Chapter Twenty #3
Isaac's gaze dropped to where their hands remained connected, his thumb stroking across her knuckles.
Helena noticed how the fire light caught the silver threads in his dark hair as she leaned in closer, the space between them shrinking to nothing.
She felt his breath against her cheek. She tilted her head back, her lips parting instinctively.
The first kiss was impossibly gentle. Soft and questioning, like the first drops of rain before a downpour.
His mouth moved against hers with a reverence that stole the air from her lungs, his free hand coming up to cup the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the loose strands of hair that had escaped its pins.
Helena responded with a desperation that shocked her, her hand rising to grip his shoulder, feeling the solid muscle beneath his worn coat.
The kiss deepened, growing more urgent as weeks of suppressed longing finally broke free.
But then, as suddenly as it began, Isaac pulled back, his breathing ragged as he stared at her with wide eyes, as if surprised by his own actions.
"Nell," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "Are you certain? This line... once crossed, there's no returning to who we were before."
She shook her head, her fingers still gripping his coat as if afraid he might disappear.
"I don't know what tomorrow holds anymore." The admission hung between them, raw and terrifying. "But for now, just for now, I want to forget the expectations, the titles, the lives we're supposed to lead."
Isaac's expression remained conflicted, his thumb tracing patterns on her palm.
"Emotions cloud judgment, Nell. Neither of us should make promises we can't keep."
"Then make no promises," she countered, leaning closer until their foreheads touched. "Just give me this moment."
His resistance crumbled then, his mouth finding hers again with a newfound urgency. Isaac's hands moved from her neck to her waist, pulling her flush against him as he deepened the kiss.
Helena responded in kind, her fingers working at the buttons of his coat, needing to feel his skin against hers.
The coarse wool of his coat gave way to the softer fabric of his waistcoat, and then finally to the warmth of his shirt beneath.
Helena's hands slid beneath the material, her palms flattening against the hard planes of his chest. Isaac groaned into her mouth, his own hands growing bolder as they traced the curve of her spine, mapping her body through the thin fabric of her dress.
The fire light cast dancing shadows across the walls as they sank down onto the carpet, the floorboards creaking beneath their combined weight.
Isaac's mouth left hers to trail hot kisses along her jaw, down the column of her throat.
Helena arched against him, her fingers tangling in his hair as she guided him lower.
His hands worked at the fastenings of her dress, the fabric parting to reveal the simple chemise beneath. Helena shivered as his fingers brushed against her skin, tracing the edge of the garment before slipping beneath to cup her breast.
His thumb circled her nipple, the rough pad of his finger sending sparks of pleasure straight to her core.
"Isaac," she breathed, her hips rising instinctively against his.
He responded by lowering his head, his mouth closing over her nipple through the thin cotton of her chemise. The wet heat of his tongue against the sensitive peak made Helena cry out, her back bowing off the blankets.
Isaac took his time, lavishing attention on first one breast, then the other, his hands never ceasing their exploration of her body. Helena's control frayed with each passing moment, the pleasure building to an almost unbearable intensity.
When Isaac's hand slid down her stomach, beneath the hem of her dress to trace the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, she thought she might come apart from anticipation alone.
His fingers brushed against the damp curls at the apex of her thighs, and Helena's hips jerked upward, a silent plea for more.
He obliged, one finger sliding into her wet heat while his thumb circled her clit.
The dual sensations sent Helena spiralling toward the edge, her fingers clutching at his shoulders as waves of pleasure began to build deep within her.
Isaac added a second finger, curling them just so, and Helena shattered, her orgasm washing over her with the force of the storm raging outside.
As the tremors subsided, Helena pulled Isaac closer, her mouth finding his in a desperate kiss.
"Forget tomorrow," she murmured against his lips.
And then, to her shock and surprise, Isaac froze, his body going rigid above hers.
"I can't do this," he said.
Before Helena could say anything, he pulled back abruptly, turning from her.
"I am sorry, Nell," he said, not looking at her.
"Isaac—"
"We should get back," he said as he got up. "The storm's passed, people will be wonderin' where we are."
She watched him dress quickly, quite unsure of what to say.
What had just happened? Why had he pulled away so suddenly?
She wanted to ask him, but she didn't get the chance to, because moments later he was crossing the room and out of the door.