He left the warmth of the house, stepping into the chill of the night air. The darkness embraced him, as he made his way toward the stable. He quickly prepared his horse and ensured everything was stored properly for his ride, then mounted the stallion. Kingston flicked the reins and began his journey to Jaclyn. The steady sound of hooves on gravel seemed to match the beat of his heart as he rode through the night. Each step brought him closer to Jaclyn, closer to the life she deserved away from her family’s suffocating control.
When he arrived at the hunting lodge, he dismounted quickly, his feet hitting the ground with urgency. The faint glow of light from the cabin window was all that separated him from the woman he thought of as his. Something he had yet to share with her. To tell her how much she meant to him... He only wished that he had not let his pride stand in his way before this. That duel had soured him in so many different ways.
It wasn’t long before he entered the lodge, the fire still crackling in the hearth, offering warmth against the evening cold. Inside, Jaclyn was sitting by the fire, her face half-lit by the flickering flames. For a moment, Kingston froze, just watching her, as if she were something delicate, something fragile he was afraid to touch. She rose when she saw him, a soft smile spreading across her face, but her eyes—those deep, searching eyes—told him she had already guessed his intention.
“Are you ready?” he asked, keeping his voice low, but the urgency was clear.
Jaclyn nodded, though she didn’t move right away. She seemed lost in thought, her gaze lingering on him as if she were weighing something in her mind. Kingston swallowed his frustration. Time was precious. They couldn’t linger here for long. “Jaclyn, we must leave immediately,” he pressed, his voice insistent.
But she only shook her head slightly. “Not yet,” she replied, her voice soft but firm. She was still wearing that same gown from earlier that day. Not that she could have changed into something else. He had all of her belongings at Easton Abbey stored in a bag on his horse. But something was different now. Kingston had difficulty pinpointing what… He shook that thought away and sighed. He did not have time for this. They did not have time for this.
A little exasperated, Kingston stepped forward. “What is it?” he asked, concern edging his tone. He hadn’t anticipated any resistance from her, and it caught him off guard.
Jaclyn finally stepped closer, her hands clasped together, her gaze intense. “I just need a moment,” she said quietly. “I need to breathe. I need to think. Is that too much to ask? You want me to leave here and not consider what that might mean. I cannot do that so easily as you might think.”
He stared at her for a moment, his chest tightening as he understood the depth of her words. She wasn’t just scared of her family or of leaving; she was scared of freedom. “I understand,” he said quietly, his voice full of concern.
She stepped closer toward him then, her gaze steady. “You’ve made me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt, Kingston. And I think... I think that’s what terrifies me most.” She closed the distance between them and placed a hand on his chest. “Do we really need to leave immediately?”
His heart thundered in his chest as she trailed her fingers over him. He swallowed hard. “We really should,” he said, his voice husky with a need he knew he should not give into. “Your brother could return at any moment.”
“You’re right,” she said. “He could.” She slid her hand up to cup his cheek. “Isn’t that enough of a reason to take a moment? Something we might never have again.” Her breath hitched, and before he could say another word, she closed the distance between them, her lips meeting his in a kiss that was filled with everything they hadn’t said. He understood her meaning then. She did not want to wait another moment to explore what was between them. He could appreciate that even as he knew he should not give into the impulse.
The moment was intoxicating. Her touch, her warmth, the fire between them—it was all too much, and yet, it felt like the only thing that mattered. But even in the midst of their kiss, Kingston knew that time was against them. His desire for her was undeniable, but he couldn’t let that cloud the bigger picture. When they pulled away, their breaths ragged, he whispered, “We have to go. We can’t wait any longer.” He said the words because he knew he should. It wasn’t what he wanted though. He wanted to pull her closer and press his lips to hers again. Kingston wanted to do so much more than that.
She looked at him then, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. “I don’t want to go yet,” she said, her voice steady and resolute. “I want to stay.” Jaclyn boldly met his gaze. “I want you to stay here with me.”
And just like that, the plans that had been set in motion, the journey they had begun together, fell apart. Nothing else mattered but her, and for the first time in his life, Kingston felt truly at peace with his decision. If she wanted him to stay, then that was what they would do. He would stay in that hunting lodge with her as long as she wished. He was a slave to her, and he would gladly remain such for the rest of his life. He only hoped they would not grow to regret that decision later.
“Are you certain?” he asked. “It would be best if we left immediately.”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” she said huskily. “I want you, Kingston. I think, perhaps, I always have.” Her light-green eyes swam with desire that matched his own.
He closed his eyes and groaned at that admission. It was so close to his own truth it undid him completely. He unraveled under her confession, and she did not have to ask twice. He pulled her against him and crushed his lips to hers. There was no denying anything between them any longer. Not that he had intended to. All he wanted at that moment was her and he fully intended to have her. In every way imaginable…
Jaclyn's breath caught as Kingston’s lips hovered just above hers, the weight of the moment thick with anticipation. His presence, the warmth of his body so close to hers, was intoxicating. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the dim room, and for a brief second, she wondered if she had lost her mind to want this, to want him, in this way. But the heat in her chest—the fierce, undeniable ache—told her that it was precisely what she wanted.
She had never been one to seek moments of reckless abandon—at least not like this. She had done plenty of naughty things with Charlotte in their days at Havenwood, but nothing so scandalous as what she was now prepared to do. Jaclyn wanted Kingston. If she never had anything else in her life, this was one thing she wanted to carry her through the rest of her days. She wanted to know what it was like to be with him fully, and now, with him so near, with every nerve in her body thrumming in anticipation, she could think of nothing else. Her heart pounded like the drumbeat of some forbidden desire that she knew she should turn away from yet could not.
“Love me, Kingston,” she demanded. “Love me as if there was no scandal in our past and our future was ours to seize if we were only brave enough to reach for it.”
Kingston leaned closer, his breath mingling with hers, and she could feel his hesitation, his restraint. “I shouldn’t do anything of the sort.” His voice was hoarse with his pent-up desire. The desire she wanted him to give into. She could see the struggle in his eyes—the battle between what he desired and the honor that bound him. She had already made up her mind, though. She wanted to forget. Forget the looming shadows of scandal, her tattered reputation, and the heavy weight of her family's expectations. Just for tonight, she wanted to be seen by him, truly seen, and not as the woman burdened by things she wished to forget. This night she wanted them to just let it all go and embrace this need between them.
"Stay with me," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire. Her hands, trembling, reached out to rest on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath his fine linen shirt. She could sense the tension in his muscles, the way he held himself back—hesitant, as if he feared she would ask for more than he could give. But that wasn’t what she wanted, not really. She only wanted him in this moment, with no tomorrow, no aftereffects to worry about. She wanted to be reckless, to be wild with him, to surrender in a way she had never dared before. “Stay here tonight. Give this to me, please.” She was not above begging him. “I want you to love me,” she said again—hoping this time he would heed to her wishes. Her voice was husky and low as she added, “Love me scandalously and in every way possible. Let me forget everything, even if it’s only for tonight. Let me have you, Kingston, and I promise it will be enough.”
Her words hung in the air between them, heavy with longing. She wanted him to say the words she feared would never come—I love you—but deep down, she knew they could never be spoken. He could never love her the way she loved him, not after everything that had happened. But tonight... Tonight she would make him hers in every sense. Even if it was just for a fleeting moment. One that would keep her warm on the cold nights in her future. It would have to be enough.
Kingston placed his hand on her cheek, his fingers brushing against her skin with a tenderness that sent shivers down her spine. His touch was gentle, yet there was a yearning beneath it—one that mirrored her own. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his hand on her, the way he caressed her as if trying to memorize every inch of her face.
“I’m not the man you think I am, Jaclyn,” he murmured, his voice strained. “I am not so honorable that I…”
She silenced him with the press of her lips to his. Jaclyn didn’t want to hear any of that now. She didn’t want to hear about his past, his hesitations, or his struggles. She wanted him to forget, just as she did. She wanted him to forget who they had been, forget their troubles, and simply give in to the fire between them. She leaned back and met his gaze. “I don’t care about that,” she said, pressing her lips to his once more in a brief kiss. “Not tonight. Just be with me.”
And with that, the world outside the lodge ceased to matter. The path ahead of them—fraught with complications, with judgment, with the ever-present specter of what society would say—vanished. All that mattered now was the softness of his lips, the warmth of his body, and the sound of their breathing in perfect sync.
She let herself get lost in Kingston’s kiss—lost in the thrill of his touch, the way she fit perfectly against him as if she had always belonged there. Everything seemed to evaporate in the haze of the moment, leaving nothing but their shared desire, the rawness of their emotions, and the undeniable chemistry that had always existed between them.
Kingston stilled and rested his hand on her cheek and then slid it down to her neck. He brushed his thumb slowly over her chin. She marveled at how much it enhanced her desire and how much she needed this connection with him. But the reality of their situation loomed like a shadow in the back of her mind. She wanted him. Had wanted him since their first meeting—and this stolen time together could be perceived as reckless. But she could not make herself care about that now. Not when she was in his arms and he was kissing her as she had always imagined.
