And yet...
As the sun set and my household went quiet, I sent Beatrice back to Jolie's room. There would be no evening milking. I ignored my housekeeper's puzzled expression in the same way I ignored my own idiocy.
I knew why I was doing this. Why I was denying myself the pleasure of her hands on my cock for the night.
Because then the madness would seep back in.
And I would have an excuse for what I wanted to do.
As time ticked by, I could hear the voices rising, urging me on.
Demanding I take what was mine.
But still I waited.
The time had to be perfect.
For once, the voices were satisfied, knowing that I'd give in to their demands.
When the entire house was quiet, and all the staff asleep, I finally made my way to her door.
I could have pretended that it was to ensure the house, and her room were secure, but it was all bullshit.
I stood there, for the second time, staring at her door, willing myself to walk away, but before I knew what was happening my feet moved closer. The predator in me guided each step as I reached for the handle and quietly eased open the door.
Her room was dark, just a sliver of moonlight coming through an open curtain.
The faint light cut across her bed in a pale strip, just enough to show me the curve of her legs tangled in the sheets. Jolie lay on her side, one knee bent high, nightdress hitched up around her thighs like she's kicked at the blankets in her sleep. The hem had ridden so far up I could see the soft shadow where her legs met.
My breath stuttered.
I should have closed the door. Backed away and locked myself in my bedroom until sunrise.
Instead, I let the madness take root and swallow me whole.
She shifted once, a tiny unconscious movement, thigh sliding forward enough that the edge of her dress crept higher.
I froze.
The moonlight caught the warm sheen of her skin, and every instinct in me sharpened to a point that made my teeth ache.
Goddess, I wanted to see.
My hand braced on the doorframe, nails digging into the wood as I fought every impulse screaming through my bones. The scent of her drifted to me, and the titillating taste of her arousal had me losing the last grip I had on my sanity.
I took a step closer to her.
Her breath hitched as if she knew a monster had entered her room.
My cock pulsed like a living being against the tight confines of my pants as I took another step closer to her.
The blanket didn't do much to cover her. It clung to her waist, exposing the dip of her spine and the gentle curve of her hip above it.
If I just reached out... Just a few feet away... I could lift the hem of her dress a few inches so I could get a better view of what she'd touched this morning.
I was desperate, the monster in me raging. It wanted to claim what he saw as his. Punish the girl for taking pleasure that wasn't hers to have. Pleasure that was his togiveto her.
My throat worked around a low growl that barely escaped. I dragged my hand over my mouth, trying to choke back the sounds. Her scent hit me again.
