Guardian Angel #2
“Reform?” she asked, her heart pounding against her ribs. “To what do you refer?”
“I am aware that you are one of the authors of the reform pamphlets, Elisha.”
The words rendered her speechless. She tried to withdraw her hands, but Edgar held firm, his touch gentle but insistent. “How… How came you by this knowledge?”
Edgar leaned closer, his voice dropping to that intimate register that seemed to bypass her ears and speak directly to her heart.
“My friend and private investigator, Patrick Adams, saw you meet with Mark Evans.” The name of her childhood friend made her start, but Edgar’s thumbs traced what felt like soothing circles on her wrists.
“Further inquiries led us to a small print shop on the outskirts of London.”
Elisha’s breath hitched. The clandestine print shop had been her sanctuary, the place where her most dangerous words took physical form. The memory of ink-stained hands and the metallic scent of printing plates mingled with her rising fear.
“The proprietor, Mr. Symon, was initially reticent,” Edgar continued, his eyes never leaving hers.
In the deepening dusk, they seemed to glow with an inner fire.
“However, upon learning of my intentions, he confided in me. He spoke of a lady, whose description matched yours precisely, who would visit in the dead of night to collect the freshly printed pamphlets.”
A log shifted in the grate, sending up a shower of sparks that matched the panic sparking in Elisha’s chest. But Edgar’s expression seemed to hold nothing of condemnation—only what looked like fierce pride and something deeper, more tender.
“Fear not, my sweet,” he murmured, releasing one of her hands to cup her cheek.
His palm was warm against her cool skin.
“I took measures to ensure your safety. I purchased the print shop, installing a trusted associate as the new proprietor. The plates used for your pamphlets have been replaced with near-identical copies, each bearing a unique, barely perceptible mark.”
Understanding dawned in Elisha’s eyes as the implications of his words sank in. All this time, while she’d been terrified of discovery, he had been quietly protecting her, supporting her cause from the shadows.
“The true plates remain hidden, allowing your important work to continue unimpeded.”
He brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a fervent kiss to her knuckles. “I’ve also taken the liberty of establishing a network of trusted individuals to aid in the storage and distribution of your writings. They are unaware of your identity, of course, but are sympathetic to the cause.”
Elisha listened, her heart a maelstrom of emotions. Fear at how close she had come to discovery warred with profound gratitude for his efforts. Admiration for his ingenuity and dedication to her cause swelled within her, mixing headily with the love that already consumed her.
“But why?” The question escaped her on a trembling breath. “What happened to having no real conviction?”
Edgar’s expression seemed to soften, what looked like vulnerability crossing his features that made him appear younger. “Ah,” he said quietly. His hand dropped from the mantel as he turned to face her fully. “The man I was then… he seems a stranger to me now.”
He moved closer, moonlight and firelight playing across his aristocratic features.
“I was raised to believe that maintaining the status quo was not just my right, but my duty. That change was dangerous, that reform threatened the very fabric of society.” A self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
“I was so certain of my convictions, or rather, my lack of them. And then…”
Elisha waited patiently, her heart thundering against her ribs.
“And then I met you.” His voice roughened with emotion. “You challenged everything I thought I knew. Your passion, your intelligence, your unwavering belief in the possibility of a better world… It was like watching the sun rise after a lifetime of darkness.”
He reached for her hand, his touch reverent.
“Your words and your actions haunted me. I found myself lying awake at night, concerned about your well-being, wishing I could be there to protect you.” His voice roughened with emotion.
“Then I became angry that you found it necessary to take that kind of risk. Our duty as a society should be to protect all citizens. The more I observed, the more I read your writings, the more I couldn’t ignore the truth in them. ”
“So you…” she whispered, hardly daring to believe. The firelight caught the unshed tears in her eyes, making them glimmer like stars.
“I decided I would like a society that values its every citizen, not just the wealthy or titled. It will not be easy, but I would like to try… with you.” He shook his head with a quiet laugh. “Well, I discovered I had quite a talent for subversion.”
Elisha’s heart swelled with emotion, and she threw herself at him, entwining her arms around his neck as an overwhelming tide of emotion swept through her.
Edgar held her tight, then took her mouth with his, all the frustrations of the past two months seeming to explode with impatience.
He held a fistful of her hair with one hand while his mouth slanted to meet hers.
Elisha’s lips parted, her eyelids fluttering closed, and her body leaned against Edgar as if drawn by an invisible force.
Her hands, which had been clutching her shawl tightly, slowly relaxed and reached for his shoulders.
She felt overwhelmed by the sensations of his heat, his essence molding to her, silken lips that seemed to melt beneath her own, the scent of soap mingling with the sweet taste of his mouth. She didn’t feel capable of absorbing it all without… bursting.
The kiss was a revelation, sweet and intoxicating. Her heart felt as though it might explode with joy, every cell in her body alive with the sensation of Edgar in her arms.
He glided his lips lightly over her satiny lips, nipping them with his own.
He then licked them with the tip of his tongue.
His breath mingled with her heat and torched her insides, but despite his obvious hunger, he loosened his embrace.
He reluctantly pulled away from her mouth and watched her long lashes flutter and open slowly.
Elisha stood still, seemingly paralyzed.
“If you want more, you’ll have to come for it,” he rasped low.
Elisha’s eyes shone in the candlelight, wide with shock. They were both breathless, their chests heaving. Edgar’s thumbs traced gentle circles on her waist, the soft tickling of her breath teasing her senses.
“Elisha,” he whispered tenderly.
She responded by pulling him down for another kiss, this one filled with all the passion and longing she had been holding back for so long.
Her timid tongue darted out, copying his previous movements, brushing it across his lips, licking them ever so gently, and flicking the corners of his mouth, stoking her own fire.
“You drive me mad, woman,” he groaned before taking possession of her mouth, wanting more of the sugary taste.
*
Edgar’s fingers traversed the route of her form—brushing against the side of her breasts over coarse linen, the dip of her waist, then her round bottom. The swells of her tight bottom had him press his hard length against her stomach, eliciting a gasp that he swallowed with relish.
One hand kneaded her firm buttocks while his hips ground his steely length against her thighs.
“Bloody hell, you have the most tempting ass,” he whispered against her mouth.
He then released her mouth and held her gaze while pulling up the hem of her shift. Her eyes were half hooded, and her lashes tremored while her swollen lips glistened with moisture.
He closed his eyes and groaned upon feeling her bare flesh. When he opened them again, Elisha’s had closed, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip, ripe and moist from his assault.
The look of pleasure on her expression unleashed his primal urges, all reason dissipating with blood pooling in his cock.
Holding her gaze, he took her hand and brought it to the hard ridge pushing against his trousers. He showed her how to use her palm and rub it the way he liked.
Releasing her hand, he dotted her neck with soft kisses, trying to control his breathing and the urge to free his member for her to grip.
“That’s it,” he cooed, feeling his member twitch under the delicious pressure.
“Am I doing it right?”
A smile curved his lips at the innocent question filled with desire to please. “Very well, darling. Perfect.”
Then he moved his hand from her ass to her inner thighs, stroking with featherlight fingers, delighting in her moans and gasps.
“Bloody hell,” he cursed under his breath when he felt the moisture dripping down her thighs. “Exquisite…” he murmured.
With a moan, she suddenly squeezed his cock, heightening his arousal.
“My God…” he groaned. He began to unfasten his fall, and Elisha watched with widened eyes.
He slowly moved her hand to his member, gauging her reaction.
With the curiosity of a cat, she explored his manhood with her delicate fingers, then gripped him firmly.
He grunted with relief and pleasure when her fingers massaged his aching flesh.
“Like this,” he said as he wrapped his fingers over hers and stroked his length. Elisha learned quickly, her observant mind catching the pressure and the friction he liked.
“Bloody hell, that’s it. Just like that, Elisha,” he rasped.
Then, when he worried her arm might be fatigued, he brushed away her hand and placed his member between her thighs, drenching it in her nectar. Back and forth, he rubbed, relishing her moans, ensuring he was stimulating her bud. She rewarded him by squeezing her thighs together.
“Elisha, release me. This is too… close… too… tempting,” he rasped, fighting the urge to enter her, break her maidenhead and claim her.
Without a word, she tightened her hold on him, angling her body to heighten her own pleasure.
“Please,” she whimpered.
Her pleading had his cock jerk with pleasure. He pulled the loose neckline of her shift and freed one breast while he glided his shaft between her thighs.
Sucking her tongue deep into his mouth, he fondled her breast, then took one coral nipple between his fingers, pinching it lightly. As she gasped, he pinched harder, her moans confirming her heightened pleasure. He resisted the surging need to release his seed, wanting to hear her scream first.
He increased the speed of his movements, relishing the feel of her slick quim and thighs enveloping him tightly. When Elisha began to thrust her hips to meet his shaft with her cunny, he had to still himself to control his urge to climax.
“Edgar… please…” Her breathing was ragged and he felt her slick moisture drench his cock.
“Christ, Elisha…”
He gripped her ass and lifted her off the settee.
He rubbed his cock against her bud with urgent movements.
With a sharp inhale, she became perfectly still, her open mouth unleashing silent screams. The sensual image of her face pushed him over the edge as he released his seed between her thighs, puffs of air leaving his lungs as they both arched their bodies before collapsing against each other.
Edgar’s body shuddered head to toe from the aphrodisiac that was Elisha Linde.
He leaned one hand against the arm of the settee while catching his breath.
It was going to be impossible for him to stay away from her now.
She possessed the beauty of Aphrodite and the sensual mind of Eros.
If he taught her how to pleasure him, she would have the weapons of Hephaestus as well.
They lay there in comfortable silence, listening to the rain against the windows and the gentle crackle of the dying fire, finally home.