The week before Sabrina's wedding went by in a daze. Her days were spent with her mother planning and preparing for the wedding while her evenings were reserved for Douglas.
Together, they attended the last of the Season's balls, a music recital that was painfully bad and the theater. Their arrival at each event was marked and noted but even the gossip mongers were hard pressed to find fault with either of them.
The night before the wedding the Duke and Duchess of St. Ives were hosting a dinner party for their daughter and her fiancé. It was to be a small, private affair with only family and a few close friends. Sabrina appreciated the sentiment but was concerned when Douglas didn't add to the guest list.
"Your father won't be joining us?" she asked. It was the night before the dinner party and they were on their way home from the theater when she broached the subject.
Douglas sat with his head resting against the back of the carriage seat, eyes closed. "No."
Sabrina bit her lip and wondered at the wisdom of pressing further. Up until now, they had carefully avoided the topic of Douglas' father and the circumstances of his birth. "Did you invite him?"
"No," Douglas said and sighed. Sensing that Sabrina wouldn't be put off he lifted his head and caught her looking at him. "I didn't invite him because I already know that he is too sick to travel."
"Oh," Sabrina said. She'd never considered the possibility that the Duke would be physically unable to attend his son's wedding. Taking a different approach, she asked, "Is there anyone else you'd like to invite?"
Douglas smiled; it was obvious that his fiancé was worried about him and his lack of family. "The only other family I have is my father's sister and she's currently caring for him. I wouldn't ask her to leave him."
"You don't think that either of them would want to be there?" Sabrina sensed something more.
Douglas looked away and out the carriage window. "I haven't spoken with my father since he legally recognized me and made arrangements for me to inherit. It was the first and only time we'd ever spoken. As for my Aunt Mae," he shrugged, trying to appear casual, "she was always good to me, as much as propriety would allow, but she's very close to my father and I doubt she would leave him."
Knowing that he wouldn't want her pity, Sabrina covered Douglas' hand with her own silently offering what comfort she could. Touched by the gesture, Douglas gripped her fingers tightly and continued to stare out the window.
A moment later the carriage came to a stop outside the St. Ives townhouse. When Douglas didn't immediately move to open the door Sabrina looked up to find him still staring out the window.
Quietly, she slid into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What are you thinking?" she asked.
"Dark thoughts," he admitted, "nothing worth sharing."
Comforted by her nearness, Douglas slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Immediately, she softened against him allowing him to rest his head against her chest. Nuzzling her neck, Douglas took in the smell of the light scent she wore before moving to press a kiss to the top of her breasts.
Sabrina sighed and shifted closer, a low heat already starting to build. With her arms around his neck she pulled him closer and let her head fall back.
Douglas moved down the valley between her breasts raining light kisses along the way. She wore one of her new dresses, the low-cut bodice giving him easier access to her generous cleavage while his hands explore the curve of her waist and the flare of her hips.
Sabrina couldn't stop the small moan of pleasure as Douglas continued his exploration of her breasts or the whimper of frustration when he failed to release her from her dress. Restless, she moved against him trying to tempt him into easing the pressure. "Douglas, please."
"Hush," he whispered. He could sense her struggles and knew that it was unfair to start something he had no intention of finishing. He had promised himself that he wouldn't take her again until they were married yet time and again he found her in his arms.
He wanted her, his need for her as desperate as the need to breathe to a drowning man, yet he resisted. After the other night in the carriage he'd fought with himself and his conscious. It didn't feel right making love to her without the benefit of marriage, not so long as she remained unaware of their shared past.
Douglas had convinced himself that everything would be different once they were married. He shied away from the truth, from the thought that once Sabrina knew the truth she would hate him.
Turning his attention back to the handful of woman in his lap, Douglas eased down the front of her dress releasing her breasts. In the dim light of the carriage he was just barely able to make out the dark color of her nipples. Dipping his head, he drew circles around the tight peaks with his tongue, taking his time with one before moving on to the other.
Sabrina sighed in relief as her breasts were freed from her dress and then moaned in pleasure as Douglas pulled one nipple into his mouth, suckling gently. Each pull of his mouth sent a corresponding pulse of pleasure to her clit until she was wet and aching. "Oh God, Douglas, don't stop."
"Never," his whispered. Douglas felt his desire grow as she responded in his hands. Her body was warm, almost pliant, moving with a sensual grace that she seemed completely unaware of. He ached to lay her out before him, to take his time with her and make love to her with every part of his being.
Carefully shifting their positions, Douglas settled Sabrina on the carriage seat. Looking up, he felt his desire surge at the sight of her. Her hair was slightly mussed and her eyes, bright with desire, stared down at him as he knelt between her legs.
Eyes locked on Douglas' face, Sabrina braced both hands on the bench beneath her and lifted her hips watching as he pushed up her skirts and spread her thighs. She couldn't turn away, couldn't stop the slight hitch in her breathing as she watched him slowly lower his head. He was darkly beautiful, his black hair striking against the pale skin of her thighs.
Douglas slid his hands beneath her, cupping her buttocks and pulled her forward to the very edge of the bench. The movement caused her thighs to part further revealing her delicate pink pussy.
Already wet and swollen, Douglas could see her juices glistening in the moonlight. Bending his head, he slowly slid his tongue up the length of her slit enjoying the now familiar taste of her. Hearing Sabrina sigh above him Douglas eased forward settling himself more firmly between her thighs.
