He said something under his breath that sounded like a curse, then gently slid her down until her feet touched the floor. “The candle.”
Dotty bit her lip in frustration. If only she’d remembered to blow it out. “I’m here, my lady. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would get a book.”
The door clicked shut behind her, Dom was gone. She hurried to where she’d left the candle and picked the book up from where it had fallen.
“Neither could I.” Carrying her own light, Lady Merton smiled. “It must have been the stuffed lobster.”
Dotty considered walking toward the door to the corridor, then ducking around the shelves to the fireplace. If Dom was waiting, he could open the passage. “I’ll bid you a good night.”
Lady Merton reached out to the bookshelf. “Wait just a moment, and I shall accompany you to your room.”
“Yes, my lady.” Dotty clenched her hand. Her body was still alight with longing. All she wanted to do was find the passage and follow Dom. Once back in her chamber, she would either have to come back down here, or pass her parents’ rooms and his mother’s suite to reach his apartments. She cast a brief glance in the direction of the fireplace and stifled a sigh. It was probably too much to hope for another secret passage.
Lady Merton said good night to Dotty at her door. She entered the room, closed the door, and set her candle on the small side table. Her body still tingled and ached. If only there was some way to . . . The door leading to the next room opened, and Dom stepped through.
Swallowing a shriek, she flung herself into his arms. “How?”
His arms closed around her. “There’s a short passage from my apartments to the end of this corridor. I think everyone’s forgotten about it.”
“We can’t stay here,” she whispered. “My parents are too close.”
His palms skated up and down her body, heating her all over again.
“Thea, are you sure? I shouldn’t even ask when you’re under my roof. I should wait until—”
She cut him off with a kiss. “Yes. In three days we will be married. You are not seducing me. I want to be with you.”
A low growl escaped him as his mouth covered hers. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you.”
Once they’d gained the corridor, he showed her a door set into the inner wall. It swung open silently. Someone must know about it. Otherwise the hinges would not have been oiled.
Dom held her hand as he walked ahead of her. In a few moments they reached his chamber. The bed, already turned down, appeared even larger now than it had during her house tour. Candles glowed from the candelabra on a round table, illuminating the snowy sheets. Tonight might be the first time she slept in it, but it would not be the last. She had declined the offer of her own bedchamber.
Dom wrapped his arms around her again. “Last chance.”
She drew his head down, claiming his mouth as he had claimed hers earlier. “Never. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this.”
“So have I. Too much.”
Dom slid his hands under her nightclothes. The wrapper and gown slid off her shoulders landing in a soft plop on the floor. She glanced up at him as his gaze roved her body, and she started to cover herself.
He caught her hands. “No, let me look.” He sucked in a breath. “You are even more beautiful than I had imagined.”
Dotty’s mouth dried, and her voice was thready. “Your turn.”
She unbuttoned his banyan, pushing it off him, and stared. No statue could compare. Golden curls covered his muscular chest. His stomach was flat and strong, reminding her of the drawing of a discus thrower she had seen in one of her father’s books. Dom’s member jutted up between them. How large it was. She dragged her gaze back to his face. “You are perfect.”
He drew her to him and laughed softly. “Not by any means, but thank you.”
Just as she wondered what to do next, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, holding her to him as he climbed in.
“If I do anything you don’t like, you must tell me.”
She rubbed her hands over his chest, the hair soft and springy beneath her touch. “I shall.”
Dom teased her mouth open, taking his time as he explored. She stroked her tongue against his, and he groaned. Her nipples ached and streaks of desire shot through her body, making her breasts tender and the place between her legs throb. He nibbled her jaw, fluttering kisses down her neck.
Dotty gasped when he drew a nipple into his mouth and pressed her legs together as the heat there grew.
