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“You are quite the polymath.”
“Don’t let my books mislead you. I’m a simple soldier. Most of that I read out of curiosity and understand very little. The cookbook has been useful.”
“And you deflect praise for your accomplishments with self-deprecation. It is a trait I find attractive,” Alice said, sitting at the other end of the chaise from Harold.
“My biggest accomplishment will be winning you,” he said simply.
Then he leaned over and kissed her.
CHAPTER32
It had not been Harold’s intention to seduce Alice in that room, at that time. Having her in his London home had been a thrill, even though she was there to recuperate from an injury that Harold had caused. But he had found himself keen to show her his collections, to show that part of himself that no one got to see.
How long has it been since I was willing to share any part of my life with another? Beyond the public persona that is. Eloise was the last. And she gently, but firmly, pushed me away in favor of Edward Hathway, god rest him.
Alice had seemed enthralled by the telescope, an expensive toy that Harold doubted any of those who regarded themselves as the Ton would appreciate or even understand. The general, controlled chaos of this inner sanctum would seem untidy and disordered to most. But, Alice looked at it with the same sense of childlike wonder that he felt. He could see it in her fascinated gaze, sweeping around the room, trying to take in everything and, at the same time, focus on each individual piece.
For the first time in long years, Harold felt he could truly relax in the company of another. When Alice sat beside him, hands folded in her lap, a secret smile on her beautiful face, Harold could hold back no longer. He leaned over and placed his lips gently against hers. For a moment, she did not move. Harold shifted on the chaise, moving himself closer to her and putting his arms around her.
Then she seemed to sink into him, her body relaxing until she nestled in his embrace, lips gently pushing back against his in soft, questing kisses. When Harold felt her hands against his chest, then running down his ribs to his waist, the glowing coals of his passion began to flare into fiery life. Parting his lips, he tasted hers with his tongue. Then he tenderly, but with firmness, bit at her lower lip.
The temptation was just too much. Her lips were full and potently feminine, capable of innocent smiles or sultry kisses. The combination sent flames roaring through Harold. The gasp as he nipped at her lip fanned the flames higher. Releasing with his teeth, he caught her lip between hers, sucking momentarily. That brought a long shuddering moan of delight and her hands tangled in his hair, holding his head to hers, demandingly. Now, her mouth opened wider, and her tongue quested for his taste.
Pressing her body to his, her lips refused to release his. Moans escaped her as Harold’s hands roamed over her body, caressing her back, her bottom, and then her breasts. The fabric of her clothes was an unwelcome barrier, keeping him from feeling her bare skin against his. An urge grew within him to tear it away, to see her naked before him. It was almost overpowering, making his grip tighten where he touched her, one hand on her buttocks, the other on one of her breasts.
For a moment he pulled back, fighting to control his own desire. Alice cried out softly as his lips were pulled away from hers. Eyes closed and face lifted, she pursued him, seeking the touch of his lips again. One hand clasped over his, holding it to her breasts, making him squeeze and caress. Harold fell back before her passion, holding her atop him, one leg lifting between her knees.
Her buttocks felt round and pert, he clasped the first one, then the other, pressing her loins down against his as he did. Pulling free of her, his other hand joined in the movement, gripping her derriere, and thrusting up with his hips as he pulled her down. Alice seemed to be driven beyond her own self-control. She lifted her head and moaned his name, joining in the motion, helping him by thrusting down to meet him. Harold whispered her name which seemed to drive her to further lengths, increasing the speed and force in the thrusting of her hips against him.
Harold felt control slipping away from him as his manhood pressed urgently against Alice. In a moment, he would utterly surrender to his lust. It seemed Alice was at the same point. She looked down at him for a moment, hair in disarray, a savage and wanton smile on her face. She ground her hips against him, squirming side to side as she did.
Does she know what she is doing to me? By heaven!
Harold groaned aloud at the sensations her lithe and seductive body were setting off within him. Hands tightened on her skirts, preparing to rip and tear, exposing her pale and delicate body to the air.
No. We must not. Not like this. I will not dishonor her and I will not prove that oaf of a brother right about me.
At that moment, as though reading his mind, Alice sat back, panting as though she had run a footrace.
“No. We must not,” she said breathlessly, pushing her hair back from her face.
Harold shook his head, unable to form words yet. She sat back, her loins still in contact with his. Every shift of her body atop him brought stabs of ecstasy. Each stab threatened to be the one that drove him over the edge. Sighing with the deepest regret he had ever felt, Harold lifted her off. As he did, she looked down, boldly taking in the bulge in his breeches and giving a shy smile that also threatened to drive Harold into the furthest reaches of lust.
“You are a vixen,” he said, as he extricated his legs from beneath her and sat forward, arms on his knees.
“I shock myself. I would have you know that I am not usually like this. I have no experience of men. There is something about you that at once puts me at ease and at the same time, ignites such a fire inside that…”
Harold looked at her through hair that tumbled across his face.
“I am no seducer of women either. I have known love, once. And I have known women…more than once. But, this is not…usual for me either. You are the first to set foot in this room. And the first in a long time that…well, let us say that you have brought out feelings I had considered long dormant.”
Alice tucked her feet under her, resting her elbow on the back of the chaise and her chin in her hand. Harold found himself watching her silently. It felt like standing before a painting or a statue crafted by a master. He felt the need to simply look at her, gaze in awe at the perfection of her features, the symmetry, and the beauty. The need to touch her was uppermost in his mind.
When her hand raised towards him, before she blinked, flushed, and let it fall, he realized that she was having the same thoughts.
“I have read romances in which two young lovers cannot keep themselves apart. I had always thought it implausible. Now, I understand how imperative that…desire is,” Alice said. “I feel I am behaving like the lowest kind of scarlet woman. I do not think I can trust myself when I am alone with you.”
“Nor I with you,” Harold replied. “But I want to find out what it is that is between us. To explore it fully. I do not think it would be wise to give in to our desires. I think it would taint us.”
