Summerset Abbey: Spring Awakening (Summerset Abbey Trilogy) Read Online Free

softly.
    She jumped and glanced behind her, red staining her cheeks when she realized that Sebastian stood there as if she had conjured him. “You alarmed me!”
    “I’m sorry,” he said, joining her on the bench. “There was no way to let you know I was here without startling you.”
    “It’s all right.” She knew she should be ashamed—sitting with a man in her nightclothes all alone—but she wasn’t. Shealso knew she should be concerned about being alone with Sebastian, but she wasn’t worried about that either. The night was made for lovers, but her lover had gone away. The man who was to be her husband was here instead, and she needed to make her peace with it, once and for all.
    But what if she couldn’t fulfill her physical responsibilities to her husband? What would happen then? Shouldn’t she find out before they were wed? Butterflies circled in her stomach. She should. “It’s a beautiful night,” she finally said. “It’s hard to believe how quickly summer is passing.”
    “It was an interesting spring.” His voice sounded neutral and she wondered what he was thinking.
    She put her knees down and turned to look at his profile in the darkness. Like her, Sebastian Billingsly was the product of hundreds of years of good breeding. In contrast to some of the other young lords of their generation, his features were even and strong. His jaw was firm and his nose and teeth were both straight. The darkness of his hair and eyes reflected the light of the moon.
    He turned to look at her and she smiled. Resolutely, she moved closer to his side, and though his eyes widened, he said nothing. She leaned against him until he slipped his arm around her shoulders.
    It was strange being pressed so close to a man who wasn’t Jonathon, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She laid her head against his shoulder, and his arm reflexively tightened about her. The longing, aching need she felt with Jonathon wasn’t there, but warmth nonetheless spread through her body at Sebastian’s proximity.
    She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her courage before turning her face up to his. He looked down at her, a smile curving his well-formed lips.
    “By the time autumn comes, we’ll be married,” she said, her voice quavering. She cleared her throat. Courage , she told herself.
    He nodded, his face thoughtful in the darkness. “Are you still satisfied with our arrangement?”
    She searched his face wondering if he still was, but he had turned away and didn’t meet her eyes. “Why do you ask?”
    His eyes were distant. “You’re very guarded. I wanted to make sure you weren’t having second thoughts. So when I saw you running across the lawn, I decided to gird my loins and just ask.”
    Her pulse increased. She knew he would let her out of their arrangement if she wanted. She only had to say the word. But was being alone and pining away for a man who had walked away from her any way to live? Was it any better? At least she and Sebastian were honest about their feelings. They could make a good marriage, she knew they could. If only she could get past her hesitation about making love to him. Impulsively, she reached up and pulled his head down, pressing her lips hard against his. Startled, he didn’t move, but then his hesitation disappeared and he pulled her close.
    Their kiss deepened, and for a moment Rowena almost pulled away, but then she focused. If she could just get to know him, get to know the way his mouth felt against hers, she wouldn’t feel so strange in his arms. Already her lips were matching his, and a hesitant, buttery warmth invaded her lower belly. She pressed her hands experimentally against his chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath. He pulled away and buried his face in her hair, his breath ragged.
    “Rowena?” His voice was a question. In answer, she moved until she was in his lap and resumed kissing him. She pushed off his light summer jacket and linked her arms around his neck.His kisses