His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) (20 page)

Jeffrey watched her for a moment. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, Yvette.” He rose to his feet also and moved to stand beside her. Gently, he placed a hand under her chin, tilting her face to his. “Absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

At his touch, Yvette’s pulse began to quicken. Her heart fluttered for a moment as she looked into his eyes. They were so blue and piercing, as if he could read her very thoughts. Her fingers itched to run along the length of his jaw, to feel the slight stubble on his cheek. What would it be like to kiss his lips? What would it feel like to be kissed by Jeffrey Eddington? For a wild moment she wished he
could
read her thoughts.

They continued to stare at each other. His blue eyes glittered and his expression was unreadable. He stood so close Yvette could smell the now-familiar scent of him. Masculine. Clean. Sandalwood. A sudden crackle of excitement filled the air around them.

Her voice whispered so low she could barely hear herself, “Jeffrey, would you kiss me?”

Yvette held her breath, watching his reaction to her startling request. She had surprised herself by uttering her thoughts out loud. At that moment she so desperately wanted him to kiss her that she couldn’t prevent the words from tumbling out of her mouth.

For a split second, his eyes widened. Then they darkened with what could only be desire. She recognized the yearning in his eyes, for surely she felt the same way. Jeffrey wanted to kiss her! The revelation filled her with excitement and longing for him to kiss her passionately. Her heart raced and she took a big breath.

He still held her chin in his hand, and somehow moved even closer to her. His voice was low and husky. “Yvette . . . if I kiss you now, I don’t know that I could ever stop.”

His words filled her with a wild desire that left her breathless with anticipation. They were so close.

“Please, Jeffrey . . .”

Her whispered plea seemed to unlock something in him, for in the next instant he lowered his head and she closed her eyes, the sense of expectancy almost too great to bear. When his lips finally met hers, Yvette thought she would perish from the sheer pleasure of it. Warm, soft, and firm, his lips possessed her mouth thoroughly. Sensations she had never known existed washed like waves through her body, warming her from head to toes. She pressed herself closer to him, wanting to feel his body next to her own.

Falling, falling . . . she felt as if she were drifting outside of herself as the blood rushed hot in her veins and her heart beat in triple time.

His kiss grew in intensity and her mouth opened eagerly, hungry for more. Sleek and hot, their tongues met and Yvette sighed as an incredible pleasure blossomed within her. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she slid her fingers into his thick, black hair. It was so much softer than she had expected.

Gently, his hands slid from her face, along her shoulders and down her back. His touch, sensual and slow, fanned a growing flame within her. She could barely breathe, so consumed was she with these new sensations that were overwhelming her with their force. Her knees weakened and she trembled as Jeffrey continued to kiss her with an increasing passion that demanded she respond.

Oh,
this
was a kiss! A real kiss! One that made her feel hot and weak and wild. One that sent a rush of fervent feelings through her all at once. Breathless. Dizzy. Excited. Terrified. Thrilled. Satisfied. Yearning. Of course only Jeffrey could kiss her and make her feel this way.

It was heaven.

Filled with a feverish excitement, she kissed him back, wanting more from him than she ever thought possible. She clung to him, pressing herself against his muscular, male body. His hands stroked her back, moving up and down. And still they kissed, barely taking the time to breathe. Suddenly his hands were in her hair, carefully removing the pins that held her curls in place. As her hair fell in waves around her shoulders, this newfound passion and excitement grew within her, threatening to overwhelm her.

Yvette was kissing Jeffrey Eddington. Jeffrey was kissing
her
! It was ridiculous. It made no sense! She had known him for years and had never thought of this happening between them. Yet it seemed so natural and so
right
to be in his arms. And so wickedly delicious. She never wanted to stop. Her heart pounded frantically and she could barely breathe, but she didn’t care.

This, this was what her sisters had been talking about. Yes, Yvette now understood exactly what they’d meant. This was an earth-shattering kiss. This was something special.

Lost in increasing desire and passion, Yvette and Jeffrey continued to kiss. With her long hair now completely undone and hanging loose, she clung to Jeffrey, wishing she could stay with him like this forever. She had no idea how long they kissed like that and she didn’t care because she didn’t want it to end. Time seemed to melt away and nothing mattered but the two of them.

Her fingers still played in his thick hair, and his hands slowly moved along her back, along the curve of her hips. Oh, goodness, every time he touched her she became more aware of her own desire.

Suddenly Jeffrey broke away, ending their passionate kiss.

“Good God, Yvette,” he murmured low.

Finally coming up for air, her breath came in shallow gasps. The pounding of both their hearts echoed around them. He stroked her hair, holding her close.

“Oh, Jeffrey,” she whispered against his cheek, still trembling with unfulfilled desire. “That was . . . that was . . . I . . .” Rendered speechless, she could not find the words to describe what had just happened between them.

He groaned and looked down at her. He pressed his forehead against hers, his hands bracing her shoulders. “Oh lord, Yvette. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.”

Tears inexplicably welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

He cupped her face in his hands once more, staring hard at her. There was so much raw emotion on his face, Yvette didn’t know what to think. She’d never seen Jeffrey in such a state.

“Yvette, you have no idea . . . You have made me feel . . . I think that I—”

Suddenly there was a bit of a commotion in the hallway outside the sitting room. Footsteps. Voices. Stunned, Yvette and Jeffrey stared at each other in confusion for a split second as the enormity of the situation hit home. They managed to step away from each other just as the door to the sitting room flew open.

“We’re home!”

20

Home for the Holidays

Dumbfounded into silence for the first time in his life, Jeffrey was left wondering what to do as Paulette Hamilton Reeves, the Countess of Cashelmore, entered the sitting room.

“Paulette!” Yvette fairly flew across the room to her sister’s outstretched arms amid squeals of delight. They hugged each other tightly. Jeffrey moved toward them, attempting to shake off what had just happened between Yvette and him.

And not succeeding.

He’d kissed Yvette Hamilton, for Christ’s sake! He’d only meant to romance her a little, sweep her away from Lord Shelley, to make her see how wrong the man was for her. He hadn’t meant to take advantage of her in any way. But when the moment happened he had been powerless to stop it. Not when she looked up at him with her big blue eyes, her lips trembling, and
asked
him to kiss her. God, but she was a tempting sight. No man on earth could have refused her.

The kiss they had just shared had been like no other. It had left him feeling . . .

But Yvette was not for him! He had promised to watch over her, to protect her, and keep her safe. He had no business at all kissing her as passionately as he had!

Never had he felt so elated and so terribly wretched at the same time.

Not that he
had
thought of anything else but kissing her during the last few months since Lucien and Colette had been away. At times, all he could think of was kissing her. And Yvette had
asked
him to kiss her. God help him, how could he refuse such an offer? Christ, but she looked so irresistible when she had asked him. And he had wanted to make her feel
something
. Something, anything, she hadn’t felt when she kissed Lord Shelley. A girl like Yvette deserved to be kissed passionately.

And she had been astonishingly warm and sensuous, seductively responsive to him. She had fit so perfectly in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.

But what stunned him more than anything else was how
he
had felt while kissing her. He had grown weak-kneed and breathless. It had been an earth-shattering kiss for
him
, something he’d never felt before and he didn’t know what to make of it. He’d kissed dozens and dozens of beautiful women in his life and never had one affected him like Yvette Hamilton.

The tears in her eyes almost undid him and he had been on the verge of confessing his feelings for her. Feelings he hadn’t known he had until he’d kissed her. Crazy, wild, tumultuous feelings. Feelings that had him reeling and left him worried. What did Yvette think of him now? Had this kiss changed everything between them? How could it not?

It had been a blessing in disguise that Paulette arrived when she had, for he did not know what would have happened had they been left alone together any longer. It was far too tempting and far too dangerous. For both of them.

“Jeffrey! I’m so glad you’re here too!” Paulette called to him with a big smile.

The fourth of the Hamilton sisters was blond and blue eyed like Yvette. And Paulette also happened to be one of the smartest women he’d ever known. Marriage, motherhood, and life in Ireland agreed with her because she had grown even more beautiful.

Jeffrey wrapped her in a big hug. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, Paulette!” And he had. These Hamilton sisters were his family. Which made his current state of affairs with Yvette all the more confounding.

Declan Reeves, the Earl of Cashelmore, moved forward to hug Yvette and shake Jeffrey’s hand. Jeffrey had grown to like Paulette’s husband, in spite of being the most suspicious of Declan at the start of his romance with Paulette.

“Jeffrey, good to see you again.” Declan smiled in warm greeting.

“You too, Declan. It’s wonderful to have you both back,” Jeffrey said.

Paulette said, “We arrived in London just at sunset, dropped the children off at our house, and came right over to see Mother, but Fanny told us she’s asleep already and that you two . . . were in here?” Paulette, never one to miss a trick, eyed them most curiously.

Yvette, with her golden blond hair undone and hanging tousled about her shoulders, her soft cheeks suffused with color, and her full lips swollen from kissing him, looked wide-eyed, panic-stricken at Paulette’s insinuation. It was obvious that she and Jeffrey had been dining alone together and Yvette’s disheveled appearance made them look just as guilty as they were. God only knew what Paulette was thinking! The last thing Jeffrey wanted was for Yvette to be embarrassed. The kiss they had just shared was too special to be ruined. He had to salvage the situation as best he could.

“Your timing couldn’t be more perfect.” Jeffrey smiled at Paulette and Declan. Nonchalantly, he ran his hand over his own hair, smoothing it down where Yvette had run her fingers through it just minutes ago. “Yvette was just crying to me about how much she missed her sisters. Look at her, the poor thing. The stress of taking care of your mother has been wearing on her.”

“I’m afraid I’ve taken terrible advantage of poor Jeffrey, crying like a ninny in front of him.” Yvette flashed a grateful look in his direction as she dabbed her watery eyes with a handkerchief. “He’s been so wonderful to me. He’s been here every day, helping me with Mother.” She sniffled and tears welled again.

Jeffrey knew she wasn’t just crying about her mother. Yvette was overwhelmed with emotions, partly due to him, and his heart flipped over in his chest. He longed to pull her back in his arms and kiss away her tears, comfort her and protect her. He wanted to make her smile. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted her in his bed. He wanted to kiss her until she was breathless and wanted to make love to her for days on end and . . .

Jeffrey’s thoughts startled him. This was
Yvette Hamilton
he was lusting after and imagining naked, for crying out loud! Not some stage actress. Not some chorus dancer. Not just any woman. This was his sweet little Yvette. She’d been like a little sister to him for years. It was wrong, wrong, wrong. But it didn’t feel wrong when he held her. The feelings he was having for her were all over the place. What the hell was the matter with him?

“Oh, I’m sorry, Yvette.” Paulette’s expression changed from suspicion to sympathy and concern. She placed her arm around her younger sister’s shoulders. “I had no idea it has been so trying for you, and you here all alone. Thank goodness Jeffrey has been with you. Declan and I came just as quickly as we could after we received your letter, but I was ill myself and we had to wait until I was well enough to travel. Come now and sit down. And tell me about Mother and everything that’s happened.”

The two sisters moved to sit on the sofa. The very same one where Jeffrey had spent the night sleeping with Yvette in his arms. He could still recall the soft feel of her, the light gardenia scent of her, the utter sweetness of her, as he’d held her close to his heart. Never had he felt so content. That night with Yvette was seared into his memory.

The enormity of his feelings suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.

Good God.

He was in love with Yvette Hamilton.

The revelation stunned him. But it was true. He was in love with her. He loved everything about Yvette. The last few weeks of spending so much time alone just the two of them, being with her so intimately and seeing all the different sides of her personality, their constant talking and laughing together, and their confiding in each other, had awakened something deep within him.

He knew what made Yvette laugh, what made her cry. He loved the soft sound of her voice, the sweet smell of her perfume, and how she grew cross at her mother’s dramatics. He loved how she adored pretty things, how her incandescent smile lit up any room she was in. He loved the way her golden hair fell around her face. He loved the shape of her luscious mouth. He loved how she sashayed when she walked across the room. He loved her honest admission that she was completely disinterested in the family bookshop. He loved how she giggled at his jokes and teased him back when he teased her. He loved how she looked up at him with her big blue eyes.