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“I think you should, Emma.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be an item on my list to scratch off?”
Seeing her hesitation made him smile fully. “Is that what I am?”
She took a step closer to him. “Not exactly,” she whispered before biting her lower lip.
“Well then, what exactly am I?”
“I am not certain.” She walked closer to him but stayed at arm’s length.
“One of us should know,” he murmured, still waiting for her to make the first move.
Another step closer. “What if all we are is this moment? All we have is this moment?”
The scent of her lilac soap filled his senses, intoxicating him. For the first time in his life, he wanted more than this moment, but he didn’t know what she wanted. As much as he wished to ask her, a part of him didn’t want to hear the answer.
“Would it be so dreadful?” she whispered.
“No, it would not.”
She smiled slightly before taking the last step into his arms. Bringing her hands up to his wet cravat, she worked on unknotting the fabric. Once she had untied the linen, she unwrapped it from his neck and then slipped off his jacket. She moved away to place the jacket on a chair next to the fire to dry.
“Do they know we are sharing a room?” she whispered.
“No,” he lied only to spare her feelings.
“Was Ainsley angry with me for stealing his carriage?” She walked back to him and worked on the buttons on his shirt.
Simon chuckled. “You didn’t pilfer Ainsley’s carriage.”
Her hands faltered on the last button. She glanced up at him from under her lashes. “I didn’t? Then whose did I steal?”
He lowered his head to hers and stole a quick kiss. “Mine.”
“Yours? I wasn’t certain you would be there. How could I have picked your carriage out from the five that were there? Ainsley came around the horses, so I assumed the carriage was his.”
“Mine. He was admiring the horses.” He cupped her cheeks and kissed her until she responded with the passion he knew she concealed from everyone, save him. She tasted sweet and heady like wine on an empty stomach. And he wanted the entire bottle. All of her.
She tugged on his shirt until it finally loosened from his trousers. Breaking the kiss, she lifted the offending garment until he took over and yanked it over his head. He tossed it across the room.
“We should put it by fire to dry,” she said, looking over to the far corner where the shirt had landed.
“Later.” Simon pulled her into his arms and slanted his lips over hers again and again. He trembled with the light touch of her fingers on his chest.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispered.
Emma smiled as she stared at his chest in wonder. She focused on his chest, skimming her fingers up to his nipples. His skin felt warm under her fingers, but there was such strength in him. She brushed her fingernails across his skin.
“Emma,” he groaned.
“Do you like that?” She had no idea what he might or might not like, but believing men and women couldn’t be that different, she assumed his nipples would be sensitive too.
“Yes, I like that,” he rasped as his breathing increased. “Ever so much.”
“What else would you like?”
“So much, but first, will you remove my boots?”
