Price of Desire (49 page)

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Authors: Lavinia Kent

BOOK: Price of Desire
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She caught his face between both her hands and drew it forward
.
Bending she laid the sweetest kiss of which she was capable upon his lips
.

“That is all I can ask.

She spoke against his skin, their foreheads touching in the lightest of caresses
.
He stared straight into her eyes and she felt her soul was bare for him to see
.
For a second, the
y paused,
frozen
.
Then the heat grew
.

She could feel it start in the tips of her fingers, burning growing, running from his flesh to hers
.
It swept up her arms, ran through her body, like an electric shock
.
Her breath caught, her heart
beat raced and still they stayed locked in that stare
.

She could feel the moisture of his breath against her lips
.
Her tongue darted out, to taste
.
His mouth opened and he pressed forward slightly, bringing her tongue to him
.
He caught it between his teeth, nipping but not hurting.

For a second she froze, and then surging forward she met him, lips locking, pressing
,
straining
.
He tasted of wine, and sweat, and lemonade
.
The sharp taste startled her, and then drew her deeper
.

His hands ra
n up her legs under her skirts
as she pressed forward, slipping to the edge of the chair, and the
n
further, sliding off onto his lap
.
He caught her easily, as if she weighed no more than a pillow
.
She settled across him, her legs wrapping tight about his waist.

And still they kissed
.
She knew his hands moved, knew hers did as well
.
She played with his buttons, opening his shirt, sliding her hands over velvet flesh
.
She could feel the heat, feel the intensity, knew every inch that their bodies touched.

And still they kissed
.
Still they stared into each other

s eyes, souls melding before bodies followed
.
It was sweet
.
It was passion
.
It was beyond anything she had ever dreamed
.

When her bodice slipped to her waist, the warm afternoon air caressing her, she didn’t know whose fingers had loosed the laces
.
When she moved to lie beside him, their legs intertwining in a dance older than time, she was not aware whose hands raised her skirts, whose fingers unbuttoned his breeches
.
They moved with one thought, one mind, each shifting to accommodate the other.

Finally, she shifted above him, pulling herself back to stare more fully
.
His lips were swollen from the endless kiss,
the
flush softening his
even
features
.
She could feel each breath he took as his chest rose and fell beneath her
.
She knelt above him, her thighs encasing his warm body, his hips beneath her
.
It was only the fraction of an inch before they were one
.
She stilled, paused, the eye in the midst of the storm.

And then she shifted, flexed, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough
.
His eyes clouded over, half shut
.
She shifted again, moving closer and yet denying
.
She paused waited, holding them both at the edge
.
His hands clenched, opened
,
moved towards her, slid down her hips, then stopped
.

She waited for his fingers to close, to grasp, demand
.
His thumbs ran over her flesh in the slightest of movements
.
She could see the desire in his eyes, the need, but his only advance was that gentle rub
.

She rose above him, positioned herself over him, opened herself fully to him
.
Their eyes met again and held
.
It was an instant, a second, a moment, an eternity.

And then with a sudden lunge she brought herself down, surrounding him, bringing him deeply to her core
.
His hands flexed upon her as the world suddenly spun
.
She flexed herself tight, holding to him, bringing them together in full union
.
She pulled back and sank, again and again, each time drawing closer to the pinnacle and the withdrawing
.
The rhythm sped, and slowed, as they fought for power together
.
Each time her body tightened
,
his response quivered through her
,
pushing her further
.
She raced onward towa
rds that final goal, knowing he
was right with her.

When the scream finally left her lips as reality exploded, his lips met hers again
,
swallowing her cries, taking them into himself
.

 

She lay face down upon his chest, her hair damp with sweat, but still permeated with that sweet smell of honey
.
He could feel her hot breath tickling over the hairs of his chest, as she drew each deep breath into her chest
.
Wulf wrapped his arms loosely about her
,
not wanting the moment to end.

He shifted slightly and kissed the crown of her head
.
She tilted her chin up
,
meeting his eyes
,
and she smi
led
.
Oh
,
what a smile
.
S
he lit from within as if from a thousand candles and each flicker warmed him, eased some wound or cut deep within
that
he’d no longer know
n
he carried
.
She pushed herself up against him until their eyes were level and then she kissed his lips again, an angel kiss, felt not with the lips but with the heart
.

“Can we be married today?

She spoke the words into his mouth a
nd he felt each one enter
, lodging itself
inside
him.

“Do you really want that
?
I thought you wanted to wait, to have the ban
n
s read properly
.
We could
,
you know
.
Without the threat of . . . of mourning
.
There’s no reason not to take a little time.”

She didn’t answer, but just kept watching him.

“Even if you are with child . . .” Of their own volition his hands moved up and circled her waist, his fingers spanning her belly, stroking with utmost tenderness
.
She flushed and looked away
.
He leaned forward and kissed her, just below her navel
.

“. . . even if you are with child a few weeks wait would not hurt
.
It can be an early baby.”

She swallowed, hard
.
“Do you want to wait?

There was a tremor in her voice.

“No.

He spoke firmly and with purpose
.
How could one word be so right
?
“I don’t know if the ceremony can be performed today, but I am sure it can be arranged for tomorrow
.
Will that satisfy you . . . my lady?

He whispered the last as he straightened and brought his lips against hers again, for the first time he could remember the word caused no pain
.
Lady
.
It was only a word.

“Mmmm, I don’t know that I can wait so long.

She wiggled her hips against him and he felt his arousal grow
.
He pressed back
,
letting her know just how she affected him
.
He kissed her again, and then more deeply.

Her one little sigh almost undid him as she wiggled again.

A loud tap on the door startled them apart
.
Tris stepped in shutting the door behind him with a decisive click
.
He turned to the corner, facing away from them.

“Damn you, Tris
.
I heard the knock . . . but damn you.”

“I wanted to get here before anybody else
.
There’s been another incident, a fire in the nursery
.
They’ll be here in a moment looking for you, Lady Burberry
.
I thought I
’d
best . . . well, I’ll be going now.”

He slipped out the door as if he’d never been there.

Rose was on her feet
,
pulling up her bodice and shaking out her skirts
.
Her golden hair spun about her in an unruly cloud
.
“I’ve got to go . . . Anna
.
I have to find out if Anna is al
l
right.”

Wulf got to his feet
.
His own heart beat with the same worry, but he would not let her see
.
“I am sure she’s fine
.
Tris would have said something if she wasn’t and I am sure that . . .”

As if his words had summoned them there was the sound of feet in the hall and then further pounding on the door.

“My lady, you must come
.
My lady . . .

Matson’s voice cut through the door echoing about the room
.
Rose looked at her own disheveled state and then his
.
He could see her mind take in the situation and then dismiss it as unimportant, what mattered now was her, no their, child
.

She moved towards the door, unmindful of her hanging hair or the wrinkles that lined the back of her skirt.

This he could do for her
.
He caught her hand pulling her briefly against him
.
“She is fine
.
I feel it here.

He placed her palm upon his heart
.
“Just say you fell asleep
.
After last night nobody will question that
.
I trust your sister to be discreet.”

“My l
ady, are you in there?

The knob turned and he could sense Matson’s indecision
.
He grabbed the smal
l key off the bed
side table and held it up
.
She caught his eye and nodded, gesturing to her dressing room door.

He flashed her one reassuring smile and headed to the dressing room and the servants

s
tair
.
His feet sped down the t
read, eager to reach the bottom and begin the long walk back up to the nursery.

He slipped out the hidden door and headed towards the hallway.


Westlake
’s already up there.

Tris sat beside the fireplace
.
His feet up and relaxed
.
He smiled wickedly at Wulf
.
“He claims some experience with fires
.
He was just about to leave when Nanny came rushing down
.
There was some difficulty finding Lady Burberry
.
She’s apparently never in her chamber during the day and the servants hadn’t bothered to check
.
If Marguerite hadn’t suggested that . . . I persuaded her to wait before spreading the word.”

“I am in you
r
debt
,
as seems to be becoming the latest trend
.
If you’ll excuse me.

Wulf finished his walk to the doorway and started down the hall to the front stair.

 

Rose stood in the doorway of the nursery looki
ng around her in dismay
.
While
only the far corner bookcase had actually burned
,
the entire room was black with soot
.
The puddling water from the buckets that had put out the flames did nothing to calm her.

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