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His heart stuttered, and he loosed a slow breath. “Always.”
A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and the smile she gave him was the prettiest he’d ever seen. Sebastian lay beside her, and immediately she curled into his arms, shifting so her back was against his chest, and her the top of her head perfectly fitted into the crook of his neck.
“There is no beauty like the night,” she said softly. A trembling sigh left her and then even breathing. She had fallen asleep.
Sebastian stared at the night sky, the beauty of the stars, wondering what she meant to him. He had only known her a little over two weeks but had conversed more with her than several ladies for the last few seasons. He shifted her slightly, so her head was pillowed into the crook of his arm. She was warm and soft and relaxed with sleep. The fragrance of her perfume drifted through his senses, stirring his heart to beat faster. What was it about her that aroused his senses so effortlessly? He rubbed his cheek against the silkiness of her hair, liking the feel of her curved into his side.
Would another fit so perfectly?
Chapter Fifteen
Theo's lashes fluttered open to see the night sky peering down at her. She was pillowed against a very powerful chest, which rose steadily and evenly. The duke slept. The air was dense with the fragrance of springtime flowers, and even then, the flavor of Sebastian’s warm woodsy scent filled the air around them. She felt devilishly alive, and Theo felt acutely aware of her own body.
I dare you…
The whisper of her friend’s voice wafted through her thoughts. They had started daring each other to reach for the desires in their hearts because mere wagers would not do. A dare wasn’t about money like wagers, nor something they encouraged each other to ignore. A dare was about the fulfilling of wishes, hunger, and desires, and they had all sworn never to shy away from dares, especially if they were shrouded in truth. Yet she had ruthlessly suppressed Charity’s dare in the days she traveled with the duke, and the desire to kiss him had transformed into something more…
Now she desired to hear how his day had been if only to sit for hours and listen to his voice. She loved conversing with him, and she enjoyed his quick wit, even if it could be dry and skewering at times. She liked the way his mouth curved when he smiled, and she liked the way he stared at her when he thought her occupied.
Theo rolled over, shifting so she lay on his chest, peering down at him. His dark blue eyes were framed by black lashes and slashing brows. She couldn't deny his sinful, obvious beauty, yet it was not the reason being near him made her heart yearn. There was something about the duke…
She touched the tip of his aquiline nose gently. She felt achy and unsatisfied, the dream of kissing him floating away like wisps of smoke. “Why won’t you spare me, even in my dreams?” Theo whispered, an ache of such hunger rising inside that her fingers trembled.
Sebastian's eyes opened, and his beautiful gaze ensnared her. She started to lower her hands, a fierce pounding going through her heart. He caught her hand, his thumb smoothed over the soft skin of her inner wrist.
“You have not spared me either, Theodosia.”
The touch of his finger at her inner elbow felt like it opened up pathways of sensations within Theo. “I recall that I am your own brand of torment.” Before he could reply, she softly said, “I thought you asleep.”
“With your dreadful snoring?”
She choked on a horrified laugh. “I do not snore!”
“How would you know? Has a lover never told you?”
Sebastian’s steady, heated gaze told her how much he wanted her.
Theo allowed her lips to smile even though her heart trembled. “I’ve never had a lover.”Until now…
The duke stared at her solemnly. “Never?”
“Never,” she whispered.
His gaze sharpened as he evidently turned her words over. “Your husband?” Sebastian queried carefully.
As dismaying as it was for her to admit, she said, “Our marriage was never consummated. The viscount once mentioned that he married me to recapture the feelings of youth. My presence in his life was to flatter his vanity.”
The duke went stilled beneath her soft weight. “You were married for two years?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been lonely.”
“There were parts of it that were lonely…but oddly the viscount was a friend of sorts. I stayed in the country to escape the wagging tongue of society and only saw him a few times. There were rumors of his vices of course, and they reached my ears in Hertfordshire. Whenever we met, he treated me with cordiality and also left me a handsome widow’s portion.” She leaned now so their noses almost touched.
“How long have we been sleeping out here?”
He stared at her, his blue eyes somber. “Ten minutes at best.”
