moved on, already bored and heading to the seamstress’ shop to buy a new dress, or some other leisurely pursuit.
He took the narrow alley between stands, hoping to avoid human contact on the way back to his father’s shop. Everything felt so surreal and he was going over in his head how he and Esther could escape when he was suddenly yanked out of the alley into a small niche between the sale stables and the blacksmith’s stand.
Chapter 6
Tender lips found his in the darkness and he knew at once that it was his sweet Esther. Her face was wet, her slender body trembling against him in the cramped space.
“Oh Dallin, you mustn’t go tomorrow night. We’ll run away, today. I can’t bear the thought of you never returning to me.”
Her voice was just above a whisper, but the pain in her heart was clear. She’d risked everything breaking away from her mother and meeting him in daylight, even if the blacksmith and the stable boy were still at the town meeting.
“Esther, you must leave immediately. If you’re found here with me, your mother will be beside herself.”
“I know, but I couldn’t walk away with you looking so dejected.”
He kissed her, pulling her close and breathing in her sweetness. In the tight space it was hard to ignore how she made him feel, and he struggled to keep his body in check.
He was about to speak when Esther grabbed his hand, putting it against her breast as she looked into his eyes. Her nostrils flared and it was clear that he wasn’t the only one trying to keep himself in check.
She shifted in the tight space and he slipped one leg between hers, pressing against her through the heavy fabric. She was much shorter than him, giving him all the leverage he needed to tease her. Dallin pulled her into him again, holding her tightly while she moved against his thigh and her supple breasts pushed against him.
Esther’s face flushed a pretty pink when she felt his erection pushing against her leg. Even with so much fabric between him, his excitement was noticeable. She didn’t have to be an experienced lover to know what his hardness signified. Without knowing where the thought came from, she envisioned herself freeing his manhood from its trappings and wrapping her slender hands around the shaft.
Dallin watched her face as her expression went from anxious to aroused in a split second. Her lips parted and her breathing increased. He grabbed her buttocks through her heavy skirts, squeezing roughly and pulling her further up onto his leg before letting her slide back down. Her eyes rolled back and he smiled to himself. She was a virgin, untried and completely untouched so that even the slightest attention drove her wild. He couldn’t wait to get her beneath him, to feel her body give as he slid into her tight heat. He’d lost more than a night’s sleep over thoughts of her naked in his arms.
It appeared he wasn’t the only one.
Gasping, she broke away, her face serious as she tried to regain control of her senses. Like Dallin, she was struggling to form a coherent thought and took several moments before she finally spoke.
“Whatever you have saved is enough, Dallin. I have money that I’ve been hiding away as well. Let’s leave tonight.”
She still sounded breathless and Dallin wondered how much of her bravado was sincere and how much was fueled by desire. When the fog cleared and her mind was hers once more, would she be that brave?
“If I leave now, I’ll be labeled a deserter and a bounty placed on my head. I’m only on duty for tomorrow night. Once I’ve completed the night, the list is so extensive that I’ll not be called again for at least a week, if not longer. Tomorrow night, I’ll show up for duty as planned and the following morning we can leave as planned.”
“In daylight?”
“Yes. With the threat of vampires tis best if we leave during the light of day. My father will expect me to