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“Now. With your hair tumbling about your shoulders.” He kissed her nose and then her mouth. “I wish to take it with me to New York.”
Her heart squeezed at the reminder that their time together would end soon, and she might not see him again for years. Ester leaned forward and kissed him, pouring all the feelings into her embrace.
“God, Ester,” he said raggedly, cupping her face. “We must stop.”
“No. I want you to remove my clothes and love me, Edmond.”
“You must be sore. I was unrestraint last night.”
“I know,” she said tenderly, kissing the corner of his mouth, already feeling that heavy ache of desire rising in her belly. “I still want you.”
“Ester—”
She took his words into her being, kissing him with scorching sensuality. She loved being with him, but he would not dictate the limits of her body. It was for her to learn and discover while she shared with him. With a muffled groan, he responded to her seduction with a shudder, coming down on her, helpless against the demands she made with her mouth, hands, and whispering words of love and want.
CHAPTER13
Ester murmured in her sleep and tossed a bit restlessly. Edmond lifted his gaze from the drawing he’d done of her, or more accurately, drawings, to stare at the serene loveliness of her face. Something infinitely tender turned over inside his chest, and he reached out and pushed a wisp of hair from her forehead.
“Edmond?” she whispered sleepily.
“Hmm?”
The softest sigh escaped her barely parted lips, and she leaned into the warmth of his palm.
How do I leave you for two years?
Shock scattered through him at the errant thought. He lowered his hand from her hair with a sigh. She was getting under his skin. No, she was already there and burrowed deep. He glanced at the clock on the mantle. It was almost two in the morning. He should wake Ester and return her to her chamber. He gently eased her into his arms and padded with her from the library and up the stairs to the third floor. She was such a pleasant weight against his chest, and he couldn’t help thinking that for her to be in his arms always felt…right.
Awareness skated over every inch of Edmond’s skin, and he faltered. Lucien was in the hallway, similarly with his wife held close in his embrace. She was also sleeping, her head resting with complete trust against his chest. Lucien’s eyes widened when he noted Edmond’s bare feet and that he was only clad in trousers.
“You…hell, Edmond, you took her to be your lover?” Lucien asked, his tone rattled.
“This is our business only.”
His brother nodded once and glanced down at his wife. He hesitated. “Do you mean to marry Ester?”
“No.” The words felt heavy and wrong. “You know I leave in a couple of weeks.”
“Damn it, Edmond!” Lucien’s eyes spit fire at him. “She deserves to be more than a distraction.”
“She is not.” It was Edmond’s turn to peer down at the minx in his arms. The instant his gaze touched her, his heart turned over with violent longing inside his chest. “She is important.”
“Then—”
“Whatever is happening is between us.” Edmond said no more as he padded past his brother and took Ester to her room.
Once there, he gently placed her in the bed and tucked the coverlets around her chin before soundlessly departing for his own chamber. He sat on an armchair before the hearth and stared into the crackling fire, wondering if she would still be here, unattached, when he returned from his business traveling. Or would she be married with possibly a child on the way?
And if she was, would he be able to bear it?
* * *
Ester loweredthe teacup to the small walnut table with a decidedclinkand stared astonished at her mother and the old dragon. Both watched her with an air of expectation, and she took a steady breath to halt the raw feelings bubbling inside her chest.
“Mama,” she began softly. “The letter I received in Kent said I needed to return to town withimmediatehaste, and it was most urgent. I hastened away with such worry in my heart, and this…this is the news?”
Her mother frowned, casting a quick look at Lady Celdon, who sat like a queen, her hands curved over the walking cane she held in front of her like a trident.
