Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
A low, reverent sound rumbled from his throat as if the offering of her body undid something inside him.
And then his mouth was on her, hot and sure, and the world shattered.
Her head fell back with a strangled cry, hands flying to the sheet, clutching it like a lifeline.
The first sweep of his tongue was a revelation—tender, then demanding.
She trembled beneath him, torn open by the shock of pleasure, the overwhelming sensation of too much. Too little.
He gripped her thighs, anchoring her. A tremor traveled through his hands, betraying the strain of his restraint.
Every flick of his tongue, every kiss, sent her higher, a storm building behind her ribs.
Her breath came in broken gasps, the heat spiraling, pressure mounting.
She was unraveling, thread by thread, pulled apart by his mouth.
The pressure crested, then broke loose, flooding her in a rush of heat and helplessness. Pleasure burst through her like a bolt of blinding lightning. She arched her back, fingers twisting in his hair as she cried out his name, each pulse leaving her reeling in a dizzying storm of wild abandon.
As every muscle in her body slackened, he rose over her, his breath ragged, movements urgent and uneven.
He fumbled with his nightshirt, then reached between her thighs, fingers slipping through the heat he’d drawn from her.
A strained groan tore from his throat as he guided himself forward, the thick press of him finding her, testing her, needing her.
He stilled, his chest heaving against hers. “Tell me.” His voice rasped with barely held control. “Tell me you want this.”
She raised her hand and cupped his cheek, thumb tracing the rough outline of his jaw. “I want this—I want you.”
With a growl, he surged forward. Her fingers curled into his skin as he took her in one desperate, consuming thrust. The force of it made her gasp, the sudden fullness sending a sharp shock of sensation through her body. She clung to him, her breath hitching at the aching stretch.
Every inch of him pressed deep, filling her with a hot, dizzying fullness.
He withdrew slowly, sensation rippling through her before sinking back into her with a powerful, urgent motion.
Her muscles tightened around him, instinctively meeting each slick plunge.
He didn’t stop, didn’t slow, his hands dragging her hips to him as though he couldn’t get close enough.
He grunted, his forehead pressing against hers as his rhythm grew frantic, desperate.
The room seemed to close in around them, the sound of their bodies moving together filling the space.
She gasped, pulling him closer, her legs wrapping around his waist, urging him deeper.
A cry tore from her throat, but it was swallowed by his mouth as he kissed her fiercely, his thrusts erratic and wild.
Her body tensed, a spark of heat shooting through her as she tumbled toward the edge once more.
“God, I want this to last forever.” His groan echoed through the room. “But I can’t. I’m already there.”
He reached between them and began to pull free.
“Please.” Her fingers dug into his back. “Don’t.”
His breath came out in a ragged gasp. “I can’t hold off. If I finish in you…” His mouth went slack.
“I’ll make sure to take precautions. Please. Isaac. I need this. I need you.”
“Oh God. Josephine.” His eyes pressed shut, head tipping back as a hoarse shout tore free.
He gripped her hips, driving deeper than ever.
She cried out as he shuddered within her, heat exploding at her core.
A blinding rush consumed her, the world exploding into white-hot waves of sensation.
Her body arched beneath him, muscles taut with the force of her release, the air sucked from her lungs.
For a long moment, neither of them moved, both clinging to each other as the last tremors of their shared pleasure reverberated between them.
After a shaky breath, he gently pulled free and settled at her side.
Her gaze wandered over his face, flushed and glowing in the candlelight.
He reached for her hand and brought it to his chest, holding it there like an anchor, like he never wanted to let go.
Josephine’s fingers curled against his skin, the thud of his heartbeat fluttering beneath her palm.
The air between them pulsed with something fragile and immense.
Her heart swelled with emotion—full to bursting with everything she felt for him, with the sheer wonder of him.
The words rose before she could stop them, as natural as breathing.
“I love you.”
There. She’d said it. Laid her heart bare before him.
He locked his gaze on her, blue eyes churning. “Josephine, I—”
A frantic knock interrupted him. “Josephine, if you’re in there, your father has just arrived and is demanding to see you.” Samantha’s hushed voice pressed through the crack.
Isaac leaped from the bed and snatched his trousers from where they hung over the chair. He shoved one leg in as Josephine’s chest seized. Her father? Oh God. Her mouth dropped open and she swung her feet to the floor.
Blast it, where was her shift?
There, under the bed. She grabbed it and yanked it over her head. Her hair tangled around her face in a messy halo. She’d hardly had time to pull it over her shoulder when heavy footfalls echoed from the hallway.
Isaac stood still, his shirt half buttoned, eyes darting between her and the door.
“Quick.” She pushed him between his shoulders. “Hide!”
He gave a curt nod and strode to the window, throwing it open.
He grimaced when he looked down, but slung his leg over the sill and eased himself out.
The door flew open and Josephine raised a hand to her eyes as bright light filled the room.
Her father stormed in, nostrils flared. His eyes widened when he took in her rumpled appearance.
“Josephine Montclair, what have you done?” He ground out the words, the lantern in his hand trembling as his gaze flew around the room. His eyes narrowed when they settled on the open window. He took a step that way and her heart skipped a beat as she imagined Isaac hanging from the sill.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
A strangled laugh escaped him. “It couldn’t be clearer than day, sweetheart.” He pointed toward the boots on the floor, the tangled sheets.
A cold flush washed over her as her gaze dropped to the damning evidence.
He strode to the window and flung the curtains open.
She held her breath. Released it when all he found was empty space.
But that moment of relief shattered when he turned, his face hard as stone.
Before she could react, he crossed the room, his hand shooting out to seize her wrist with an iron grip.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
“Papa, no!” She dug her feet in but he yanked her from the room. She stumbled, struggling to keep up as he dragged her down the stairs, each step a jarring reminder of how little control she had. Her chest heaved with frantic breaths, and she tugged at her arm, trying to break free.
“Samantha, tell him I can stay! Please!” The words tumbled out in a rush, desperation flooding every syllable.
Her friend followed close behind them, lips drawn tight and hands clenched into fists.
Josephine’s heart sank as she realized Samantha was as powerless as she was.
Just as they reached for the door, a figure stepped into their path, blocking the exit.
Christian stood tall, his expression unreadable, but a steely resolve glinted in his eye.
He didn’t move as they came to a sudden halt in front of him.
“Governor Montclair, surely there’s no need to rush out in the middle of the night. We’ve plenty of room. Why don’t you stay and enjoy pleasant accommodations before your voyage?”
Her father raised his free hand to jab a finger in Christian’s face. “I hardly call allowing my daughter to share a room with a man pleasant accommodations.” Spittle flew from his mouth as his voice rose to a shout.
Christian lifted his hands, meeting Samantha’s troubled gaze. “I understand your concerns, but I assure you, this is a house of propriety. Your daughter is welcome here as long as she likes. Perhaps it would be good for her to stay for a time, to settle her mind after everything that happened.”
“Don’t presume to tell me what’s best for my daughter.” Her father’s eyes burned with fury. “My ship is waiting. And my daughter is getting married as soon as we get back.”
Married?
Josephine’s heart lurched to a stop. She tried to pull her arm free, but his grip only tightened. “No.” The word came out ragged, defeated.
“Do not think about pleading your case. You lost that right the moment you stowed away on that lieutenant’s ship.”
“I won’t. I can’t.” She took short desperate gasps as the room around her began to spin.
“You will.” Her father’s grip tightened, his face a mask of unyielding authority as he dragged her outside and down the steps. “You’ll learn to become obedient, Josephine, if it’s the last thing you do. I will not have you disrespecting my decisions any longer.”
They reached the carriage, and without a word, her father yanked the door open, the sound of metal scraping against the wood echoing in the night.
“Governor!” Isaac’s shout rang out over the courtyard as he limped around the corner. “A word, please.”
Her father spun, color rising in his cheeks. “How dare you show your face to me? Don’t think for a moment I’m unaware of what’s happened between you and my daughter.”
Isaac slid to a stop. “All the more reason to let me speak.”
Josephine tried to pull away, but her father shoved her inside with a rough hand on her back. “Not another word, Lieutenant. I’ve heard enough already. I apologize for the trouble she caused. It won’t happen again. Her soon-to-be husband will keep her in line, I’m sure of it.”
Isaac lifted his hand as if to argue, but her father’s voice lowered in warning. “Stay out of it. This is none of your business anymore.”
Josephine leaned forward, Isaac’s name upon her lips.
But if she called for him, her father’s fury would only deepen.
So, she clamped her mouth shut and locked eyes with him as he stood there, his face a mask of raw frustration and helplessness.
There was no hiding the anguish in his eyes, but there was also something else, something terrifying.
Resignation.
The moment stretched between them, suffocating in its weight—as if every unspoken word, every unspent promise, had been shattered by the finality of her father’s declaration.
His shoulders dropped in a silent acknowledgment that, for all their efforts, this was the end.
There would be no rescue. There would be no stolen moments or whispered promises. There would be no more anything.
It was over.
In that stillness, something fractured inside her—a small, painful crack that reverberated through her entire being. Everything they’d fought for, everything they might have had slipped through her fingers, and there was nothing left to do but watch it disappear.
The door slammed shut, leaving nothing but the cold finality of unspoken words.