Page 37 of A Star is Scorned
She had to be dreaming. Was Flynn saying that he wanted her?
As more than a patsy for the Legion of Decency?
More than a friend? She didn’t know what to do with that.
The idea frightened and thrilled her in equal measure.
She hadn’t let herself want something, yearn for something in so long.
But what good was it when she knew she couldn’t have it?
But oh, how she wanted Flynn. Was it possible to let herself give in to it?
She needed it to be. If only just for tonight.
So she turned toward his lips and kissed him again.
All she wanted right now was not to think.
To live in this moment where he plundered her mouth as if she were one of the ships he pillaged in a film.
He eagerly responded to her, and she thought she might explode into stardust from the pure sensation of it all.
Every nerve ending in her body was alight with desire.
Every other kiss she’d experienced—and the list was not long—was a pale shadow of this one.
This was a proper embrace from a man who not only knew what he was doing but took immense pleasure in doing it. Maybe there was something to being with a notorious scoundrel after all, if it meant they would kiss you like this.
He pushed her up against one of the bookshelves and tangled his hands in her hair. She giggled as a book near her head fell from its spot, knocked out of place by his vigorous ministrations.
He kissed the tip of her nose. “I love hearing you laugh.”
She sighed in happiness.
His hand fumbled with the bottom of her blouse.
“Is this all right?” he asked, a hungry look in his eyes.
She bit her lip and pondered it, before kissing him in answer.
Her skin pebbled as he reached under her thin green blouse, finding the line of her cotton bra.
He found her left nipple and brushed it gently with his hand, while he continued to dot her jawline with kisses, taking her earlobe in between his teeth and nibbling at it ever so gently.
She arched in to him as he plucked at her breast, feeling him stiffen at her movement as she tried to find a place on the shelf to rest her weight without tipping it over.
He seemed to read her mind and told her, “They’re bolted into the ground.
” Then, he gripped her bottom and lifted her up as she swept madly behind her, clearing a space as books cascaded to the floor.
She winced, silently hoping they were not more first editions.
But the feeling of his hands on her backside was enough to distract her from the thought of potential biblio-violence.
He sat her on the shelf and she widened her legs, allowing him to make himself snug against her.
Her hands pulled at his shirt, trying to find the buttons under the heaps of ruffles.
He huffed in frustration and tugged the shirt out of the ridiculously tight breeches that made his butt look absolutely irresistible.
With the fabric loosed from his pants, Livvy was able to place her hands under his shirt.
The juxtaposition of his hard muscle and his warm skin was intoxicating, and she ran her palms over his chest as he reached around to unsnap her bra.
He fully cupped both of her breasts, and she shivered at the rough scrape of the calluses on his hands.
She gasped and threw her head back in pleasure, exposing more of her neck, which he readily took advantage of kissing.
A sudden trill of giggles broke them apart, as the door to the library burst open and Arlene tugged Don into the library by the edge of his black cape.
Livvy’s cheeks felt like they were bursting into flame as she looked up at the shocked couple, realizing that Flynn’s hands were still under her blouse.
Flynn quickly adjusted himself in his breeches before turning to shield Livvy from their prying gaze, as a wide smirk spread across Don’s face. “Looks like someone else had the same idea as us, Lena.”
Arlene smacked Don gently on the back side of his head. “Don’t be so crass.” She looked back at Livvy and Flynn, an apologetic smile on her face. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Livvy jumped up off the shelf, struggling to reach under her shirt and redo the clasp of her bra. “Oh no, that’s, uh… We should… I was just leaving.”
Flynn’s head snapped to her. He looked hurt. But what was she supposed to say? Could you two leave and pretend you didn’t see anything so Flynn can go back to ravishing me? The mere thought of it made her blush from head to toe.
Arlene’s face dropped. “No, please don’t go on our account.”
Livvy knew she must look a fright. She gave up on getting her bra back on and frantically smoothed her hair back into place. “No, really, I need to be getting home. My sister will worry if I stay out too late.”
Confident that she could at least find her way to the front door and her car without too many strange looks, Livvy awkwardly stepped around Flynn, trying to avoid tripping on any of the books they had knocked from the shelves in their passion.
“Thank you, Flynn, for a…lovely evening,” she stammered.
Don chuckled under his breath and Arlene smacked his arm and hissed, “Behave.” Livvy would’ve found it hilarious if she wasn’t so mortified.
She squeezed past Arlene and Don to get out the door, and as she passed, Arlene whispered, “I told you he was in love with you.”
Livvy acted as if she didn’t hear her and kept going, swiftly making it to her car without further incident.
The words echoed in Livvy’s head her entire drive home.
If he wasn’t pretending, then what did he want?
A short-lived love affair like all the rest?
She didn’t know if she could survive that.
But what if he wanted something else? That thought frightened her.
But the thing that scared her most of all?
She couldn’t shake the feeling of his mouth against hers and the sensation of his hands on her body.
Worse, she didn’t want to. What she wanted was more.
But that wasn’t something she could allow herself. Was it?