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Chapter 20
Jarvisclimbedupthetrellis leading to Olivia’s bedchamber window. He’d climbed it so many times now he scaled it in less than a minute. Or possibly it was because he knew what awaited him there.
Olivia. Alone in bed…
When she’d invited him there, his entire body started buzzing with anticipation. Even now, the warmth furled inside his loins, and his breathing was labored.
After the interlude they’d shared in Kensington’s study, he was certain she wanted the same as him to continue their rendezvous. But now, hanging outside her window, he started having doubts. Perhaps she just wanted to talk. Maybe she wanted to question him about him being a Shadow. Maybe she was just curious or even furious with him that he’d deceived her.
He reached out a hand and realized that the window was unlocked. He climbed inside and stopped short just inside the room. The view that greeted him had him startled.
In all his years of being a Shadow, he had broken into many chambers. And never had he been startled to a stop from what he saw inside. But this time, he was.
Olivia stood a few paces away from him. She was dressed for bed, in her dressing gown over her thin nightgown. Her hair was tucked into a horrendous nightcap, and her hands were just above her head. She held a huge, heavy book in her hands. Standing there, as if wielding a weapon.
Jarvis stifled a chuckle and raised his arms in surrender. “It’s just me. Would you mind lowering your weapon?”
Olivia looked at the book in her arms and slowly placed it on the corner of her vanity table. “Oh,” she said as she turned back to him. “You came.”
Jarvis slowly made his way toward her. “Of course, I came. How could I have passed up such an enticing invitation?” he said in a low voice.
Olivia raised her head so that her eyes met his. “I am glad,” she said in a sultry whisper, and all the doubts Jarvis had hanging outside her window suddenly disappeared.
He stepped even closer until she was just a foot away and reached out his hand, slowly, as if not to spook her. Her breathing accelerated, and he could see it by the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She swallowed audibly, her eyes still on his face.
When his fingers touched the underside of her jaw, her eyes fell closed, and her lips parted. Jarvis smiled as he tugged on the ties of her nightcap. The bow fell away, and he dragged the piece of cloth away from her head.
“I-I… I wanted to talk to you,” Olivia said in a breathy voice, clearly unable to concentrate enough to speak without stumbling.
“Yes,” Jarvis said distractedly. “We can talk.”
He put a finger below her chin and gently forced her to meet his eyes. As her gaze met his, she licked her lips in a nervous gesture and then bit on her lower lip.
“Are you nervous?” he asked, frowning.
The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable. But he knew it wasn’t as easy as seducing her worries away. She might have given herself to him in Kensington’s study, but she was still a virgin. She was inexperienced, nervous, and almost naked in front of him.
They’d been alone together in this exact room, kissing and enjoying each other’s company. But tonight was different. Then it was a spontaneous moment of passion. Tonight, they both knew where their interlude would lead, and Jarvis couldn’t help but feel self-conscious himself.
For Olivia, who was inept in social situations, this moment must have been terrifying. He resolved himself to go as slow as he could, melting her worries away one kiss, one touch at a time.
Jarvis lowered his head and slowly touched his lips to hers. With an audible sigh, Olivia put her hands on his shoulders, her fingers curling into his coat. Jarvis opened his mouth and enveloped her lips inside his heat. He licked across her lips, and she reared back.
Jarvis raised his brows, and she smiled nervously.
“It tickles,” she whispered.
Jarvis smiled. “Yes. Do you like it?”
Olivia blinked several times, her breathing heavy, and finally nodded.
“Do you want to sit?” Jarvis gently raised his hands to her waist, and Olivia stepped back out of his reach.
“Yes,” she said, looking about the room. “I want to sit.” She moved toward the bed and then paused. “On the bed?”
“Anywhere you want.”
She turned and looked at him miserably. She didn’t know what to do or how to act. He would have to lead this encounter, he realized. As much as he wanted her to feel comfortable and to be the initiator of their intimacy, she couldn’t.
