They rode it out together, clinging, every muscle trembling. For a long moment, neither of them moved until, at last, Blaise lifted his head, eyes heavy-lidded, and the scar on his face stark against the flush of exertion.
“You are going to be the death of me,” he said hoarsely.
She smiled, sated and exhausted. “Then it seems we are even.”
CHAPTER 26
“Ihad almost forgotten,” Blaise murmured into Iris’s ear as the muffled roar of the house returned gradually.
She stirred next to him, and his body immediately reacted.
“Forgotten what?” Iris murmured sleepily.
Her back was pressed against his chest as they rested on the chaise, and Blaise noticed how her body curled perfectly into his, how her hands were soft against his rough palms, and how he enjoyed watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing.
“It seems we have both forgotten that I have a house full of guests,” he said as his lips curled into a sly smile when Iris gasped. “I have a ball in progress. A nephew whose marriage prospects I must arrange by tonight. And instead, I am here, corrupting a proper widow in an improper room.”
Iris laughed, and his breath caught as the sound filled the room. “There was no corruption here. I agreed… and quite enthusiastically too.”
Blaise placed his lips against her neck and felt her slowly surrender to him again. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
The words escaped his lips before he could stop them.
Iris turned towards him. She looked dazed, and her skin glowed under the moonlight.
“I believe I do,” she whispered.
Blaise did not expect a woman with a sharp tongue and a deep, unsated hunger to undo him. Iris made him question everything, unsettling and exciting him at the same time. He should let go of her and go back to his duties. But instead, he tightened his arm around her and breathed her scent in. Her fingers lifted and closed lightly around his wrist, causing his chest to ache.
Blaise watched as her gaze dropped to his hand, up his arm to his jaw. Slowly, she traced his scar with her gentle fingertips.
He went still.
“I have not asked how it happened.”
“Most people prefer to invent their own versions,” he said lightly, although the whispers still taunted him. “I once heard that it was a jealous husband.”
Her mouth twitched. “Andwasit a jealous husband who did this to you?”
“No, I have no luck with jealous husbands.” He considered telling the truth and, without hesitation, said, “It was a boar.”
Iris shifted, leaning on her elbow, and she looked down at him. The intimacy made him want to kiss her again.
“A boar attacked you?” Blaise could see that she believed him. “Were you hunting when it happened?”
“I was,” he said. “My brother and I were hunting together.” His eyes unfocused with memories of earth and bracken rising like smoke.
Understanding flooded Iris’s amber eyes as she continued to stroke his scar.
“I had just told Benjamin something he did not want to hear,” Blaise continued. “About Marcus.”
“And then what happened?” Iris asked gently.
“Benjamin was on a rant when a wild boar snuck up behind him. We were both so lost in our anger that we had not seen it. We tried to remain calm, but when Benjamin reached for his gun, the beast charged.”
Iris gasped, her hand still on his scar, and Blaise grabbed onto her wrist as he relived the moment.
“I wrestled the boar, earned this nasty scar, and managed to kill it. But I could not save my brother. It had already punctured him before I charged.” His throat closed as he forced the words out.
