingers pressed a little harder as he fought to keep that composure. He let his hands move where she needed his touch, and she grew heavier against him.
Suddenly, she let out a soft moan.
His hands stilled on her waist, having been massaging near her tailbone, and she slowly turned around in his hold. Her eyes locked on his, and he felt his whole world tilt off its axis.
Her face was inches away from his own, and the desire he had been suppressing roared within him.
No number of matches in the King’s Hound was enough, not when his wife looked up at him as though he were a question she couldn’t answer. And he knew he was looking at her the same.
Her name rushed to the tip of his tongue,the way it had that day when he had wanted to ground her.
Lowering his face to hers, Gabriel gave her another chance to pull back, to stop this before they got past the point of no return. Because once he kissed her, once he had her, he feared he would never be able to settle for less.
Yet her face tilted towards his, and their mouths were barely an inch apart. And then, he kissed her.
Her breath caught in her throat as soon as his lips met her soft ones. He lifted one hand from her waist to cup her face, letting his fingers graze her cheek, gently hold her jaw, keeping her face tilted to his. His thumb brushed beneath her eyelids, realizing her lashes had fluttered shut.
He finally gave in to the kiss. He finally gave in toher.
His first taste of her was soft, tender, and it immediately hooked him. He already knew he would need more.
Hewantedmore.
He angled his head to deepen the kiss, waiting for the moment she would pull away. But she didn’t.
His fingers tightened on her waist, moving her backward until she was pressed against the kitchen counter. Her hands curled around the edge, knocking the cup aside as she leaned back against it, drawing him into her.
How long had it been since she was kissed like this?
Had she even been kissed like this?
The thought made him kiss her harder, and a groan built in his throat that he let slip out. Sibyl gasped and buried one hand in his hair, tugging it as though it would keep him there.
He never wanted to move, even without that grounding touch.
