His hand left her breast, and he slipped his arm around her waist. “I won’t let you. Just hold on to me.”
She did, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back as she shivered, her hips rocking as he pushed a third finger inside her and changed his circles to hard strokes with the pad of his thumb. Her head snapped forward at that, her eyes wide as a deep red flush spread over her chest and neck. Her interior muscles tightened rhythmically, and her knees gave way and more of her weight rested on his hand. His name burst from her in a guttural call as her body pulsed and collapsed against him.
He removed his hand from her and eased her down to her knees, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against his chest. She continued to shudder as he whispered her name into the soft skin of her neck. Robert relished the feel of her, even through his clothes, and held her until her breathing eased, and the pressure of her body against his transformed from collapse to affection, her muscles regaining their tautness. Yet when she eased away enough to examine his face, her smile was languid, her eyes half-lidded. She stroked his face and pushed aside the lapels of his coat.
“And you did not even get undressed.”
Robert kissed her, his tongue drifting across her lips. “I wanted this to be your night. Your pleasure.
Liar.
“Such pleasure should be shared.” Her fingers traced down over his waistcoat, flitting lightly, shyly toward his groin.
Robert’s short hiss stopped her, as did his hand. He lifted hers, entwined their fingers, and kissed the tips. “Not just yet.”
She scowled. “What’s wrong?”
Robert rose from the chair, urging her to stand as well. “I want to see you in my bed.”
Eloise let him lead her to the four-poster, but the hesitancy in her steps made him want to tread lightly. This had nothing to do with her—or how much he desired her—and everything to do with the last three days. He turned back the covers and she scooted to the center, lay back on the pillows, and looked at him, a beckoning look he dearly hoped would not vanish in the next few moments. They were still new to each other, and Robert sensed the fragility of the moment.
He stepped back to the armchair where she had left her clothes and shrugged out of his coat, waistcoat, cravat, and boots. Robert hesitated then, unsure whether to finish undressing here or at the edge of the bed. He knew she planned to find him as he had been last night when he came to her, aroused and eager.
Well, he was still eager.
“Robert?”
He turned to her, trying to quell his unease. She watched him, her face calm. The scowl had disappeared, as had her beckoning expression. Instead, she seemed to examine him, more curious than anything.
“Have I displeased you?”
The very words that he had feared. He was at her side in a flash, sitting on the side of the bed, his hand stroking her face. “No. Do not ever think that.” With a long sigh, he climbed onto the bed, stretched out beside her, then moved over her, drawing her close, much of his weight pressing her into the pillows. He brushed her lips with a gentle kiss. “Do you remember offering to let me sleep first?”
She nodded. He waited, and her eyes crinkled, a light gleam in them. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Are you saying you should have accepted that offer?”
“Sometimes, when a man has become a fool for a woman, he does not follow the wisest course, even when she suggests it.”
Eloise caressed his jaw. “You are a fool for me?”
His fingers traced down her arm and lingered at her waist. “Not my preferred choice of words... but it adequately summarizes the situation.”
Her smile became a wanton grin, and she plucked at the buttons on his shirt. “Then I suggest you finish undressing and come to bed, so we will know when the situation changes.”
“Minx.”
“And a somewhat sated one. At least for now.”
He kissed her again and stood, removing the rest of his clothes and joining her again. Robert pulled the covers up over both of them as she snuggled tightly against his side. The heat of her body spread through him, draining away the last of his tension. As he relaxed, his earlier thoughts returned with an unexpected insight.
Passion thrills for a few delightful moments. Comfort warms throughout the night. And as Robert inhaled the lingering aroma of nasturtiums, contentment settled over him like a summer sunbeam on a well-fed barn cat. Warmth.
Comfort.
Chapter Fourteen
Tuesday, 19 July 1825
Dawn
