AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Five
Awaiting Clara’s answer, James glanced behind him at the settee, assessing whether it was adequate for the task.
No, he dismissed immediately. They needed a bed—and all night—to explore each other.
The firelight warmed the auburn highlights in her carefully pinned hair, capturing his attention. He stood behind her, holding her breasts in his hands, but the intimacy he longed for was to bury his nose in those tresses, to touch the little waves and curls that strained against their pins.
His lips caressed the silken skin at her nape. She shivered, and her hands closed over his on her chest. When she melted back into him, he exalted in her trust. He drew in her scent, faint rose and clean and something all her.
Theirs was an expanding world of new conveniences and scientific discovery. Their lives were governed by social rules of extreme intricacy—even if he broke them by being there. James was a modern man, his very success in trade rooted in his investment in new ideas.
Despite all that, he inhaled her unique essence and ancient, powerful needs conquered rational thought. They might well have been wearing primal scraps of furs and skins rather than garments made from manufactured fabrics and fashioned by London’s most prestigious tailors.
In this moment, Clara’s noble lineage and his own humble origins meant nothing; his grievances with her brother didn’t exist.
James made a guttural sound of hunger and pleasure, wanting to claim her. He turned her in his arms, needing to fuse their mouths.
Clara staggered away from him instead.
He blinked, struggling to understand. He tightened his fists to hold on to her warmth as he watched her distance herself in every way.
She gripped the side of the fireplace mantle as if needing the support. Her eyes searched the wallpaper pattern nearby, eventually focusing on the design of a branch heavy with cherry blossoms.
Suddenly, the chinoiserie wallpaper seemed overtly sensual to James. Instead of mere frippery, he saw the blossoms’ lushness, the fecundity of the buds on the branches.
The fire outlined Clara’s feminine shape. She was breathing fast. Her gaze switched rapidly to a small statue of a bluebird on the mantle.
When she turned to him, a sheen of tears illuminated her moss-green eyes. “I don’twantto want this!”
Humiliation bit.
Impulse and craving overtook his own reason. Yet here she was—thinking and talking—struggling for composure through the fog of desire.
“Leave now.Please.”
It took a moment for him to grasp her words, so at odds with her evident longing.
Even when he understood, confusion reigned. “I’m beyond teasing, Clara. I don’t like it. So tell me—is this a game you take pleasure in? Or do you not want to lower yourself and be tupped by a man without a title next to his name?”
“Mind your language! You’re being deliberately crude!”
“And I’m asking you, are you deliberately goading me to enhance your own pleasure? Do you enjoy a tease before a good—”
“No! Can’t you see? I can’t do this, ofcourseI can’t!” She paused for a moment, her eyes widening. “Mr. Robertson, you do know that I’m a maiden, do you not?”
James froze. “Amaiden?”
Clara shook her head, astonished. “Whatever else could I be?”
He stumbled to the fire, staring dumbly into the growing flames until spots flashed in his vision. He looked away.
A bloody virgin?
“I didn’t know.” Regret cracked his voice.
“How could younotknow? I’m a spinster! What sort of woman do you believe me to be?”
“A high-born one,” he bit out, facing her again. “Do you know how manyladieshave pursued me for…relations? I’m not good enough to dance with, nor be seen speaking to. But I’ve lost count of the titled women who want me to push them into an unoccupied room at a gathering, and show them what sort of animal I am.”
