Unmasked
Page 5
He raised himself to his knees to remove his clothing.
“Let me,” I said softly, sitting up on the bed before him. I began to undress him slowly, reveling in the effect it was having upon Erik. First his cravat, then his waistcoat, then his collar, then his shirtsleeves. I took my time, enjoying the novelty of his manly clothing, infused with the scent of him. His chest, finally bared to me, was muscled and perfect. His skin was luxuriantly soft, like fine satin. A nest of bristly hair at his chest narrowed to a line on his corded stomach and disappeared into his trousers.
He raised a muscled arm and threaded his long fingers into my hair. His chest rose and fell in deep breaths, silently begging me to continue.
My fingers began to unfasten the buttons on his trousers, slowly, one by one. His growing manhood tented the fabric, and I gloried in the arousal I inspired in him.
His trousers slid down his hips, revealing the evidence of the power I had over his body. It made me feel vibrantly alive. And gloriously feminine.
I put a curious hand around it, and he groaned. I’ll never know what made me so bold in his bed. Perhaps it was his words of love in my ear that inflamed my desire. Perhaps it was his blindness to my flaws. But my inhibitions were released like the cork of a champagne bottle, and I took immeasurable delight in pleasing him, more than in the pleasure he gave me.
He sank to the bed beside me, and placed his forearm under my head. I luxuriated in the wonderful heaviness of his torso next to mine, he as desperate to love as I was to be loved.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and I fixed my eyes on his face. His hand began a slow, tender exploration of my body. I marveled that these hands, stained with the blood of so many people, could bring my body to life. It found its goal in the V between my legs, and I let him enter. I relished the feel of his musician’s hand, coaxing the most beautiful music from that unfamiliar place. I closed my eyes to let the pleasure surround me.
His hand stilled. “Look at me!”
My eyes flew open, and he recommenced his slow, tiny bowing on the instrument that he was tuning. As I stared into his face, he watched as the pleasure he elicited threaded through my body and exploded for him.
Only him.
As he lowered his body onto mine, we shared a moment of supreme love that comes only when two naked souls meet and fuse in their sameness.
I wish I could say we moved to a nice house in the country and spent a quiet life together. That he finally found tolerance from the world above, and I some measure of acceptance for my size. But I cannot. We continued to live down beneath the opera house, in our underground palace among the creatures of the night, and the world outside never did change its opinion of us. But now that we had each other, it mattered so very little.
But Erik’s music did change, echoing his renewed hope in the goodness of life. He published a new opera under a pseudonym, which debuted in Paris before being performed in Rome, Vienna and London. We saw each premiere – in secret, of course. The Resurrection built upon the childhood fable of the Beauty and the Beast, only in this story, each person had elements of both beauty and beast in him. One’s shortcomings were the other’s graces, one’s flaws were the other’s perfections. A magic spell combines their respective features, creating two disparate creatures: a human of surpassing beauty – and a loathsome ogre. But the ogre is the only one given the heart of compassion, so only it survives. In the end, kindness, not beauty, endures.
The heart is a wonderful and glorious thing. It is not limited by eyesight or fettered by conventions. It acts independently of these things, as inscrutable and unpredictable as a holy miracle. But its true power comes from extending love, not acquiring it. We are called not to be adored, but to love, and if the heavens permit, to be loved in return.
Unmask, and see for yourself.
~~~~~~~
About the Author
Michelle Marcos is the award-winning author of several historical romance novels for St. Martin's Press. She lives in Miami, Florida, and loves to hear from readers. You can connect with Michelle on:
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Other Titles by Michelle Marcos
Lessons in Loving a Laird, ISBN 9780312381790, St. Martin's Press
Secrets to Seducing a Scot, ISBN 9780312381783, St. Martin's Press
Wickedly Ever After, ISBN 9781429925150, St. Martin's Press
Gentlemen Behaving Badly, ISBN 9781429926485, St. Martin's Press
When a Lady Misbehaves, ISBN 9781429959346, St. Martin's Press