“Perfectly. It was a beautiful answer.”
He hums, lips still close to mine. “I simply explained the way I feel about you.”
I let the tears fall. Tears of happiness and an overwhelming rush of what I now know is love. “I love you too, Lincoln.”
His mouth finally presses against mine and he flicks his tongue over the seam of my lips, gently easing them open until I allow him inside. His arms tighten around me, crushing me to his chest. I curl my fingers in the thick hair at the nape of his neck, and for a long time, we do nothing but kiss. It’s both tender and rough. Passionate and steadfast. Possessive and liberating. My body melts into his, pouring all my depth of feeling into this single snapshot of time.
This must be love. And if it’s not, then it must be something deeper and more profound. Because it is everything. He is everything. My safe space. My home. My heart.
Chapter 56
Lincoln
“So you’re actually leaving the house with her? Entering the civilized world?” Pierre asks after I told him about my plans for the day.
I rummage in the pantry for the antique picnic basket that was here when I bought the place sixteen years ago. “Not exactly. Just a picnic while the weather is still mild enough for us to enjoy it.” I won’t risk anyone seeing either of us, so yes, we’re leaving the house, but mingling with the civilized world is a definite no.
“Does she know?”
“Not yet, but she will when she gets out of her bath and sees the new clothes on the bed.” Along with the note I left her. It’s been a week since she asked me what being in love felt like, when we told each other how we feel. And since that time, I’ve fallen in love with her more every single second. I cannot imagine a world where she doesn’t sleep in my arms, and I believe she loves me too, but still Fraser’s words continue to plague me.The Queen is the most powerful piece in the game.
“Are you letting her off her leash to see if she’ll run?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper.
I snarl. “She’s not a dog, Pierre.”
“True. But are you doing that, knowing what you now do?”
“Weren’t you the one who told me I couldn’t keep her locked in here forever? You know she was never allowed to leave her grandfather’s estate, right?”
“Also true, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
Spotting the hamper I’m looking for buried deep at the back of a cupboard, I pull it out and brush off the surface dust. “I actually want to do something a little special for her, even if it is only a picnic,” I tell him truthfully. “But, while we won’t be venturing anywhere close to town, we will be in walking distance of the road. Close enough that she’ll be able to hear any passing vehicles.”
“And you’re thinking she might run?”
“I’m thinking I’d like to see what she’ll do when presented with the opportunity to escape.”
He frowns. “That’s exactly what I said.”
“Lincoln!” she calls from the kitchen, and when I stick my head out of the pantry, she’s wrapped in a towel with her hair soaking wet, clutching the new white dress I gave her to her chest. She obviously left the matching underwear on the bed. “Are we really going out somewhere?”
I hold up the picnic hamper. “Just for a drive and then a picnic, angel. If you want to?”
She’s practically vibrating with excitement. “Yes, I want to.”
“Then go get ready while Pierre and I make our picnic.”
She squeaks, actually squeaks, and then runs out of the room.
“She seems very excited,” Pierre says dryly.
“She’s about to leave the house for the first time in almost half a year, of course she’s excited,” I snap defensively.
“Just an observation, sir.”
An observation we shared. Because I also felt a fleeting wave of panic at her excitement too. What if she does run? And whatif that means none of this is real? I’m not sure how I will react if I were to find that everything between us were a lie. I’m sure my blackened heart would be destroyed forever. I swallow down my doubt and leave it there for now.
“I’m so excited to see where we’re going.” She cranes her neck, peering out the window and trying to see past the forest of trees. My eyes stray to her legs. The new dress with the violet lace trim that sits perfectly against her olive skin has ridden high enough to expose almost all the soft skin of her thighs, hinting at the sweet temptation beneath, currently encased in the new purple lace underwear set I also bought for her. I know that because I lifted her dress to get a glimpse when she came running down the stairs earlier. And when she purred at my attention, I almost slipped my hand into her panties right there and finger-fucked her in the hallway. But my girl wants a picnic, and a promise is a promise.
