Sarah: Because I'm excessivly mean and all of you refuse to post...

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it as I watched him. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a blank, unreadable expression. His entire body was rigid, his muscles drawn tightly under his skin.

“Arthur?”

No answer. I walked slowly to where he sat, noticing he didn’t make one move as I came closer. He was in the middle of the large bed, pillows at the top and blankets pulled tightly over the mattress.

I sat next to him. His hands were digging into the mattress, fingers tightly gripping the blanket.

Tense was a major understatement.

My hand found his, which he took immediately and held onto just as tightly, if not more so, than he had the blanket. When he turned to face me, his eyes were even darker than normal.

Without saying a thing, the two of us had entire conversation. I nodded silently, watching as the tears filled his eyes. His gaze never left my face.

When he began to lean toward me, I met him halfway. Our lips touched with such intensity the room could have caught on fire and neither of us would have known.

His fingers traced down my arm until his hand was clasping my waist and pulling me toward him. He gently lifted me off of the bed and moved so I had one leg on each side of his lap. Granted, it was hard to do in a long, flowing skirt, but I managed.

We were close enough now that we were breathing the same air, the sparks flying between our little exposed skin undeniable. His lips brushed against the swirl of my ear before he pulled back.

The water in his eyes was so very close to spilling over. A lone tear slid down his cheek, shining like a diamond in the dim light. “Lynette…” his voice cracked as he said my name. “Your honor…your…reputation.”

I shook my head, placing a palm on both sides of his face. “Damn my honor and reputation, Arthur.”

And that was all it took. The dam broke, the levy caved, and the tears came in full force. His head fell against my shoulder as he gripped me tight; I embraced him with as much ferocity. Seeing him in this much pain over his father’s death made my heart ache…

ANOTHER POST TO COME!!!! ;{D

(c) Sarah Goebel