Wandering Off the Path by Willa Edwards Read Free Book Online Page B

filled the night sky and vibrated into the hollows of her heart.

Chapter Five

    Abigail slipped Wolf’s arm from around her waist, escaping his large body spread across the mattress. She eased from the bed, and stared back at him. His legs and arms were stretched across the expanse with masculine ease, giving her a satisfying picture as she fled the sheets.
    She dropped to the floor, her entire body aching from new use as she bent. She sifted through the clothing discarded beside the bed to find her own garments. Grasping her chemise, she shook it to remove the wrinkles, and she slipped the linen over her head, pushing her arms into the sleeves.
    She had no idea how long she and Wolf had stayed in bed—though darkness still peeked through the cracks in the door, the movement of time was unperceivable. Their lovemaking had been so overwhelming, she was sure it should have taken several nights wrapped around each other to experience so much. Yet, in her mind, it had moved so quickly that it appeared as only a few minutes, whirling through her memory in a blur of sensation too intense to contain.
    She brushed against the hood of her scarlet cloak on her way out of the bedroom door. She bent to pick up the thick fabric then pulled the crimson cloth over her shoulders. Sliding open the door, she slipped from the chamber as soundlessly as possible.
    Unease settled over her as Abigail moved through the living area. The fire she’d built still glowed in the main room, dull creaks and pops emanating from the hearth. She shifted about the familiar setting in the flickering light searching for food, suddenly ravenous.
    The numbness she normally awoke with—a sense of incompleteness and despondency—was replaced with a fluttering deep in her stomach, an unease she couldn’t shake. When Wolf had been touching her she hadn’t considered what would happen next. It hadn’t mattered. But now she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Would Wolf leave her, abandoning her like a wilted flower? Do I want him to stay?
    Abigail found the basket she’d brought from market. The supplies she had intended to share with her grandmother. The rewards for their diligent efforts spinning wool for the local gentry tempted her from the table. At the empty roll of her stomach, she repressed any concern over how her grandmother would respond to Abigail consuming the supplies without her. They looked too good to resist.
    She had to keep thinking as though her grandmother were going to come home any moment. Because the alternative was too difficult to imagine. Abigail wasn’t sure she could survive it. She had no interest in trying, until she had to.
    She pulled a large knife from the kitchen block then severed the apple cake into eight equal pieces. She picked up the closest wedge and crammed the moist cake into her mouth. Small crumbs fell from her lips to gather upon her breast. She swept them delicately from her, gasping when she unintentionally brushed her still-raw nipples.
    Why had she allowed him to treat her so? Surely she would never have tolerated such handling from anyone else. She hadn’t only permitted him to use her, she’d enjoyed it. The memories of his callous use of her body caused her to shake with exhilaration.
    She grabbed two clay cups and set them on the table. She pulled the cork from the wine bottle and poured a generous helping of the rich ruby liquid into each cup, placing the other on the table for Wolf to enjoy later. She brought the cup to her lips and gulped down the rich drink, washing the remaining cake down her throat.
    Abigail gathered the rest of the foodstuffs she could find. When Wolf woke, his stomach would probably rumble twice as long as her tummy had. He didn’t seem like the type of man who’d be denied any of his hungers. A shiver raced up her spine at the idea of fulfilling any of his appetites.
    Everywhere she looked, she found traces of Wolf. Traces she might never be able to erase. She’d thought one