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Oh, he was adorable. So easily she could—Don’t even think it, Anne! “Agreed. You nearly killed me.” She laughed, but it was a shaky affair. Exhaustion clung to the sound. “It was quite wonderful, and I rather think you’ve spoiled me for anyone else.” It was as close as she could go to admitting to feelings she couldn’t puzzle out at the moment.
“Good, because I don’t believe I could share.” Benedict pulled away, severing their intimate connection. Immediately, she missed his warmth, his solid form against hers. When her knees wobbled as she stood upright and she teetered, he caught her in his arms. “Knowing a woman can’t walk after coupling is the best compliment a man could receive.” Then he carried her inside.
“How arrogant you are,” she whispered with a grin. Where had that attitude come from? It was endearing, and she lost a piece of her heart to him by accident. “But true.”
“Ha.” He laid her upon the bed, despite the fact she’d dampen the sheets and coverlet. “Shall I find you a towel or a blanket?”
“Not just now.” She settled her drowsy gaze upon him. Dear God, she could hardly move as pleasant lethargy weighted her limbs. Residual tremors danced between her thighs. “You know, Benedict, I’m coming to depend on you more and more with each day, even if half our meetings have been beyond scandalous.”
“For physical release, I assume?” Was that annoyance in his voice? She was too tired to figure it out. He removed his spectacles that were hopelessly speckled with raindrops.
“Not all, but you are quite potent in carnal endeavors.” She shot him an exhausted smile. He was both devastatingly handsome and adorably vulnerable as he stood at the bedside, drenched and winded. “I’ve grown rather fond of you and can’t explain how, for it’s only been a week. And that never happens with me.” Did that indicate love or insanity? “Except with ballooning. That I fell in love with immediately upon trying it the first time.”
Much like she’d become addicted to Benedict when he’d kissed her in the air…
“Perhaps it’s fate.” After drying the lenses on her bedding, he put his spectacles back on. “I should let you sleep.”
“No.” Did she believe in an unseen force that had already decided two people should come together? There were no answers, but she had seen stranger things before. Anne frowned, loath to let him go. She patted the mattress beside her. “Stay with me, just until I fall asleep. Please?” Surely it was beneath her to plead with a man to do anything, but she couldn’t help it. In this moment, she needed him for his protection and strength, and with him, she felt cherished, as if it didn’t matter that her reckless actions brought disastrous results at times.
An indulgent grin twisted his lips. “All right, but I must return by dawn. Otherwise, everyone will suspect where I’ve been and what we’ve done. It will most certainly ensure scandal.” With a sigh, he stretched out on the bed beside her and put his frontfalls to rights.
“And that will put the frown line back between your eyebrows.” Immediately, she rolled onto her side and laid an arm on his chest. The steady beat of his heart beneath her hand brought reassurance. “I could find myself growing rather used to this,” she mumbled seconds before her eyes drooped closed.
Benedict wrapped his arms about her and simply held her. And she enjoyed it more than she thought she would… or should. “So could I.”
Despite her fears and the risks to her freedom and the life she’d painstakingly built with its very exacting cost, would her future meld with his? That remained to be seen, but in this moment, everything was perfect, and she would cherish it.
Tomorrow could worry about itself.
