Annabelle was the first to awaken that morning and despite the chill in the room, she felt perfectly warm, cuddled against Richard as she was. As she did every morning, she took a few deep breaths to see how bad her ribs felt. They had improved a lot recently and although she would not say that she was pain-free, she now refused any laudanum as the pain was bearable. Today she seemed to be able to take a far deeper breath than she had since being injured. Despite her improvement, Richard refused to make love to her. He claimed that he couldn’t live with himself if he hurt her, and she believed him, but lying next to him each night, kissing him and waking up beside him were beginning to send her desires into overdrive. Still, no matter what she said, Richard was adamant. Annabelle moved around a little and raised her left arm, to be sure that the pain really was bearable as an idea occurred to her. Deciding that she could handle the discomfort, she ducked her head under the covers and slipped down the bed until she could take Richard’s length in her mouth.
