The Muse // Benedict Bridgerton

Garden of Eden

A/N: just a short chapter, hope you enjoy it <3 just a reminder that paragraphs with smut are labelled with a '*' and the second one will signify that the smut has ended.
Edit: WOO new cover heheh
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Benedict woke up the happiest man on earth the next day. He just laid there, watching his wife sleeping peacefully, and wondered how he managed to achieve everything he had ever wanted in life. The most beautiful and intelligent woman he had ever met was in bed, beside him, and he never wanted her to leave it. He watched as her chest rose and fell with every breath, how her lips puckered slightly. He listened intently to the soft sleepy noises she would make now and then in adoration. He wondered if she would ever understand the way he felt about her – he would happily die for her if need be.

If he were Adam, then she was surely Eve, carved meticulously from one of his own ribs. Lucy was a part of him, and it felt like she always had been. Their union was the forbidden fruit, and he was more than glad to take a bite out of it, regardless of the consequences. Because, unlike the first man and woman to be created, he was sure this was the path he was always destined to take. It could never lead to chaos or melancholy, and he could only hope that she felt a fraction of what he felt for her.

Reaching over to the nightstand beside their bed, he pulled open the drawer and lifted out his sketchbook and some charcoals that were stored there. He had a habit of leaving his art supplies lying everywhere, and it was incredibly convenient at times like this one. He sat up and rested his bare back against the soft bedframe and began etching a portrait of a sleeping Lucy. He had finally found his muse, it was certain – he felt like Botticelli when he stumbled upon the Genoese beauty that was Simonetta Vespucci. He knew he had his very own Venus and wanted to capture her for all her beauty, for the world to see if it pleased her.

After about forty-five minutes of drawing in deep admiration, Lucy finally made the first signs that she was waking from her slumber. A deep breath and a stretch followed by a scrunch of her brows, her eyelids fluttered open. She seemed dazed for a few seconds, unsure of where she was, but he could see the realization flooding her mind as her eyes scanned the room and her cheeks flushed a little bit.

"Good morning," Benedict spoke. She turned to face him and smiled warmly.

"Good morning," she replied. Benedict returned her smile and set down his sketchbook and charcoals on the nightstand he had collected them from.

"What were you drawing just now?" she asked, still with an endearing sleepy voice that melted his soul.

"You. But you'll have to wait for the final draft, darling," he smirked. Lucy smiled and shook her head, burying her face into her pillow and turning over to lie on her front. Benedict got back under the covers, making himself more comfortable, and placed his face inches from hers. He reached out a hand and traced circles around her bare shoulder, then trailed his finger along her forearm, soliciting goosebumps on her end. She closed her eyes in contentment and allowed him to continue the simple affectionate act for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. Benedict found himself hardening at the sight of her for what felt like the millionth time that season. The view he had of her, lying on her front with only a thin sheet covering her lower half and exposing her back was almost enough to make him release right then and there. He admired the arch of her spine, and the random birth marks spread out along it. He couldn't help himself – he reached out to touch her chin, to pull her towards his lips, and she obliged, only opening her eyes slightly to see what he was guiding her to do.

*Their lips meshed together perfectly like they were made for one another. He kissed her with as much passion as he did the night before, his hands finding their way into her thick dark hair. He tugged it at the nape of her neck, pulling her head backward slightly, causing her to moan quietly into his mouth. Lucy, still shy with her movements, placed her hands on his chest and slowly began moving them downwards, nearing his waist. Benedict decided to push off of his side and get on top of her, aching to feel her body pressed against his once again. As he repositioned himself, she immediately knew what to do and opened her legs so that she could wrap them around him, earning a smirk from Benedict.