Without giving her a chance to speak, he turned on his heels and hastily retreated, leaving her standing there, her heart pounding and her mind a whirlwind of emotions.
How could he just leave like that?
The kiss felt magical to her, almost as if her entire soul had been yearning for it for years. She’d never felt anything quite as profound as this before.
She put her fingers on her lips, remembering the sweetness of the kiss. She still felt breathless, her heart pounding in her chest.
The room lurched, and she reached out, putting her hand on the wall, her legs feeling as weak as jelly. Her stomach twisted into several knots, squeezing tighter with every passing second.
It was easy to pretend and deceive herself that she had not noticed the intense passion that had been building between herself and the Duke in the last week.
Her insides told the true story, though. She had loved every moment of that kiss, and deep down, she wished it had never ended.
She watched Abel’s retreating figure, his back straight and his footsteps solid and sure. She fought down the urge to chase after him. She wanted to stand on a tower and scream out of joy.
She wanted to do something.Anything. And yet he had left. She had been caught in the intensity of their connection, the depth of their shared desire.
He had kissed her with unrestrained passion, filling her mind with longings she had never had before. This was such a brand-new experience for him. She couldn’t understand why Abel had reacted as strongly as he did. Did he think it was a mistake?
She couldn’t make sense of that. How could he think it was a mistake? Bridget was certain of what she had felt. The hunger, the unbridled desire.
As she watched him leave, an unexpected realization hit her.
I am utterly and irrevocably in love with him.
The realization was breathtaking, and she shivered at the thought.
His actions had thrown her into doubt, uncertainty clouding her thoughts. What had they begun? And more importantly, where did they go from here?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As the wedding ceremony commenced, Abel let his eyes wander everywhere but in her direction.
He avoided meeting Bridget’s gaze, even though he could sense her eyes on him. The tension between them hung heavy in the air despite their distance, unspoken words and unfulfilled desires lingering between short stolen glances.
Resplendent in her gown of delicate lace and shimmering silk, she sat gracefully in the bridesmaids’ section. Her attire, a vision of ethereal beauty, accentuated her every graceful movement, making it even harder for him to tear his eyes away.
The opulent decorations, cascading flowers, and flickering lights cast a romantic spell over the entire scene, and with the vows of love exchanged between the couple in front of them all, Abel struggled even more to avert his gaze from the woman his entire being yearned for.
Despite trying to fight it, his heart ached to turn to her once more, the thought of her radiance captivating him even in that moment of inner conflict.
The struggle within him intensified with every passing moment, torn between the joy of his sister’s happiness before him and the unfulfilled desires that lingered in his heart.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
The official’s voice resounded through the grand hall, marking the pinnacle of the joyous occasion, and the newlywed couple on the altar shared a tender, lingering kiss, sealing their union in the eyes of Society.
As the applause and cheers filled the air, Abel’s gaze instinctively gravitated towards Bridget, his heart pounding in his chest.
In that short moment, their eyes met, and a surge of electricity passed between them. Bridget’s cheeks flushed a delicate shade of crimson, mirroring the rosy hue of the rose petals strewn across the aisle.
His breath caught in his throat as he realized again that he was not alone in his longing. The danger of the situation sent delicious shivers down his entire being.
Their gazes lingered while the cheers went on, locked in a battle of desire and restraint. The weight of the unspoken words hungheavily in the air, like a delicate dance of secrets and unfulfilled promises.
Bridget’s eyes sparkled with vulnerability and desperation, her lips slightly parted as if to speak the words that dared not escape her tongue. At last, after a nudge from her mother, she let herself be pulled away and did not spare a look back.
The day went on, with Abel’s heart still racing in his chest, the rhythm echoing the tempo of the waltzing couples in the grand ballroom. He struggled to turn his eyes elsewhere.
