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Raven felt Eden’s hands moving over his shoulders, then his back, her fingertips lightly tracing the muscular planes before sliding down his spine. Her touch was as provocative as her kiss. He had always regarded kissing as a bothersome prelude to far more sensual pleasures, but he realized now that was merely because he had never kissed Eden. He could not take his mouth from hers, and it was not simply that her taste was indescribably sweet. It was because of the abandon with which she welcomed each thrust of his tongue and returned it until he was certain she knew his mouth as well as her own.
Gradually Raven became aware of the distinct possibility that he had never really made love before, for Eden affected his emotions far more strongly than any of his previous partners ever had. He did not know how many women there had been, too many perhaps, but the physical release they had given him had never been preceded with such loving affection as this.
While he was no longer able to fight the attraction he had always felt for Eden, Raven still could not forgive her for enticing Alex into marriage. They were two entirely separate considerations in his mind, one purely pleasure, the other unbearable pain. For now he intended to take every joy she could provide, and later he would allow his anger free rein.
Lost in her own precious memories, Eden lay bathed in the heady enchantment of her husband’s affection. Her whole body felt gloriously alive, as sensitive to his touch as she had been on their wedding night. As always, he did not rush her, but instead allowed her to lead him ever deeper into the magical beauty of love. When at her urging he finally brought their bodies together as one, it was with the same exquisite tenderness he had always shown. He moved slowly, allowing her need for him to heighten until she clung to him, her motions mirroring his until they were both consumed in a heated rush of ecstasy. As that rapturous sensation began to ebb, they remained together still, their arms and legs entangled in a lovers’ embrace.
When Raven could again draw a deep breath, he began to cover Eden’s flushed cheeks with adoring kisses. Her lashes fluttered slightly, and then she opened her eyes. She looked up at him with a gaze that held both puzzlement and sorrow.
“Alex?” she whispered softly, devastated to find her beautiful fantasy was at an end.
“Alex is dead,” Raven replied, and as he spoke those words, the anguish that he had successfully suppressed until that moment suddenly became an unbearable burden. Overwhelmed by the pain of his grief, he buried his face in Eden’s silken curls and wept without shame for the man who had shown him the only love he had ever known.
As responsive as when they had made love, Eden held Raven tightly and murmured every comforting phrase she had ever heard. She knew only too well how much it hurt to have lost Alex, and she didn’t want him to have to suffer that excruciating pain alone. Somehow they had to find the courage to survive the loss of the man who had meant so much to them both. While she had not thought it would be Raven who would need her strength, she nonetheless gave it unsparingly until he at last fell asleep in her arms.
Her lips brushed his black curls with a goodnight kiss, but when Eden closed her eyes, it was again the soft silver sheen of Alex’s hair and the bright blue sparkle of his eyes that filled her dreams.
Chapter Six
August 1863
When Eden awakened late the next morning, Alex’s bedroom was awash in bright sunlight. Enjoying the view of the garden below, Raven was leaning beside one of the leaded windows that framed the massive bed. Arms folded across his chest, he appeared more relaxed than she had ever seen him, and infinitely more attractive. His damp curls glowed with a blue-black sheen and his well-chiseled features were bathed in golden light. He was dressed in tight-fitting black pants and a white shirt, whose loose folds concealed what she now knew to be well-muscled shoulders and arms.
Although Raven felt the warmth of Eden’s gaze, he did not turn away from the window before announcing calmly, “We’ll have to marry.”
Badly startled by that greeting, Eden sat up slowly. Her nightgown lay across the bed within easy reach and she hurriedly pulled it over her head then brushed back her tangled curls. “Raven,” she began hesitantly, certain they would never have a more important conversation, and therefore selecting her words with care, “Last night, well, neither of us was thinking clearly and—”
“I won’t argue with that,” Raven agreed, but he appeared more amused than upset by it.
Choosing to ignore the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth, Eden continued in an effort to gain control of what she regarded as a most unfortunate situation. “Good. To offer marriage is wonderfully generous of you, but it really isn’t necessary.”
As Raven turned to face her, his dark gaze took on its familiar mocking gleam. “You misunderstood me. I didn’t offer a proposal you could accept or decline. I said we’ll have to marry, today if Robert Boyer will agree to perform the ceremony. Under the circumstances, I’m certain he’ll understand why we don’t wish to invite any guests other than the required number of witnesses.”
Absolutely mortified by his plan, Eden’s mouth fell agape, but she quickly recovered and began to argue. “I’ve been a widow only four days, Raven. To even mention marriage, let alone insist upon it, is so totally inappropriate that—”
This time Raven interrupted her with a rueful laugh. “Not after last night it isn’t.”
In no mood for levity, Eden clasped her hands tightly in her lap and continued as though he had not spoken. To use Raven as a substitute for Alex had been inexcusable, but she refused to compound that error by rushing into marriage when she barely knew him. From now on, she would have to keep her eyes open so no matter how good Raven smelled or tasted she would be able to remember exactly who he was.
“We both loved Alex,” she explained with deliberate care. “It’s only natural that our grief drew us together. We’ll just have to be more careful from now on so that our emotions don’t get the better of us ever again. Neither of us is to blame for what happened last night, so we needn’t allow guilt to force us into what would surely be the worst of marriages.”
Mystified by that dreary prediction, Raven moved to the side of the bed. “What is it you’re after, Eden? When I found you in my bed last night, I thought it was me. I can’t believe you’ve changed your mind. Not after—”
“Your bed?” Eden cried out incredulously. “This is Alex’s bed, our bed. Not yours.”
“No, it’s the earl’s bed, and I want you to share it with me every night we’re at Briarcliff.” Regardless of the ridiculous things Eden was saying now, Raven was positive of that. She had awakened a need within him he had not even suspected he possessed and he intended to have her satisfy it as often as humanly possible.
This was the Raven Eden knew only too well—a cold, arrogant young man whose dark glance had always frightened her. The issue at hand was far too important for her to give in to those fears, however. “You have no right to talk to me like that.”
Eden grabbed ahold of the covers and flung them aside, meaning to leap from the bed, but Raven quickly sat down beside her to block the way. She then had to struggle to pull her nightgown down past her hips but that failed to make her feel sufficiently clothed for a heated argument with him.
Raven considered that tardy show of modesty as puzzling as what he regarded as her feigned show of indignation. Eden had such lovely legs, he was sorry she had covered them. Or was she only teasing him? Expecting a trick, he leaned across her and dropped his right hand to the bed to brace his weight. He had her caught between his arms then, and she could not move off the bed in either direction.
“You were willing to surrender your rights last night, Lady Clairbourne. Why do things seem so different to you by the light of day?”
Angered by his aggressive pose and insulting question, Eden shrank back against the carved headboard. “I want you to leave. I’m not in the habit of carrying on lengthy conversations with men before I’ve left my bed.”
Certain she was teasing him now, Raven’s expression softened as he reached out to trace the curve of her cheek with his left hand. “We needn’t talk if you don’t want to.”
