Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story

Chapter 13 - New successes, old sorrows

When Kate returned home from the palace she found all the Bridgertons – apart from Anthony – in the drawing room. Francesca was playing the piano forte and Siena sat next to her on the wide piano stool, singing beautifully to the Mozart song the young girl was performing. Francesca's face was lit up with utter delight, because although the rest of the Bridgertons surely appreciated music, none of them shared her burning passion for it. And now here she was, playing together with an actual opera songstress – it might just be the best day of her life. Colin, Benedict, Hyacinth and Gregory sat in the sofas admiring the show, while Eloise was seated a bit further away from them in an armchair with her usual notebook and quill in hand, but even she seemed to be listening carefully. Kate tiptoed silently into the room, so as not to disturb, and joined the others on the sofas. She flashed a wide grin at Siena and a hopeful smile spread across her face, but she finished her song like a professional.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Colin exclaimed and started to applaud furiously when the song died out. The rest of the Bridgertons joined in on the excited applause.

"Where is he?" Kate hissed into Benedict's ear.

"He has barricaded himself into his workroom, has not come down all day." Benedict replied in a hushed voice and rolled his eyes. Kate took a deep sigh and stood up.

"I want to be an opera singer when I grow up!" Hyacinth declared happily.

"Good heavens..." Benedict laughed and Colin smirked a bit awkwardly.

"Please excuse me, I will be right back." Kate smiled as she left the room and hurried up the stairs. She jerked at Anthony's workroom door, only to find it locked. "Gods... Anthony, open up, it's me!" She yelled and banged on the door. After a brief moment the door creaked open and Anthony's head peeked out from behind it. "You are being ridiculous, she is just a woman and not some wild animal let loose in this house!" Kate immediately scolded him. Anthony pulled a grumpy face and marched back to sit by his desk. Kate sighed again and closed the door behind her. Then she determinedly walked up to Anthony's desk, swiped away the papers that were lying on it and jumped up to sit on it with her legs crossed, facing her husband.

"Hey...! Damn you woman, I... Was reading those." Anthony complained, but got soon more interested in smuggling his warm hands under her skirts and running them up the outsides of her thighs. "Do you want to do it on my desk again?" He smiled at her seductively, stood up from his chair and gave her a kiss. He grabbed her uppermost leg and separated it from the other, yanked her skirts up over her knees and placed himself between them. "I have been craving for you like a madman all day..." He sighed and leaned in for a second kiss.

"No." Kate snapped, looked him in the eyes and grabbed his jaw between her forefinger and thumb so that his mouth popped slightly open. "I want you to come downstairs and stop acting like a moping little boy." She smirked at him, but gave him another kiss as well. Anthony grabbed a hold of her thighs and pulled her closer to his body and the edge of the desk with a swift move, making Kate give out a gasp as she suddenly found herself against his muscular body. She could already sense his evident arousal and felt a sudden urge to rip off his trousers. "Anthony, we are needed downstairs..." She breathed out, fighting that urge, but it came out more as a plea to do the exact opposite. He lifted the hem of her skirt even higher, revealing the skin of her bare thighs over her stockings.

"And I need to have you right now on this desk..." He murmured back at her, kissed and sucked at the sensitive skin on her neck and fumbled with her hair to free it from its ornamental braid.

"Anthony..." Kate tried to whisper again, but this time it sounded even more like a prayer to continue than a command to stop. She still felt smug and victorious after having beaten the prince so thoroughly and she could see no better way to celebrate it than to enjoy the eager body of her husband... Meanwhile Anthony had already expertly unbuttoned her knickers and yanked them off. "We should..." She made one last effort to battle her own cravings, more than his because she knew he would immediately stop if she asked him to, but she was quite certain that she did not want him to stop.