Page 60 of The Lady No One Noticed

The bed dipped beneath his weight as he eased himself beside her. Esther remained cradled by the pillows while Ian supported himself on one forearm, keeping the hard strength of his body close without allowing any of his weight to settle against her injured ribs. Even that careful nearness made a deep ache awaken between her thighs.

“Ian,” she breathed against his mouth.

He kissed her again before she could say more. His hand slid from her cheek into her hair, cradling the back of her head with exquisite care and avoiding the bandage wrapped around her temple.

“I thought I had lost you,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse with emotion. “I feared you would look at me and feel nothing but hatred.”

“I could never hate you.”

His hazel eyes searched hers. The open devotion in them made Esther’s chest tighten.

“I love you,” he said. “There is nothing in this world I would place before you again.”

“I love you too.”

He bent his head and captured her mouth again while his hands moved to the lapels of his coat.

Esther heard the fabric slide from his shoulders and fall upon the carpet. Ian barely paused. His mouth left hers only to travel across her cheek and along the delicate line of her jaw.

She tilted her head, offering him greater access without a moment’s hesitation. His lips found the sensitive place below her ear, and the first hot stroke of his tongue made her gasp.

Esther clutched his shoulders as he kissed his way down her neck. His mouth was warm and demanding, his tongue tracing the places his lips had explored. Each kiss left her skin burning. By the time he reached her collarbone, her breaths were coming too quickly and her entire body had become painfully aware of him.

“You are so beautiful,” Ian murmured against her skin.

His words caused a different kind of ache to spread through her.

“You truly believe that?” she whispered.

Ian lifted his head. His brows drew together, and his hand rose to caress her flushed cheek.

Ian lifted his head and caressed her flushed cheek. “Esther, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. Your eyes, your hair, your lips, the softness of your body. Every part of you torments me.”

The roughness of his final words sent another pulse of heat between her thighs.

His gaze searched hers before dropping briefly to the bed beneath her. Esther understood his hesitation. She was unmarried, recovering from an injury and lying in a bedchamber with a man who had already taken more risks with her reputation than either of them ought to have allowed.

“Are you certain?” he asked. “Once I begin, I do not know whether I will possess the strength to leave you untouched.”

Esther reached for the buttons of his shirt while his arm slid behind her. Her fingers were clumsy with urgency, but she managed to free one button and then another. Beneath the fine linen, she discovered warm skin and the firm muscles of his chest.

Ian groaned into her mouth when her fingertips brushed over him.

Encouraged, Esther pushed his shirt apart and ran both hands across his bare chest. She had never touched a man this way. The strength beneath her palms fascinated her. His muscles tightened wherever she explored, and the knowledge that she could affect him filled her with intoxicating confidence.

Ian’s hand found the ribbon tied at the throat of her night rail. He loosened the bow slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, then slipped his fingers beneath the soft fabric and drew it away from one shoulder.

His lips followed the path he uncovered. He kissed the pale curve of her shoulder before easing the night rail lower, taking care not to pull her forward or disturb her ribs. Esther remained supported by the pillows while he bared her inch by careful inch.

Their mouths parted only when their clothing made it necessary.

Ian pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it beside his discarded coat. Esther stared openly at him. His shoulders were broad, his chest beautifully formed and lightly covered with dark hair. He was more magnificent than she had imagined.

Esther touched him again, spreading her fingers over the warmth of his chest. Ian’s muscles tightened beneath her palm. The reaction made her bolder, and she traced the firm ridges of his body while he removed his waistcoat, cravat and boots with hurried, impatient movements.

Then he returned his attention to her.

Supporting her injured side with one hand, Ian gathered the loose night rail and drew it carefully over her hips and down her legs. When the last fold of linen slipped from Esther’s body, Ian stopped. The abrupt absence of his touch left her breathless.