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He opened his eyes to stare at the black hair strewn over the pillow beside him. He knew that hair. The candle had burnt out, but the door of the chamber was open and the morning light filtered in from the front room. He lifted his head to look down at the exquisite perfection that was Honoria Blake.
Mon Dieu,but he had never seen anything as perfect as she. Her thick lashes lay against her pale cheek, looking almost as if they’d been painted on. He traced a finger over the swallow’s wing eyebrows, watching as her lovely violet eyes opened. Now, large and dark from sleep, they looked almost purple.
Laurent bent reverently and kissed her cheek. When she did not protest, he kissed the other. A small smile tugged at her lips, pretty pink lips he knew would taste like sugared sweets.
He’d wanted to kiss them last night, when they’d been stained red from the wine he’d given her. He’d wanted to do so much more than that when the sheets had fallen away to reveal those lovely breasts. Her corset pushed them high, so high he could almost see the dusky brown of her areolas. He could not stop himself from glancing down now. The sheet had been shoved to her waist, and those glorious breasts rose above shift and corset. One had all but fallen free of its confines, confirming his suspicions about the dark rose of her nipples. What he wouldn’t give to take that lush berry in his mouth and suck until it hardened and swelled.
He forced his eyes back up and found her watching him, a knowing look in her eyes. She was not a virgin. She knew something of men and of his thoughts. Laurent did not like to think how she might have gained that knowledge. Somehow he doubted it had been at the hands of an enamored lover. She’d been left on her own too young, and she was too pretty not to attract the attention of men who would want to take advantage of her.
“I must have fallen asleep,” she whispered. Though she must have known what he’d been thinking, what he’d been imagining, she did not struggle to free herself from his arms. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I rather like waking up next to you.”
“But the Temple—”
“Will stand whether we watch it or not.” He held up a finger. “That does not mean I intend to lie abed all day, but I think we both needed sleep.”
She nodded, her wide eyes on his. “And that is all we are doing here. Sleeping.”
Was she asking him or telling him? He could not be certain.
“If you are asking did anything untoward occur last night, the answer is no.”
“That is not what I am asking. I know you would never...” She trailed off, and he longed for her to say the words. He’d earned her trust—in this one aspect, at least. That meant the world to him.
“Ah,” he said with a smile. “You ask because you are in my arms.”
“I wondered what you thought to do next.”
He allowed his gaze to wander to her lips. “You have not moved out of my arms.”
“It is a small bed, monsieur.”
“Not so small.” When she still did not shove him off or wriggle away, he pressed a finger to her lips. “May I?”
“Kiss me?”
“Oui.S’il vous plaît.”
She stared at him for a long moment. The blood thundered in his ears, and he forced his hands to remain still on her warm body.
“How many women have you kissed?” she asked.
He stared at her, taken off guard. “I don’t...A gentleman does not kiss and tell.” Thank God he’d remembered himself before admitting that he had no idea.
“Very well. Tell me about the first woman you kissed. Do you remember her?”
The first woman?Mon Dieu,how was he supposed to remember something like that? He could not think so far back—“Yes!” And then it came to him, the summer day in his father’s gardens. His brothers and sisters had been there and his cousins.
“It was my cousin, Jeanne.”
“Your cousin?”
“Yes. I was seeking her—well, not only her, but all of them—and I found her hiding behind a topiary. But instead of coming out to help me seek the others—my brothers and sisters as well as hers—she grabbed me and kissed me.” He gave Honoria a horrified look. “On the lips.”
As he’d wanted, Honoria smiled.
“I immediately screamed like a girl and wiped my mouth. I thought it was the most disgusting thing ever. A girlkissingme.”
