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  “You,” he lifted her chin with his fingertips. “Are breathtaking. I have known you such a short time, and yet, there is no denying the desire I feel for you.” He took her hand and guided it between his legs. “You are magnificent, but I assure you, this is about so much more than the simple beauty of your outward appearance. You are a woman of intellect, and I assure you, there is nothing more lovely than that.”

  Without taking a beat to ponder her actions, she traced a line from tip to base of his impressive length, “You say some truly remarkable things.” His name caught in her thought as she brushed against his erect shaft. Her hand wrapped around him, her fingers scarcely touching tips as she began to stroke him. “I came seeking a partner, a resolution. I did not come for such entanglements, and yet, I fear if you do not take this to completion, I will forever hate you.”

  With a snicker, he dropped a kiss to her lips but did not linger. His eyes locked with hers, and there was no need for words as he stepped out of his bottoms, her hand remained loosely wrapped around him, moving with his steps.

  When he leaned over her, she allowed herself to lie back, resting her body on the firm table once more. As his body covered hers, she thought very little of the situation she found herself in and merely let her desire lead her actions.

  “I need to grab a rubber,” he whispered against her neck, his warm breath tickling as he spoke.

  “I am clean and will take you at your word that you are.”

  Still nuzzling her neck, he let his hands trail over her inner thighs. “I should think a woman of your means would not desire an unwanted babe.”

  “I am sterile.” Tears stung her eyes as she said the words. “Scarlet Fever complications when that was the worst illness to live through.”

  He kissed away a tear on her cheek. “I am sorry to bring up something painful.”

  Shaking her head, she forced away the past. There were so many more important things to focus on than a disease she battled so long ago. “Let’s focus on now. On what we’ve accomplished together.” Still holding his member, she guided it to her entrance and could not hold back her gasp of pleasure as the head of it rubbed against her.

  His mouth captured hers. He made no motion to deepen the kiss until she felt the length of him slip inside her body. A shudder overcame her as he began to move in slow circles. She allowed herself to think of nothing, merely to feel the slide of his tongue against hers and the stroke his prick within her body.

  “Oh, God,” the praise slipped out, unbridled, as he began to knead her breast in his skilled hands. His fingers tweaked and rolled her nipple, drawing darts of delicious sensation all over her body.

  Her head swayed in a sea of ecstasy as her legs spread further apart only to wrap around his back. Her heels pressed into his arse, driving him deeper into her body. The slide of their bodies was tantalizing. Every stroke of his within her brought a bought of sparks through her.

  Pulling her mouth away from his, Raven nipped at his neck, loving the way he twitched within her. His soft growl against her ear was the only warning before he took her hands in his and moved them above her head.

  Raven was exposed beneath him, and the way he looked into her eyes as he thrust into her was the final thing she saw. Her eyes fell shut as her hips began to frantically thrust in tandem with his, her body tightening with near-release with every motion. There was no sound save for their heavy breathing and the gentle slapping sound of their bodies colliding together.

  In a single moment, from one mere thrust, she was soaring. Her strangled cry was lost amongst his grunts as his hips bucked feverishly, driving him faster and harder into her as her core pulsed around his length, her release ebbing and flowing as he sought his own.

  “Raven,” her name was a short grunt on his lips before he grew still and a moment later, lowered his body even more on hers and dropped a delicate kiss on her forehead.

  Their heavy breathing was somehow quieter than the pounding of their hearts. Raven could feel them beat together as they lay chest to chest on a table.

  “My word,” she finally breathed as she stroked a finger through his now sweaty blond hair. “That was wonderful.”

  She felt the smile tug on his lips as he lay on her than saw it as he released her hands from above her head. “I would go as far as stating that it was as perfect as our weapon.” He moved slowly, first sliding back down her form and then backward, slipping free of her body.

  For a second, she felt cold without him covering her, and then she looked at him and realized for the first time, she was more than merely attracted to the sight of the man before her.

  She was going ahead and losing herself to him in just a week’s time. Their moments together had been tense, first, as he told her she’d nearly died and then as they’d spoken and learned what little they knew of one another.

  You’re falling for a man who you know very little about based solely on the way he looks at you and the intellect behind his eyes. Not to mention his beautiful words.

  “I should dress.” She was hoping he’d argue, barter for her to lay with him once more simply so she could relive the experience.

  She had lain with men, not often, but enough that her body knew what it wanted.

  And it wanted Christopher Abbott in a way that was primal and utterly out of the question – even though it very much appeared he felt the same.

  He cleared his throat and dropped down into the nearest chair, his chest still heaving from their efforts.

  “If you must.” He winked at her. “I am uncertain as to how I was fortunate enough to find a damsel in distress who fancies me, but I will not question such a fortuitous encounter.”

  “I am not a damsel.” Her words lacked the bitter sting of when she’d say it to her brothers, but not the conviction. “I did not fall for you for your heroics, though I am thankful for them.” Sliding off the table, she stepped away to find her top. “I find you and your mind, your passion, as beautiful as you find mine.”

  She wasn’t looking, but she could hear the smile in his words. “Then, we are privileged that we are a worthy match.”

  Raven almost told him they were merely partners, but the sentiment felt false after such a brilliant coupling. You haven’t the bloodiest clue what you are. You blurred lines, but thank heavens you also found a way to bring peace to the guilds and your mission was not lost in something as frivolous as desire.

  Chapter Ten

  Benjamin let his eyes travel over Raven’s body as she dressed. She was breathtaking – even as she donned a man’s attire. She was the perfect height, tall enough that he did not have to bend to kiss her, but still short enough that she did not tower over him. Her body was made for being held, the slight curve of her hips and the swell of her bosom more than tempting ever as she slipped into the shapeless tunic and breeches. The swish of her long black hair as she pulled it from beneath the blouse was enticing. He hadn’t previously noticed the way it reached the top of her arse, like a sign leading him to her.

  Fully clothed, she turned back to him, her cheeks still flush from their affair.

  His body still buzzing blissfully from it.

  “Will you not be dressing?” Her grin was coy as she stepped over toward him. “Had I known you were a man of such insatiable needs, I would have gladly partaken in another round.”

  He chuckled, having forgotten he was still in the nude as he’d watched the art of her dressing. “While the premise is lovely,” he dropped a kiss on her lips as he stood so he could grab his trousers from the floor and began to dress. “I fear I am far too sated to give you an adequate second performance.”

  “I had no idea that is what that was, Christopher. A performance.”

  The sound of his cousin’s name on her lips took the breath from him. He’d known she would never use his name, but after the passion they had shared, it was a slap in the face to hear another man’s name in reference to his bed play skills. It has to be all right. The lie must stand so
more can be done together. They had done something none had done in nearly a decade, created a protective device for the dangerous city they lived in.

  “Christopher?”

  Her dark eyes shone with curiosity – not concern. She hadn’t the foggiest that he was wrestling with an internal moral debate.

  Blowing a breath out past his teeth, he forced a smile to his lips. “What else would one call it when a man is able to bring a woman to unmatchable bouts of pleasure?”

  Her laughter was a beautiful sound, one he hoped he continued to hear. Tell her the truth. The words chimed in his head in his cousin’s voice, least that is to say, how Benjamin remembered Christopher to sound.

  I cannot. Raven will walk away. He argued with himself.

  Then tell her some truth. The voice in his head replied, once again sounding as Christopher did in life.

  That was the ticket. Benjamin would tell her of the real reason behind the row between their guilds. Yes, if I start with one truth, perhaps she will not be fully enraged at my personal deception because that won’t do. I’ve spent my life in the workrooms, and now that there is a woman I wish to leave them for, I will not lose that.

  “Do you remember, how I mentioned if we could simply create the device that my guild had a way to ensure it never exploded from an overly charged box?”

  She narrowed her gaze at him, her eyes not following his body as he slipped into his waistcoat. “Yes, I had assumed there was yet another device you simply hadn’t brought with you that could achieve this.”

  He grew lightheaded as he sucked in a hefty breath through his nose before blowing it out his mouth. She confirmed what he had already suspected, and there was no need for her to play coy at this stage. “So, you truly have no knowledge of what led our guilds to fight?”

  Her head shook, black hair swishing side-to-side. “My grandfather and father never spoke of it. I have oft wondered what could have been so terrible. My imagination always led me to a stolen invention, but it made no sense as each guild had a unique set of skills.”

  “I can tell you the story. The entire story. However, I would need you to promise not to interrupt – no matter how fantastical and outrageous it sounds.”

  She quirked a brow at him but said nothing as she tugged out the wooden chair nearest to her and slowly lowered herself to take a seat. “You have my undivided attention and my solemn promise that I will do naught more than sit here like a theater lover.”

  He didn’t miss the grin on her lips. Hopefully, it will remain there when I am finished.

  “Very well then,” he groped at the floor for his belt and found it, securing it as he spoke. “There have always been tales of magic users, descendants of the druids. When the disease first took hold, when the guilds first came together to do what they could to stop the illness, we were approached by a group of five men who claimed to wield such powers. I am told leaders of both the Electric and Steam Guilds sent them away. Very slowly, our guilds worked together, not concerning themselves with the premise of magic actually existing. They worked to intertwine their skills into new marvels. Basic protective devices – the masks and the doors that were once driven by merely cogs turning to keep out the bad air.”

  She looked as if she wanted to speak, but said nothing.

  “Once again, these men came to pay the guilds a visit. They offered magic, assistance I believe they called it, to help us end our plight. They were old, their magic leaving them, and so they came across the sea to London, where the superior minds could be found.”

  “If they had magic, why not do away with all of it themselves?” She plopped her hands over her mouth as her eyes widened, realizing she had spoken.

  He couldn’t help his amusement. “That is what was asked. I was not present, but so I have been told, of course. These men stated that their magic could only be applied to something to help them work. They wanted to help, but they could not simply wish something and make it be.”

  He looked at her, seeing that she had drawn her legs up to the chair and was hugging them against her chest. Raven Nightingale was listening, and he’d never thought she could be more beautiful than that moment.

  “Our guilds were told if they could come up with an invention, the magic would help mend or bind any items that were too complex for our tools to create. So the guilds worked – together – just as we did all day. Our families and guilds demanded proof. The men offered them a chance if they separated and created items using only their skills. The men did not believe there was a need to combine the two, even though electricity was little more than a current spike when water power was used. We were a far cry from where we are today.”

  The mention of the time that had passed drew a yawn from his lips. He was wary, but he needed to tell her the story – to share with her some truth.

  “I do not know the specifics, merely that both guilds set to the task and when they brought their ideas before the men, they walked away with the telephone communications used around the world as well as the first steam engine. Two of the most powerful devices in keeping ourselves alive, and the five men became a trio, the magic draining their life away.”

  Her forehead had furrowed, her eyes knit close together, and lines marred her forehead. The tension around her mouth had to mean she wanted to speak, but true to her word. She did not.

  “The men told the guilds that they had made their choice. They each had one spell left, one that would kill them after it was gifted. Our guilds were appalled but could not deny the men had magic after witnessing it. The newly made trio stated they would share their power with the guild that most deserved it, as they broke a stipulation and worked together on the first inventions. And so they fought. Member after member bellowed at one another, deeming their guild was the most advanced, the one that would make the most use of it.”

  He sucked in a breath, utterly unable to tell if she believed him or was merely waiting for him to finish before storming out.

  “In the end, they deemed my guild worthy. It was stated that our current would lend itself to far more uses than steam could ever. Three spell casts were promised if we could bring them devices worthy of it. Your family left, and a line in the sand was drawn.”

  “And then we did everything in our powers to out-produce your guild.” Her words were not awe-filled, but instead sounded filled with poison.

  Benjamin’s breath caught in his throat as he waited to see what would come next. Anger was written on every meter of her face, and he feared she had not listened, had only heard where his family was listed as more valuable, and she would run out as he knew by now the sun was high in the sky.

  “Do you believe my words?”

  “I believe my family, my guild brethren, worked tirelessly to create the smaller steampowered cars and to create a better lever system with more complicated gear workings. I cannot say if I believe you, but I can say I know my family did behave as if one told they were inferior.”

  There was absolute nonsense pouring from Christopher’s mouth. Her stomach rolled as she worried over her actions moments before. Christopher Abbott had been everything a man was supposed to be – charming, handsome, heroic, and intelligent. Now she was concerned she needed to add stark-raving mad to his list of traits.

  No, he’s trusting you with this information, believe him.

  She looked at him, noted the way he had squatted before her – a position men rarely did before a woman – and the look of desperation in his striking hazel eyes. Christopher entirely held his words as truth. He was not attempting to trick her and make her the fool. He thought his story was as truthful as her name.

  “Christopher,” she started and noticed the way he cringed, and not for the first time, at the sound of his name on her lips. “Christopher, your tale seems to be that . . . a fantastical tale we’d tell our young at night to give them hope.”

  “Why would such a story ring false? We have air that can turn the body against itself, and nearly dead humans who drink
the blood of others to survive. Why would the idea of magic be so utterly impossible?”

  His words were a near whine, and when he took her hands in his, his warmth calmed her, forced her to try to see his side. The man before her was still an unknown, but she knew enough to have to try to believe his claims. “May I see these mages? Are they here, can they be brought here?”

  The change in his features was instant. His grimace shifted into something akin to a small smile, and the panic shifted out of his penchant stare. All signs of a person who thoroughly believe what they were speaking on.

  Mad men believe themselves as well.

  “They are, in fact, all members of the Electric Guild. They consult as they await projects worth their life to help us stop the disease we fight against.”

  “So I may meet one? May see a small touch of magic at work?” The words sounded ridiculous, even as she spoke them with the hope that it was true.

  The existence of magic could explain the danger that their world was thrust into to start with. If a mage had enough power to create marvels, it stood to reason they could have fashioned the ailment that afflicted the world.

  “Yes,” Christopher stood and picked up their invention from the work desk across the chamber and turned to her with hope etched on his brow. Hope that would be infectious if not for her inability to trust his words.

  “I want to trust you. I want to believe that what you say is genuine, and there is true magic, not just a child’s belief. I want your story to be more than a story. I want it to be a historical account.” I want you to be proven sane because I am far too intertwined with you to walk away without feeling a profound loss. “Do we need to send word, or is this something we can simply do now?” Despite her curiosity and the urgency to learn the truth, an unbidden yawn slipped out.

  “Are you certain you would not like to sleep? We have been awake for an entire day.”