Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Sequel Bundle: 3 Reader Favorites Read Online Free PDF Page B

cup in hand, he took an interminable stroll the length of the room back to his seat next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth studiously inspected her shoes until he sat down again, quite determined that her gaze would not alight upon that explicit bulge in the fork of his unhintables (of which one was not even to speak, let alone stare at). Until that moment, it had never occurred to her to decry the unforgiving, leg-hugging fashion of gentlemen’s breeches. It was now impossible for her to think of anything but Mr. Darcy’s tights and what they contained.
    Once he was again seated, Elizabeth thought it safe enough to allow herself to lift her eyes from the floor and did manage conversation without once looking at his lap. Jane, however, still had not regained her powers of speech and the situation was not helped by Lydia, who found it necessary to traipse about the room offering sweet biscuits to Bingley and Darcy.
    Elizabeth’s apprehension over Mrs. George Wickham’s visit was considerable. For Darcy became uneasy with the mere mention of Wickham’s name. Being forced into company with his wife would clearly be abhorrent. And Lydia’s nature did not cooperate in protecting Darcy’s sensibilities. For along with her display of the tray of sweet cakes was a generous presentation of her bosom, one she did not withdraw even after a firm refusal, coaxing each gentleman to reconsider a treat. This forwarding of Lydia’s appurtenances was exceedingly embarrassing to everyone who witnessed it, but did have the advantage of irritating Elizabeth’s mind away from Darcy’s manhood.
    Hence, the evening passed with no less unease, but at least it was yielded from Lydia’s disorder, not her own. Upon his leave-taking, Darcy stole a moment in the vestibule to bestow a kiss upon Elizabeth. All her preparation for the moment was for naught. For this time when they kissed, he drew her tightly against him. Through the wool of his jacket, the satin of his waistcoat, and the gauze of his shirt, she could not truly feel his body, however the impression of it was enough to weaken her knees. And when she retired for the night, that impression did not waft away.

    Their period of engagement might have passed thusly, chaste but for fervent kisses exchanged in foyers and amongst secluded oaks, had Elizabeth not committed an indiscretion of considerable vehemence.
    She was certain, however, the fault of her lapse was not entirely hers.
    For had Darcy not kissed her with such exceeding warmth that evening, she would not have begun to ponder his lips as she had (in defence of pondering any other part of his person). And had she not pondered his lips so insistently, when he pressed her back against a convenient oak and kissed her that next day, she would not have taken his lower lip betwixt her own and so decidedly bitten it.
    The particular etiquette of reducing one’s beloved to masticatory morsel had never once been addressed to her so far as Elizabeth could recollect. Hence, instinctively she covered her face, aghast with mortification. Certain that such an unbridled act would have, at the very least, affrighted him to flee, she was therefore astonished that he had not. Not only had he not taken flight, he drew her hands from her face and kissed her again. This kiss was neither chaste, nor warm. It was a long, deep, white-hot kiss of passion and howbeit Elizabeth had never been kissed thusly, she recognised it even without the attributing adjectives.
    That kiss was replaced by another, then another until one was indistinguishable from the last. This pleasuring was accompanied by an embrace so firm their bodies were rendered quite indistinguishable from each other as well. (It was impressive how much writhing could be managed with so little room betwixt them, so secure was their clinch.) Her lungs were just beginning to tell her that she must take a gasp of air, when he quite abruptly quit the kiss. It took her a moment to realise that he had.
    He