"I want you to take me away"

Her voice was almost inaudible from the tremble of nerves as the words left her mouth.

Anthony let out a puff of air, unaware that he had stopped breathing in anticipation of her answer to a rather asinine question of 'What do you want?'

All this time he had told himself to stay away from her and if were to be completely honest with himself, he never really succeeded with this plan. What shall he do now?

Sarah Jane adored London, she begged him for a Season in society, and she wanted to finally be part of and be accepted by the ton. Whereas he, well, Anthony thoroughly despised what London stood for, and longed to remain in the country with the innocent sheep and people who could not care less about what, who, when and how. In the country, his business will remain his own.

How can he possibly take her away?

Anthony watched her quietly. She seemed to have had a change of heart, and his mind was all too eager for to scream "Yes! Take her! Take her away right now!" Thoughts warred violently. Maybe, he had a chance to make her happy if this is what she truly wanted.

"Please take me away." She whispered so softly, pleading that he understand how much she made herself so vulnerable at that very moment.. She waited, too afraid to look away, too afraid for his rejection.

He gently captured her hands in his, like delicate buds in their protective sepals, "And I am to take you where?" he whispered, startled of how foreign his voice sounded to his ears. This wasn't him. Raw, broken, worried and begging all at the same time. His bright gaze glistened under the scarce light as he searched the meaning behind her words, his blood warming them from hand to hand, skin to skin.

Does she understand what she is asking of him?

Unnerved by his response, her hands flipped their position, grabbing and gripping his large fingers in a tenacious hold. "Anywhere." She breathed, her words slow and deliberate. "Anywhere, as long as I am with you."

There was terrible silence as Anthony internally debated for what he ought to do. Everything was screaming for him to take her, to do as she wished and never return to this god forsaken city.

But there were too many secrets. The letter, his past, the obscurity of it all, shall he tell her all now? He didn't know if he could live through her resentment if she found him out. He didn't know if he could watch her cry at night because of the awful lies and tales that would be spread about her once they leave.

Anthony couldn't subject her to that. He would have to die first before torturing himself in seeing her soul broken, a wife whose heart is wasting away from his own doing.

Sarah Jane swallowed a lump of nerves as she watched hesitation play on his face. As long as he isn't resolute, she can still make him understand.

"I shall endeavor to make you happy." She spoke so softly, a final plea to make him understand that she fully consents to all the consequences of her choice.

Sarah Jane knew that when Anthony brooded for a long time, she was as close to winning as a laughable prey is able to escape a determined predator. She had to think quickly or he would leave her again, bereft of the comfort and promise of her happiness.

Her hands swiftly cupped and gripped his chin, facing him to her as she captured his lips in a searing kiss. She felt him jolt from surprise, his arm snaking around her waist, gripping its handles tightly as if to move her away.

Emboldened by her fear of rejection, she scooted closer into his arms, almost over his lap as she pressed her mouth eagerly. His mouth opened to catch his breath and was teased by a shy tongue on his lips.

Sarah Jane acted out of pure innocent passion. Not knowledgeable of technique, she focused on kissing him, just pressing her body to his until he succumbs to take the lead.

Desire knocked at his belly, firing his veins into action. He kissed her back. Lips and tongue probing, tasting her sweetness, testing her heat, delving into the velvety orifice, and dancing dangerously with their passions. She moaned at the invasion, a hum vibrating at the bottom of her throat, unable to release his lips from hers.

Make her his his mind roared, his body craved, but he had his hesitations.

"Sarah Jane." He murmured in between kisses, softening the assault of passion and languidly dragging her tongue inside his mouth.

She withdrew to catch her breath, a cloudy haze disrupting her vision as she struggled to lift herself from the cushion. Her skirts, heavy satin and muslin ruffled noisily as her hands collected its edges to bare her stocking-clad legs above his thighs. She brought herself in one swift motion to straddle him. Her knees depressing the plush seats, her calves tightly clasping his thighs between them as she brought her hands to cup his face once more.

Fervently, she began to kiss him again, sucking, nibbling and eagerly pressing her body to his, sending him in a delirium where he sought but lost control. Her fingers were stretched at the back of his head, her palms supporting his skull as she pulled on his hair to angle him better to receive her.

He started trembling beneath her, his hands relentlessly but carelessly trying to pull her clothing away. His breeches strained against his engorging length.

Harshly, his mouth released her. His breath coming in unsteady gasps as he planted his hands on her hips, digging through the thick skirts in search of some warm skin.

Sarah Jane moved to kiss his cheek, trailing small kisses to his ear, down his throat.

"Wait... You must..." He croaked, craning his neck farther away, but only gave her more access to more sensitive areas that dangerously convulsed tremors directly to his loins.

"Sarah Jane" he rasped his voice hoarse from passion.

She paused, her lids closing as she gripped his shoulders for balance. Her heart thudded loudly against its cage. As passion started to dissipate, panic started to set in. He was going to remove her from his lap. It was all going to be over too soon! "Please..." the only word her mouth could form as she stilled, seated upon his erection.

Anthony drank the sight of her, all red and swollen lips from their passions.

He was torn between his enjoyment and the guilt that accompanied the hot sensation washing over him. He wanted her badly, and she was pleading for him to continue. His mind struggled to think of the multitude of reasons why they should stop.

Every rational thought was being discarded by the demand of his lust.

"Do as you desire, my lord."

Her words broke him.

"I want to taste you." He whispered hoarsely, his voice coated with unspent desire. He swallowed tightly, the last bit of control snapping. "I want to taste you, do you hear me?"

"Yes, my lord." She shivered, her back arching as her breasts painfully pressed against her stays.

"Do you understand what I'm asking of you?" His askance was a wonderful feat, because really, he was already beyond reason.

She nodded enthusiastically, almost tasting victory in her hurried seduction. Again, she arched, her chest digging into him, and Anthony did not need any further invitation.

He kissed her softly, tender light kisses that moved from her lips to her chin, following her jaw and trailing down her neck. He rubbed her shoulders in soft circles, pulling the ruffles and lace with a fanning movement of his fingers. He bared her breasts, kissing her chest as he loosened her stays with quick agile tugs.

Round mounds of healthy flesh spilled into his hands. Her chemise folded under their heavy bounce as his thumb drew lazy circles around its supple flesh.

She gasped, surprised that the foreign sensation that reached unmentionables in her nether region. Her fingers dug into his skin as he took one nipple in his mouth, a strangled cry coming out of her lips. Shivering, she gripped the backrest of the loveseat tightly, and allowed Anthony to repeat the exquisite torture on her other breast.

She was panting now. Unusual sounds were coming from the back of her throat as she stared at the hardening tips of her breasts. She never dreamed that these mounds of flesh were capable of this incredible feeling.

Her passionate cries spread was a sonata that burned warm all over his body. He felt lighter and lighter, a burden has a been lifted, and he now felt free. The tension was so strange that he wanted to laugh.

"You have to remain quiet, sweetheart." Anthony's wet murmurs breathed warm steam around the hardening nipple, its pink bud straining against his tongue.

Feeling wicked, he flicked it expertly, causing her to shudder, her spine caving in an effort to extract herself from his lips. Her cries were muffled over his hair.

And then there was a loud knock at the door, which to Sarah Jane's horrified discovery was left ajar.

Sarah Jane jumped from her position, immediately covering her exposed breasts with her arms and mass of fabric.

Their attention at the door, Anthony gently lifted her away from him, trying in vain to fix her to rights, pulling the stays close and bringing the sleeves over her arms, his hands shaking from the interrupted love-play.

A blush crept up to her face, modesty taking over as he tried to clothe her.

She was so intent on seducing him that she had forgotten to check on the door.

A small voice came from behind the opened door. "Lady Sarah Jane," the woman whispered urgently. "I apologize my lady, we have to leave. Lady Huntington arrived with Lord Holt. They shall enter the hall in a few moments!"

Sarah Jane recognized the voice to be Anne's. She quickly arranged herself into rights, embarrassed in the knowledge that since Anne had been hiding behind the door, she might have seen or heard them in their moment of heated passion.

Planting one last quick kiss on Anthony's lips, she took her skirts and fled the room.

Anthony was left stunned, with a raging erection, and unable to move from his stupor. He needed her to be over him again, under him, around him, in any way just to be able to cure this thirst for her.

He stared at a dusty shelf, wondering how in the devil's name did he get into this mess.

And then god help him, he broke out into a smile. A full goofy teeth-baring grin plastered on his face as an unfamiliar emotion swelled in his chest. This was not a mistake. It could never be. Sarah Jane is finally his to claim.

———
A/N: hello! I hope you were not surprised by this chapter (I did leave the mature rating on!) So we finally get to see how Sarah Jane takes control of their situation! What do you think? Should she have done this? Sooner, later or not at all? If you were in her shoes would you be as courageous?

I've read somewhere that the ultimate way you could show love is to be vulnerable. Which is why in this chapter I've tried to show both emotional and physical vulnerability. What can you say about this, do you agree that the ultimate way to show love and therefore build relationships (any kind) is to show vulnerability? Let me know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this chapter please consider leaving a vote so that the algorithm may recommend this book to more readers! Thank you!!!