She smiled, her hands on his arms. “Thomas I asked you here for one purpose. I cannot give myself to a monster for all of my days. I want you. Just once. I know it is not fair, and it is not right but I can trust no one else.” She paused and sighed, not sure if she was wooing him or sounding only pathetic as she begged him to consider her offer.
“Evangeline, you are not thinking clearly.” Thomas warned her and while he wished nothing more than to do as she asked, Thomas found it hard to follow through. He could not have her hating him as she hated Glais. To see her forced into the world alone once more after losing everything was a fate worse than death.
Evangeline shook her head. “This is the first thing I have ever tried to control in my life. I know my life is not my own. I was used by my father and then forced upon by Glais. I was groomed by my parents to be the political piece they needed to succeed, and I dutifully allowed it to happen. This is all I have for rebellion. I will not look back at my life and cry. I will have this single moment to keep and remember.” She shrugged her shoulders gently. “I will not beg, and I will not ask you again Thomas.” She could not bear the embarrassment of further rejection.
Thomas considered it for the moment, and it seemed to him there was not much to consider. Evangeline did not appear drugged or out of character. If this were what she wanted, Thomas would allow it. “Not here in this room,” He said, looking around. “Your bed. It will be far better for you.”
Evangeline followed his lead, the distance to her room seeming both too close and too far. Just the tumble of emotion in her stomach made her believe this was the right choice. Thomas was handsome, and Evangeline was shocked that she ever considered him plain. She was also sure that Thomas was experienced, but what made it feel right was how carefully he guided her, how he took the time to open the door and escorted her through before closing it behind them. These were small gestures that Glais would never do.
“How many women have you been with?” Evangeline asked.
Thomas was a little surprised by the question. “Three,” He answered after a moment's hesitation.
“Is that the truth Thomas, or are you attempting to please me by giving me the answers you believe I want to hear?” Glais had taught her that men were masterful liars and instantly Evangeline felt those old suspicions rise.
Thomas would not feed into her emotions and instead, he just smiled softly and nodded. “Only three, I promise you.” He sat on the bed and invited her to join him.
Sitting Evangeline looked around the room. “How does one start this?” she asked.
Thomas did not answer her. Instead, he kissed her shoulder, along her arm a little before returning to her skin which peeked out from the cloth of her dress. She felt the blush creeping into her cheeks, and she closed her eyes to concentrate on the exact way it felt for Thomas to press against her. Fingers tugged the sleeve of her dress although it didn’t have much stretch and the act was mostly useless in undressing her.
This was what surprised Evangeline the most. The slowness of the action. Teagan made it all sound very fast and over before you could catch your breath. If Thomas explored her body with the same ease and pace as he did her shoulder, they would waste the night together. Evangeline smiled with this thought, her hand running back through his hair. Catching the back of his neck, she blindly guided him to her mouth.
His kiss was intense, and Evangeline was surprised at that strength. When she finally pushed him away for breath, she knew it was only so because Thomas had let her. If he did not want to leave, there was little Evangeline could have done to enforce her want. Thomas was so different to how she imagined it to be that Evangeline felt even out of sync with the whole experience. She had been expecting one thing, and Thomas was giving her the complete opposite.
Thomas pulled away from the bed but took Evangeline with him. Pulling the woman to her feet his hands ran down her back and up the sides of her body. Something happened between them then. The fire, the heat and passion, the hungry need kicked in and suddenly the clothes were a hindrance to their desires. Evangeline took the initiative and shoved his jacket off his shoulders.
The chuckle Thomas made, low and trapped between their kisses, fuelled her as Evangeline struggled with removing it properly. Thomas leant back just enough to be helpful but his hands returned to her body instantly. Blindly they started working on the clasps and hooks as his mouth pressed against hers. Stealing each other’s breaths, Evangeline grinned. The need to have Thomas was all that mattered and should the door ever open, Evangeline wasn’t sure she could even care.
Undressing Thomas was far easier then Evangeline losing the layers of her dress. She could feel the fastening loosen around her torso but it was not happening soon enough. In an effort to quicken the procedure Evangeline helped him, and soon the dress was left ignored on the floor. A giggle escaped her lips before Thomas could steal it with a kiss, and the pair were back together. Untucking his uniform shirt, Evangeline’s hand skimmed across the firm outline in his pants. Gasping she stumbled backwards.
Thomas, panting softly stayed where he was. Since the moment she had suggested this union, he had been waiting for Evangeline to come to her senses and reject him. He had no desires to force her or coerce her decisions. He planted his hands on his hips, realised the image he was creating with an unconscious point to his groin and dropped the posture in a hope not to appear vulgar. “You truly are a virgin.”
“Was there ever doubts?” she asked, still breathless and suddenly very self-aware. Was it always this difficult? It seemed whenever they found a good rhythm together, she would somehow ruin it.
Thomas shrugged. “There are always rumours.”
Evangeline nodded. “Does it bother you?”
“No.” Feeling it was safe to advance upon her and not scare her, Thomas took Evangeline in his arms. “I really never thought of it because it barely matters to me.”
She believed him. Arching up in his arms she kissed his mouth softly and Thomas was slow and happy in response. Just as she believed if she told him to stop he would, she believed that her personal history was not something Thomas had considered. Apparently it did not bother him to know she was marrying his future king. If it did bother him, it did not affect his ability to become aroused.
The lacings of her corset came apart under his hands, and along with it came the rest of her undergarments. The roles had been reversed, Evangeline becoming naked faster than Thomas was. “We don’t have to,” Thomas whispered in her ear as one arm went around her waist to hold her firmly while the other skimmed over her newly exposed breast, circling the alert nipple before he continued over her stomach and finding the outline of her hip and thigh.
“There are other things we can do.” Thomas was unsure where he was going with this suggestion but he knew the last thing he ever wanted to create between them was a barrier. Whatever happened in this chamber would undoubtedly change their relationship forever. If Evangeline came to regret it, then he would never get her back. Thomas had been attracted to Evangeline from the first moment he saw her in the woods. Holding her had been nothing but a dream only moments ago. She had made it clear this was a single offer but Thomas did not want to believe that was so.
Evangeline swallowed hard, her body responding to his wandering hand as it seemed he was determined to map her skin. Panting softly, her lip bruised just as his was, she looked up at him as his hand came to rest on her sex. Her heart stole everything from her. Without his support she couldn’t stand, the anticipation froze her and any words she might have spoken were taken before Evangeline could even arrange them into a coherent sentence.
One finger teased her and Evangeline shuddered against him. Thomas was encouraged but didn’t want to sprint forward. If this were all she wanted, Thomas would walk away with his head held high. Her body was tense against the intrusion but she wasn’t fighting him. He buried his face into her neck, smelling the sweet scents of her hair as he massaged her clitoris gently.
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Slowly she relaxed. Her thighs lost their firmness and after a moment, her hips rocked ever so gently against his hand. Her mouth opened, parting only a little as she spoke his name. Thomas had never heard it being said so sweet. He kissed her neck, the only area he had been avoiding until that moment. She didn’t even seem to notice that his lips are pressed against the scars of Glais’ bite. Evangeline was far more distracted than to allow such small things bother her.
The build-up started and Evangeline felt the need to fall, to spread out under Thomas, who still wore his shirt and turned just enough away from her body so she couldn’t feel his bulge pressed into her hip. She grabbed the fronts of his shirt, her hands becoming clawed as his fingers teased her in a way she had never experienced before. Evangeline could never imagine anyone more skilled than Thomas in this, and when the tension finally broke Evangeline was draped backwards and panting in his arms.
Thomas picked her up off her feet and carried her to the bed. Laying her on the thick blankets he turned to leave.
“Thomas?” she couldn’t manage more than his name right now, but the concern was evident on her face. They were far from done, and while she still enjoyed what he had done it did not meet her needs.
“I’m just going to fetch you some water.” Thomas lied. In truth, he needed a moment to himself, a place where the sun didn’t hit her body to highlight the perfect outline of her frame. There needed to be a room that existed that wasn’t perfumed with the scent of her satisfaction. Thomas needed to be anywhere but in her bed chambers.
“I don’t want water.” Evangeline sat up, sure he had no intentions on returning with water. “I was serious Thomas. I do not want that monster to be the first person to know me like that.” She reached out for him, although her arm was limp and had no strength to the gesture. Thomas was weak in resisting her. He had tried all he could to be a better man.
With no further motivation, he returned to her bed and instantly he straddled her hips and pulled off his shirt. Their lips met and Evangeline chuckled at his eagerness. She pulled back to mimic his exploration of earlier. She started on his chest, Thomas’ body lean of fat and holding faint scars from battle. Nothing grotesque or overly concerning in her quick assessment but Evangeline wouldn’t have cared either way. She imagined this was expected for a man who saw action. She kissed the scar on his collarbone, the one that peeked out and had secretly distracted her from time to time.
Her hands wandered lower over his body, Thomas arching over as she followed the trail of hair to where his pants kept the rest of him hidden. She tugged at the ties that kept the garments closed. Trying not to blush, Evangeline was delicate in her task, almost maddeningly so as Thomas wanted to rush her. Just as the fabric dared to part and reveal what was underneath Evangeline stopped. Thomas almost fell with the disappointment as she moved back on the bed so she could find his lips.
“Show me,” She whispered. “I trust you.” She kissed him again but evidently made no movement to finish what she had started. Thomas had little choice but to scramble backwards and finally undress himself. The boots kicked off, his pants dropping and he hopped a little on one foot, unbalanced as he tugged the tailored fabric away from his ankles. A naked as the day he was born, Thomas slowly approached the bed again. Evangeline only had eyes for one part of him. He seemed impossibly large.
“I’ll be gentle,” Thomas promised, guessing her fear. Evangeline nodded. Thomas pressed her into the bed, and as promised, he was gentle.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sleeping with Thomas had not been the mistake. The mistake came when Evangeline realised she had no idea how to react to him now when she saw him around the castle. He seemed to be everywhere, and while she appreciated that he was not obviously treating her any differently than he did before, Evangeline wished there was some kind of mark on him to prove that it had meant something to him.
Thomas had stayed for as long as he dared after they were done and Evangeline had been very sure to explain to Thomas that this was not an open invitation to her sleeping quarters. She was solemn about her vows to Glais and however Glais intended to live out his time, she would not be the one to ruin their union in the eyes of Xado. Surely he would forgive her for this one act of weakness. Thomas had assured her that Xado was an understanding God and had been quick to disappear before he was severely missed.
That was their final conversation. Since then he had been sure to never engage her in talk unless it is entirely innocent. Thomas would greet her as Lady Evangeline, ask the legitimate questions of how was her rest, how was her day, what lovely weather for a ride and never keep her from her tasks.
Her obsession with Thomas doing exactly as she had asked left her little time to concern herself with other things. Most of the duties leading up to the wedding were left with Kyleigh and Evangeline found herself wandering the gardens much like she did when she first came to Braykith. For every time she thought of Thomas and remembered the touch of him, she considered Glais. How did he live with this feeling? At times, it made her skin crawl.
Evangeline was subconsciously going to the stables. Perhaps she could take Tempest for a ride, let the wind take away the doubts and concerns for a few hours. It felt good to have a plan that was steady rather than avoiding everyone. Stepping around the door, she saw Glais. Before she could disappear, he caught her eye. Evangeline cringed but forced herself to enter the building fully and curtsey with a sway of her skirts as an embellishment.
“Evangeline please…” He sighed, pulling off the gloves he had just put on. “We don’t need to be like this to each other.”
Evangeline rose from her position. “Yes, we do Glais. Because you deserve nothing more.” Too late to leave, she headed towards Tempest’s stall just to have something to do that didn’t involve looking at Glais. Tempest had protected her before, and she would do it again.
Glais joined Evangeline at the gate, leaning back casually on the wood that kept her horse in her pen. Evangeline stayed where she was, not offering him even a sentence. “I know about Thomas,” He muttered. Evangeline looked around frantically, fearful of being overheard. “No one is here.” Glais assured her.
“Well, I thought after all the women you take to your bed, I was entitled to one.” She tried to stay steady, but the gate carried more weight than she meant to give and Tempest came over to inspect Evangeline, reacting to her subtle change. “How did you find out?” She asked quietly, embarrassed that he had this knowledge after she had attempted to be so discreet.
“People notice things. It is a rumour that had been following your friendship. It is your reaction that confirmed it for me.” Glais said, continuing to stand beside her and looking out over the vast stable. “I just wanted you to know that I approve.”
Evangeline snapped around to look at him. “I don’t need your approval,” She growled, not even realising how little her lips moved as she delivered the words. “I didn’t do this for your approval.”
Glais nodded once, keeping his head down and crossing his arms over his chest. “Then why did you do it?” He was curious, and after the initial shock of learning what she had done settled that was the only question he had. Why? Apparently they were starting to know each other better. Glais didn’t feel threatened by Thomas, but he never imagined Evangeline would ever do a thing like this.
“Those reasons are my own.” Evangeline reached out for Tempest, running her palm along the mare’s offered face.
“Is he the only one?” Glais dared to ask.
“Yes. And only the one time. Is there anything else you need to know?” Evangeline asked, still awaiting to look at him. Glais would never know just how Evangeline felt about her time with Thomas. She never planned to share.
Glais went quiet. He turned but when he tried to touch Tempest the horse jarred her head away from him and Glais was left with nothing but air. “I hope he was good to you.”
Evangeline felt her body rush in response but she said nothing. Her mouth
was set in a firm line; she would not deny or confirm any question Glais asked. She could barely bring herself to reliving the memories without feeling like a fool. She would not be forced to share them with Glais after he had kept so much from her.
The pair stood together, Glais leaning against the gate and watching Evangeline as she studiously stroked the face of her horse. Neither spoke, but Evangeline felt she was the only one deep in thought. Glais had more to say and she could feel his tension. She offered him no opening. Finally, he sighed. “Be careful Evangeline, there can never be questions about the paternity of our children. The heir to the throne must be preserved.”
She pushed Tempest away. “Glais, if anyone is endangering a claim to the throne it is you. You and your decision to bed every woman who sacrifices herself for you.” She stepped into him, mustering her strength which came to her quickly now he had made her angry. “You have done this to us Glais, and please be cautious of who you speak to of this.”
“Do you fear your reputation?” Glais asked.
“I am afraid of what Luella will do to keep you,” Evangeline admitted freely.
“Luella?” Glais said the name like he had never heard it before, but Evangeline knew that he was aware of exactly which woman he spoke of. Even the most lost wanderer noticed the way Luella was protective of her place with the Prince.
“She has approached me and openly mocked me Glais, and more than once she has threatened violence against me,” Evangeline told him, repeating what she assumed he already knew. Luella never seemed particularly careful when she was around. It was a wonder the curse had not killed Luella and her loose tongue before now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Glais frowned as he searched her face as if suddenly hearing this news would make any bruises she had sustained from Luella obvious.
Extol of Agnatic Dreams (The Extol Series Book 1) Page 32