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“I can’t leave him, I can’t…I can’t…” The soft whimper fell from her lips as she paced around the small library at Nampara, clutching the crisp blue silk of the dress she wore.
The dress that wasn’t hers.
Demelza heard her father’s words in the back of her mind. I don’t want no daugh’r of mine mixed up in such talk. I give ‘e a day to make it right with Poldark, and then I’ll be back here again to fetch ‘e home.
The talk around town wasn’t so much a shock to Demelza as was her father’s demand for her to return home. It was the very last thing she wanted to concede to. She’d known Master Ross for years now, ever since he’d taken her in as his kitchen maid, and they’d slowly built a bond that now resembled a friendship. It was more than she’d expected upon entering the agreement. She’d come for a warm bed and a safe roof over her head. She’d stayed because, miraculously, it swiftly began to feel like home. For the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged.
But now, her father wanted her to return. He’d claimed he’d been brought to the Lord, that he was a changed man.
Demelza cringed. The sting of his palm across her once-young face still ached in her memory. It had been so long now since she’d suffered that abuse. But Master Ross commanded a gentler home. He was strict, but Demelza never felt once that he might hit her, even during his angriest of outbursts.
She felt safe with him. She felt respected by him. He actually showed her how much he appreciated her, and it made her all the more content to serve him.
She’d always looked at him with reverence and admiration, for the way he persisted in his business and cared for those he could help. But she looked at him in other ways too; ways she knew she shouldn’t. He would never approve of her thoughts, and so neither should she.
But now, with the knowledge that people thought there was something more between them…something more than that of a Master and Servant, an interesting jolt of something eager went straight to her core.
Her stomach dropped. It was all wrong. She knew better than to let feelings like those cloud her ability to serve him in the way he expected. Surely, his mind never traveled to the same places that hers did.
“I can’t…” She whispered again, pausing in front of the window as her eyes drifted shut in decision. “I must…”
“Demelza!”
She jumped at the sound of his voice, deep and rumbling through the house, and then she spun to face the door. The feel of the silk beneath her clenched fingers suddenly became very apparent and she looked down at the dress she wore.
It would not do well for him to see her in it. She’d found it in his chest. She’d tried it on without asking. She didn’t even know who’s it was. It had just been a fancy she’d had, and she’d planned to take it off after a few minutes, but it was shameful of her to assume she could rummage through his things even at all.
“Demelza!!!” This time his voice was more urgent.
He was cross tonight. She knew it immediately. He was an impatient man after a stressful day. She wouldn’t even have time to remove the dress. He’d come barging in looking for her if she took more than a few seconds to attend him.
Dinner. He needed dinner. He’d suffered a long day at Jim Carter’s trial, and he expected a hot meal when he returned.
She shook her head in disgrace. She’d been so distraught this evening that she hadn’t even prepared anything for him. What a fine maid she was.
She quietly walked to the kitchen and got a plate of bread and a bowl of cold soup. He would be disappointed, but not as disappointed as he’d be if he saw her in that dress.
Entering the sitting room, she tiptoed as gingerly as she could, hoping the sound of her silk dress would not cause him to look her way. To her relief, he sat facing the fire. She set the bowl and plate quietly onto the table without disturbing him. Maybe he wouldn’t even realize she was there. She began to retreat.
“Demelza.” His voice was gentler this time, but it shocked her almost more to hear it at such close range, while she wore the forbidden dress.
“Sir?” She said in a quick breath, hoping he would let her leave before turning around.
“Close the window.”
A release of breath. “Yes, Sir.” She tiptoed to the open window and pulled it shut, all the while, hoping and praying that he would choose to remain focused on the fire.
“Jud and Prudie a’bed?” He asked simply.
“Yes Sir, long since.” She replied, once again making her way towards the exit, picking up her skirts so that they wouldn’t brush against the floor, surely sounding much more elegant than her usual state of dress.
“Fetch me the rum.”
She gulped. “Yes, Sir.” With each word from his mouth, she feared that he’d turn. Each task he asked of her forced her to stay in the room a few moments longer.
Slowly, she retrieved the bottle of rum and a glass and placed them on the table next to his cold soup.
“Jim Carter got two years.” His head turned just slightly, but not enough to see her.
“I feared it might be worse.” Demelza replied, standing as still as she could.
His voice was quiet; somber. “I doubt he’ll survive.”
“You did all ‘e could.” She knew he had. But Jim Carter was as stubborn as stubborn could be, and no one could have really saved him from his impending fate. Not even equally stubborn Master Ross.
“Did I? I doubt it.” The guilt and self-judgement seeped from his voice. “I was too concerned with my own dignity.”
Demelza knew him well. She knew he would need time to come to terms with the situation that he could not control. She knew he would blame himself first. Maybe he would continue to stare into the fire as he fumed, allowing her to leave the room peacefully. She began to slowly back away again.
“Groveling and compliments were the order of the day. And I made the mistake of trying to teach them their business.” He continued.
She was almost at the door. She started to turn towards it.
“School boy error.” His defeated voice continued. “And Jim paid dearly for it.”
Just a few more steps and she was free. Free to strip from the blue silk dress and quickly clothe herself in her yellow cotton one.
“Demelza.” His voice raised.
She spun around and quickly met his gaze, which traveled down to her dress and then back up to her eyes.
There was silence for a moment. It was a frightening silence as she watched him realize the secret she’d been keeping. She’d been so close to ensuring he’d never know. But that wish was gone now.
“What are you wearing?”
She looked down at the beautiful fabric and then back up at him, trying to find her words. “I found it Sir. In one of the chests in the library.”
“You dared to go rifling through those things?” He raised a displeased eyebrow that had her feeling the immense guilt she’d been trying to hide.
“I’m sorry, Sir. You never told me I shouldn’t look–”
“Surely that was obvious.” He interrupted.
Demelza felt the knot in her throat almost immediately. Of course it was obvious. It was all obvious. The rules, the expectations, the feelings she had for him within her that she’d done almost naught to repress.
Then his eyebrows narrowed, and his disappointment increased tenfold. “You’re employed as a maid.”
“I know, Sir.” She closed her eyes, realizing even more how much of a mistake she’d made, not just in putting on the dress, but also in letting herself wonder, late at night in the quiet of her bed, if he could ever see her as more than his servant.
“And you’ve been a good one.” He continued firmly. “And for that, you’re allowed certain liberties, but dressing up in fine clothes is not one of them.”
The lump in her throat grew as she felt her own voice rise in response. It was the only way she could prevent herself from crying. “I meant no harm, Sir! It was just rottin’ away in that old box–”
“Take it off.” His voice was frighteningly cold.
“I thought maybe you might let me wear it–”
“TAKE IT OFF NOW.” His yell came with such volume and anger that she closed her mouth immediately, narrowing her eyes in his direction.
She really had meant no harm, and she didn’t appreciate that he was responding with so much hostility before she even had a chance to explain herself. For that, she thought she deserved at least an opportunity.
But when she didn’t move, he shot up from his stool and closed the distance between them, coming up to her face with a heated glare.
“If you don’t take it off this minute, you can pack your things and go back to your father.” His nose almost touched hers.
She stared at him for a moment, feeling the tears begin to sting the corners of her eyes. Back to your father. That’s exactly what she knew she had to do. But hearing it from his own lips caused the horrific reality to sink in even further.
She’d been a fool to think he’d ever want her to stay. It was a fantasy that was quickly crashing down around her. The disappointment in his eyes was too much for her to handle. She let out a sob and turned away.
“Demelza. Enough, enough now.” He followed her as she turned, a touch of sympathy finally in his voice.
He stood in front of her, watching the tears fall from her eyes. “I shouldn’t have spoken so harshly.” He was beginning to realize his mistake. “Don’t take it to heart.”
She stared at his chest, catching her breath and wishing more than anything that she could simply leave him. Leave this room and leave forever, before she had a chance to embarrass and disgrace herself any further.
“It’s been a hellish day, and I’m not myself.” He spoke even gentler, stepping towards her and taking her chin softly with his fingers.
Demelza lifted her gaze to his, watching as his eyes traveled from hers, down to her lips, and then back up again. He looked torn between two thoughts, like the reality of her existence was too much for him to handle.
And then he dropped his hand from her chin, and they stared at each other for a drawn-out moment. She wondered what he might do. Would he hit her, like her father had done?
No, there was something different in his eyes. The anger had receded from them. She’d never seen the look before, yet she recognized it so clearly.
But she didn’t have much of a chance to consider the difference, because, as if in a frenzy, he took her waist in his palms and pulled her to him quickly, crashing his lips onto hers. The shock of his move almost made her pull away, but instead, her body reacted fervently, and she was kissing him back. Almost immediately, she recognized how immensely she’d craved this very thing for so long. The feel of a man’s lips against her own. The feel of his lips.
The hunger in his kiss was something she hadn’t prepared herself for, and she found herself pressing back into him eagerly, wanting it just as much.
But it lasted only a few seconds before he was pushing her away and putting distance between them again. Her breathing came in gasps as she stared at him. Had she made yet another mistake?
“What is it? What have I done?” She whimpered.
His eyes, guilty again, fell from hers and he turned away, breathing heavily. “I didn’t take you from your father for this.”
“What does it matter what you took me for?” She retorted.
“Go to bed.” He was strict again, all gentleness lost.
“Sir…” she pleaded, stepping towards him.
“Go to bed, NOW.” His eyes met hers with his command, and she knew she had no place to argue.
She watched silently as he turned and walked out of the room, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
Demelza spun and sunk to the floor in defeat. A thousand emotions flooded her mind. She had been out of line, assuming that she could make herself at home with his belongings. She was his maid, and he’d made that perfectly clear tonight. Until he’d kissed her.
He’d kissed her. It’d been the last thing she’d expected after his outburst of anger. It made no sense, paired with his firm reminder of her place in the household.
The dress billowed out around her on the floor as she shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. Were there feelings there, on his side too? Feelings he’d tried to repress as much as she’d done? It was almost impossible to believe those emotions existed on his part too. Maybe it was nothing more than a thirst for flesh. He was a man, after all. Maybe it was exactly what had been assumed of them by those around town.
Maybe there could be truth in their words after all.
If he was so immensely disappointed in her, why had he kissed her? Where did those extreme opposites ever line up?
Two options remained. She could pack her things and go back to her father, where she would surely suffer like she had before, or she could risk further embarrassment and test the waters here, just once more.
If there was a chance he did want her to stay, she would regret never finding out. She needed answers. She needed to know.
So she stood up, breathing heavily and determined. And she made her way to the single candle on the table and blew it out.
The residual smoke filled her nostrils as she walked slowly to his room. She wasn’t sure where she’d mustered up so much confidence from, but she knocked on the heavy wood of his door and pushed it open before he even responded.
He’d already removed his waistcoat and he sat on the edge of his bed as he looked up at her.
“What is it?” All hostility had left his voice. It was clear that he’d had a chance to think too.
She stepped down into the room, not breaking eye contact. He watched as she crossed towards him slowly, without pause. It was at this point, she knew she had nothing more to lose.
She stopped in front of him, her breath coming in short bursts as she felt her nerves begin to race. “The dress.” She whispered. “It unfastens down the back.”
It was the perfect ploy. She felt mischievous in her actions, but again, she reminded herself that the worst he could do would be to send her back to her father. And at this point, she already expected that.
She let her eyes linger on his briefly and she thought she saw him swallow before she turned to present her back to him.
And then she waited.
Would he dismiss her? Would he chastise her for tempting him? She did not know. But she needed to make sure she didn’t leave with a question mark in the place he’d already claimed in her heart.
She recognized the faint sound of the bed creak as he stood up, and then she felt the gentle pull of the ties at the back of her dress, orchestrated carefully by his fingers.
She wasn’t sure if she was shocked or relieved that he’d obliged, but suddenly, she realized that she hadn’t planned her move beyond asking for help with her dress. Surely, he knew why she’d asked. She could have easily woken Prudie to help, but she’d come to him instead. And in doing that, she’d presented herself differently than she ever had before.
With each tug of the strings, she felt the soft brush of the tips of his fingers against the skin of her spine, and she knew goosebumps were forming there before his eyes. Even this, just the exposed skin of her back for a man to see was more than she’d known before.
Her heart was racing. Her thoughts were racing. But she stood completely still and closed her eyes, savoring his proximity and the warmth of him behind her.
He made short work of the laces, and soon they were gone, allowing him to pull the dress open in the back. Her breath quickened and she opened her eyes again. She felt the cool breeze of the room against her bare skin, but it was immediately contrasted by the warmth of his breath at her neck.
“Do you know what people say of us?” He whispered into the wisps of red curls that hung from her hairline. She could almost feel his lips. They were so close.
“Yes.” It almost came out as a sigh. Almost as a plea for him to continue. She wondered if he noticed how desperate she was.
“If we behave like this, it will be true.”
Her breath caught in her throat at his words, so clear and obvious. To her, to him.
But her response came just as clear. “Then let it be true.”
As the words left her lips, she knew immediately that she could not regret them, because they came so deeply from her heart. But at the same time, she hadn’t an idea of how he’d respond. She could have completely misunderstood his intentions. Just as easily as he might react in earnest, he could also tell her to leave.
And if he did, she would.
But before the doubt could seep in any further, she felt the touch of his fingers against her back again. His breathing quickened alongside hers as he slid his hand into her dress and trailed his touch around to her side and up past her arm, pulling the sleeve off her shoulder.
It caught her off-guard how quickly the silk slipped from her skin, falling down to hang from her waist, leaving her naked chest exposed. She should have been shy about it, never having been so unclothed in front of a man, but his hands made no hesitation and began to trail feather-light up her waist and to the curve of her breasts with the gentlest touch.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as his found her neck, and she leaned her head to the side, letting herself submit to his assault of her senses.
He nibbled just once against the sensitive skin there, before lowering his hands to her waist again and spinning her around to him. Her eyes met his, which were darker than she’d ever seen them. But it was just a breath before his lips were on hers again.
They were soft yet insistent, claiming hers as he pressed her backwards towards the bed until the back of her knees met the edge.
Her stomach leapt as she felt herself begin to fall, but he quickly looped his arm around her back and guided them both down onto the sheets together.
She felt her heart positively beating out of her chest as she looked up at him and he gazed back down at her, eyes traveling from her face and then down past her neck to her exposed body. Instinctively, she brought her arms up to conceal her breasts.
“Demelza.” He said gently. “Don’t cover yourself up for me.”
She blinked up at him, recognizing the fire in his eyes. It was that which made her understand that he truly wanted this too. It wasn’t just she and her irrational fantasies. He was just as eager. She slowly lowered her arms to her sides, unconsciously gripping the bedsheets.
His eyes lowered to her chest, growing darker as they went. “You’re beautiful…” He breathed.
She’d never heard the words before. Not from a man’s lips. Not even from her father. No one had ever made her feel that way either. Not until now.
Demelza stared up at him, waiting for him to move, but he stayed perfectly still, studying every inch of her exposed skin before his eyes met hers again.
“Have you ever been with a man before?” He asked gently.
“No, Sir.” She responded in barely a whisper. She hadn’t even been kissed until just moments ago.
“Are you nervous?” His gaze never left hers.
To be quite honest, she was just short of terrified, having such limited knowledge of the act itself. Only whisperings from her friends, and small details that Jinny Carter had shared with her in conversations laced with giggles.
“Yes, Sir.” Her voice shook.
A small grin played at his lips. “If we’re to do this, I will not require you call me that. In this moment, Demelza, you are not my servant. You may call me Ross.”
A shade of pink spread across her cheeks as she nodded. “Yes… Ross.” His name felt so foreign on her lips without a title. So informal.
“Better.” He smiled, pulling his shirt out from his trousers and over his head.
She’d seen him practically naked before when he’d been swimming in the sea. She’d caught a glimpse from the cliffside on multiple occasions, guiltily watching him with a desire that she sometimes struggled to understand. But here, directly in front of her, he was something else entirely. She felt the heat grow in her cheeks again as she averted her gaze, ashamed to have such feelings about the man whom she worked for.
“Demelza, look at me.”
Though gentle, it was a command. She reacted instinctively, lifting her eyes to his again. And then he leaned down onto her, pressing his lips firmly to hers once more. She inhaled the scent of him. He smelled of the outdoors, of the leather of his gloves and his saddle, of hard, honest work.
The dark stubble of his jaw brushed against her soft skin as his lips left hers and began to trail down her neck and onto her collarbone.
She gripped the sheets tighter as his warm breath spread across her chest. His kisses migrated to the dip between her breasts and then up across the curve of one of them until he paused and took the small pink bud into his mouth and pressed his hot tongue against it.
“Sir…Ross…” She corrected herself through a whimper, as a wave of embarrassment rushed over her. The intimacy of his touch startled her, but at the same time, she unconsciously arched her back off the bed, pressing herself up into his mouth, drunk on the sensation.
He didn’t pause, moving to her other breast and taking it also into his mouth, promising it the same attention.
Demelza was breathing heavily now, arching over and over again, eyes squeezed shut in frenzied disbelief.
Ross closed his teeth over her other nipple, biting just hard enough to elicit a soft cry from her before he ran his tongue across it again to soothe the sting.
She’d never known such an act like a man’s mouth on her breast could provide such an intense pleasure within her. And the thought of Ross being the one to deliver the sensation was almost more than she could have imagined, even in her deepest fantasies.
When he lifted himself from her again, his expression was a burning cauldron of desire as he licked his lips and hooked his fingers on her skirts, tugging them down in one smooth motion with her undergarments.
She had no time to be bashful, still reeling from the fact that he’d just bitten her. She wiggled her hips and scooted lightly up the bed as he tossed her clothes to the floor without gazing away.
She now lay completely bare before him, and as much as she wanted to pull the sheet across herself, the dim light of the moon through the window provided a thin veil of modesty.
Ross unbuttoned his trousers quickly, letting them fall to the floor, and Demelza’s gaze immediately dropped below his waist. She gulped, trying to steady her response, but now seeing him like this, she hardly believed what they were about to do would be possible.
He watched her reaction and then smiled just slightly as he crawled onto the bed and laid down on his side next to her.
“Demelza,” He whispered, placing his palm on her hip and spreading his fingers wide across her skin. “Do you realize how beautiful you are?”
She hesitated. “I don’t think of those things, Ross.”
“Well, I do.” He whispered again, sliding his hand towards the apex of her thighs, touching the small tufts of hair that grew there.
She felt herself blushing again, and to avoid letting him see, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. It would have been too forward for a kitchen maid to initiate a kiss with her Master, but as Ross had instructed her, she was not to be his servant in this moment. So, she allowed herself the indulgence.
He responded eagerly, deepening the kiss and trailing his fingers lower until they met a spot that caused her to tense.
“Relax, Demelza.” He whispered softly into her lips.
She made her best effort to obey, trying to relax every muscle, one-by-one. But his touch was doing something to her that she didn’t understand. It was like molten lava to her core, like bundles of nerves spreading like a web across her body, sending pleasure from the tips of her toes to the tips of her fingers.
Ross traced his tongue across her lips as his fingers probed further until they slowly circled the spot that he somehow knew would make the molten lava the hottest.
He continued without pause and the heat began to build within Demelza until she could do nothing but grasp for him, hanging onto his shoulder and pulling him closer, letting his tongue meet hers in a kiss that was growing more urgent.
Whatever he was doing, she desperately wanted him to continue. She needed a release. She didn’t understand it fully, but if only he wouldn’t cease, maybe she’d find out.
But just as the feeling built almost further than she could handle, he stopped.
“Ross…” She almost sobbed as he pulled his lips and his hand away from her.
The lack of touch was almost painful, and she thought she might spontaneously combust. But just as quickly, he’d already climbed on top of her, pushing her legs apart with his and settling himself between them.
“Yes, Demelza?” He looked down at her with a smirk.
“Why did ‘e stop?” She breathed.
“Because I can’t resist you any longer.” He grinned and traced his finger across her jaw and touched her nose.
Through her labored breaths came a soft giggle as she watched him admire her.
But then his eyes darkened again, and he lowered his forehead to hers. “Demelza?” He whispered.
She lifted her hand and placed it along the side of his face, feeling the dark curls that hung there. “Yes, Ross?” She felt as though every inch of her was vibrating, shaking with need and with fear at the same time.
“You must promise to tell me if I’m hurting you.” He said quietly.
Demelza opened her eyes and looked at him. Even after she’d seen the startling state of him, she couldn’t imagine he’d hurt her. Not after the pleasure he’d just brought her.
She wanted more. She needed more.
When he opened his eyes to gaze back at her, she nodded. “I will.”
At her agreement, Ross propped himself up on an elbow and adjusted himself to slowly press into her.
Her breath caught as the new sensation overwhelmed her, and she felt herself tense again.
“Relax, Demelza.” He whispered the same command from earlier, but she found it so much harder to follow this time.
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and then on each cheek before he touched his lips to hers again and began to push deeper.
The stretch felt like an unwelcome burn at first, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would recede. She wanted to be strong, but at a certain point, the sting became too much. She whimpered his name and dug her fingernails into his shoulders.
He paused inside of her and kissed down her jaw to her neck, leaving spots of warmth where his lips touched her skin. “You’re bound to drive me mad.” He whispered.
She didn’t respond, focusing on relaxing each and every muscle to relieve the burn. She redirected her attention to his gentle kisses, which caused her no pain, only sweet, sweet pleasure. And with that distraction, she began to feel the burn recede.
“It’s better now, Ross.” She breathed with only a small hesitation.
He brought his lips back to hers and resumed pushing further into her, causing the same sting of pain as before, but it wasn’t more than she could bear.
After a moment, he paused once more, giving her time to adjust to him fully, before pulling out slowly and then sinking back in again.
She gasped, for the new bite of pain was a shock, but when he repeated the motion for a second time, it lessened. And the third, a little less.
And the fourth, replaced by something else.
She gasped for a different reason after his next stroke, because the pain had all but disappeared, and she was now beginning to lift her hips to his, craving each movement more than the last.
It was pleasure very unlike when he’d touched her earlier, but equally intense. It was as if there were a spot inside of her that had never been touched until this moment, and now all she could think about was feeling him move against it, over and over again.
“Oh, my…” She breathed, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her as she pressed her head back against the pillow.
“Yes, love…” His voice was deep, rumbling, but there was a quiver there as well, like he was trying to hold himself together too.
His lips found her neck and he pressed his teeth firmly into her skin. She loved the sensation, like he was claiming her with every part of him. She’d never felt the need to be claimed before. Not like this. Yet here in this moment, she couldn’t imagine wanting anything more.
The pleasure was building within her again, but not as quickly as it had before, and she found her hips trying to grind into his for more stimulation.
“Ross…” She pleaded, needing something she couldn’t describe.
He lifted his chest from hers and pressed his fingers between her legs again, resuming the same circular motion as before, all while he continued to move inside of her.
She was instantly catapulted to the same high as before, gasping and clutching at him, the sheets, anything she could get her hands on.
She climbed higher and higher by the second, whispering his name and loving the sound of it on her lips, until she thought she might not be able to take any more.
And then, it happened.
The lava caught fire and every nerve ending in her body exploded all at once. She cried out and threw her head back, seeing stars behind her eyelids.
As if he knew exactly what she needed, he reached for her hand and clutched it tightly as she rode the waves of pleasure up into the heavens and then back down to Earth.
She’d barely understood what had happened and had barely caught her breath when he pulled almost completely out of her and then pushed himself firmly back in, with more force than before.
She opened her eyes widely and watched him as he picked up his pace and took his breaths faster.
He was like a wave, crashing into her, over and over again. She remembered standing in the ocean as a child, feeling the power of the sea against her flesh. This was like that, but it was also something else entirely. It was so much more.
The fullness of him quickly became almost overpowering as he thrust into her in rapid succession, without pause. His movements became erratic, and he dropped his head to her shoulder, pressing his open lips against it as a groan escaped his throat.
His fingers, laced between hers, grasped tight enough to almost hurt as he grunted to a slow stop and collapsed almost fully onto her.
Demelza stared at the ceiling of the small room, letting her own breathing return to normal as they both recovered. She felt almost dizzy, and unusually euphoric as they lay there in silence, her hand still in his.
After a moment, he pushed himself up again and kissed her exhausted lips. He rolled off her and rested himself on his side, gazing into her eyes.
“Are you alright?” He asked with a small smirk.
She watched him and let a smile play at her lips too. “Yes, Ross. I don’t know why I was a’feared.”
Her words came out a bit sarcastically, because she was overwhelmed, and so much of it had been a shock. But it had also been perfect, and more beautiful than anything she could have imagined in her own mind.
His hazel eyes, lighter now, gazed back into hers with interest. “I’ve wanted that. Wanted you, for a long time now.”
She blushed and looked down at his chest, feeling her eyelids grow heavy in the aftermath of his touch. It sent butterflies to her core, knowing he’d been thinking of her that way.
“How do you feel?” He whispered.
She looked up at him again and smiled. After the intimacy they’d shared, she felt she could finally be honest with him. “I feel…happy.”
His expression warmed and he touched his lips to hers briefly.
She smirked against them. “Also, very tired.”
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest and placing a kiss upon her forehead. “Stay with me tonight, Demelza. I’ve longed to feel you fall asleep in my arms.”
She closed her eyes and buried her face in his neck, relishing in the warmth of his embrace. It was a request she would gladly oblige.
“Yes, Ross.” She whispered, still loving the way his name felt on her lips.
Yes, Ross, I’ll stay with you.
Yes, Ross, I’ve longed for it too.
Yes, Ross.