He took a sip of his drink. Going west had made him grow up far more than any other choice he’d made in his adult life. Laws in the region were determined by the men and factionsthere. “He felt the areas out west were dangerous. It was mainly out of concern. Some would call the West uncivilized, but I never saw it that way. It is an area filled with groups of people fighting to survive. It changes how you act and who you are fundamentally.”
She studied him. “You liked it?”
He nodded. Caleb missed it. “I loved it. Whenever I returned to New York City, I suddenly felt like the caged animal.”
“Why are you giving it up? Could you not be a lord and hire someone to oversee things here?”
He could, but Caleb wanted his father’s land—the need to have it and manage it overpowered even his strong feelings for their ranch out west. “My brother Cory will care for our property. It is a messy place, and of all of us, he is the best to adapt to the changes coming. The American government wants to control the area but has been unable to so far.”
Caleb saw both the pros and cons of a centralized government but believed it was inevitable. He feared for the tribes in the area. He and his brother had great relationships with them, but others would come who wouldn’t.
She looked at him and smiled softly. “That is why you seem so different. You are a man formed by a place that most see as uncontrollable or untamed.”
He smirked at her, and the heat between them flared. Caleb liked her description. She tapped her foot nervously. Celeste took another sip and asked, “Did your father change his mind?”
Pushing away his lustful thoughts, Caleb said, “Yes. He was able to visit our land before he passed. He said the fields reminded him of the Haven Estate.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the chair. “I still find it very noble that your father wed your mother.”
“He hated it when anyone said he did the right thing. To him, that was irrelevant. He loved her too much to give her up—that was his only reasoning.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she mused, “I imagine you and your siblings are all hopeless romantics.”
Caleb found himself tired of talking about the past. He finished his drink and stood. “Come here, Celeste.”
***
Celeste didn’t bother to resist. She placed her glass on a table and walked to him. This man insisted she was a fascinating contradiction, but wasn’t he? He was a man who wanted for nothing but still ventured into the unknown, not once but twice, first by settling in the American West and then by making England his home.This was only for one night, she reminded her heart, which was beginning to ache.
Trying to take back some of the control, she smirked up at him. “I don’t like to be ordered about.”
He stroked her cheek. “Sweetheart, I’m not asking you to do anything you haven’t already decided on.”
“You think you know me so well after a handful of encounters?” she asked breathlessly.
His lips trailed along her jaw. “I do. I don’t know why it feels like I’ve known you forever, but it does. Yet, at the same time, I’m hungry to learn more.”
Warmth shot straight to her core. “I promise there isn’t much else to share.”
He kissed and licked her neck, and her hand grasped the front of his shirt. He sighed deeply in her ear. “That is where youare wrong, Celeste. I need to know so much about you. What will make you whimper for me? What will make you beg for more of my touch? Most importantly, how do I make you let go and give yourself to me completely?”
His words both drew her closer and terrified her. They weren’t the words of a casual lover but of someone who wanted more than that. Someone who would demand more. She wasn’t that woman, especially not for the Marquess of Haven. Still, Celeste wanted this moment with him, and selfishly, she wouldn’t deny herself. Later, she would deal with the repercussions of that choice.
Even though Celeste didn’t like giving up control, she wanted to give herself to Caleb. He wouldn’t be the first man she’d slept with, but with others, it had always been centered around her precise terms. Tonight, she didn’t want to think about rules but simply to get lost in his touch.
He cupped her face with one hand and pressed his lips to hers. Her arms slid around his neck, and any further conversation halted. Caleb’s tongue dominated hers, stroking and teasing. She moaned and pushed her body into his. His hands slid down her back before grasping her hips and rocking her against his hard shaft. Her core clenched.
Finally, he broke the kiss. “While this dress is a temptation I will fantasize about for a long time. I need you out of it. Turn around.”
She did as he asked. He quickly removed the wings and then set to work on loosening her gown. A shiver ran down her spine as he slowly unbuttoned her costume. She wore nothing underneath. Celeste heard him suck in a breath when he discovered only skin lay beneath the lace.
Shocking her, he stepped back, and Celeste turned to see what he was doing. He discarded his jacket and sat on the edgeof the bed, watching her intently. “Take it off, sweetheart. I want to watch you.”
Celeste attempted to step out of her heels, and he shook his head. “Leave them on.”
Her face heated. No man had ever asked her to do such a thing, but her body throbbed in anticipation. Slowly, she pulled the loosened gown down on one shoulder and then the other. He bit his lower lip as his eyes grew more heated. Her gaze flitted down to his breeches. His shaft strained against them. She licked her lips.
“Christ, you are the most tempting thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
