He found his voice, rusty, thick, unsteady. “Truce.”
He loved her.
Charis could hardly believe it. But Gideon’s quaking desperation as he clutched her hand to his chest convinced her it was true, perhaps more than actually hearing the words.
With that declaration, Gideon changed her world forever. Her heart rejoiced. She felt new, reborn, strong. At last there was a chance she could win what she wanted with all her soul for both of them. A life of happiness, a future at Penrhyn, children, contentment, peace.
She and Gideon spent the afternoon tooling around Jersey’s lanes in a hired curricle. When he suggested the outing, she’d leaped at the chance to escape their rooms. In the cramped conveyance, awareness tautened between them, but movement and air made the bristling atmosphere bearable.
Almost.
With a flourish, Gideon drew the vehicle to a stop on the crest of a hill. Below spread a vista of fields, with the sea silver in the distance. A breeze teased strands of hair from under her bonnet. The gloomy weather had cleared, and the day was fragrant with coming spring.
He loved her.
The sun shone more brightly. The birds sang more fervently. The air brushed across her skin more sweetly.
“Oh, what a pretty place.” She risked tucking her gloved hand around his arm.
When he didn’t recoil, she leaned forward, deliberately rubbing the side of her breast against him. Surprised pleasure awoke as she heard his breath catch.
Those torrid moments in his arms had taught her so much. That she could drive him mad with need. That he could touch her with the deepest intimacy. That the sensation of her husband’s body pumping into hers was the purest excitement she’d ever known.
Now she was familiar with the scent of his arousal, the sound he made in his throat when he penetrated her flesh, his hard strength as he pounded into her. The experience hadn’t been entirely comfortable. He’d been rough, and she wasn’t yet accustomed to a man’s passion.
He’d thundered into her like a regiment of horses charging down an enemy position. She should have been terrified.
Instead, she’d loved every hot, sweaty minute.
She’d loved his body joining with hers. She’d loved seeing him a helpless slave to desire.
She wanted him to do it again. Soon.
His arm was rigid under her hold, but at least he didn’t pull away. “It’s good to get out of town.” Did she hear a trace of huskiness in his comment?
“The press of people worries you?” She turned to study him. He’d been preoccupied most of the day but to her relief, he showed no signs of illness. What happened this morning had clearly unsettled him. She couldn’t doubt he’d found physical satisfaction. But his mind was far from easy.
She curled her fingers around his arm, testing the unrelenting muscle. He was so strong and masculine. The heated memory of him surging into her filled her senses. She felt her color rise.
He sent her a brief, assessing glance. “A little.”
It took her a moment to realize he answered her question. The problem with this plan to drive him out of his mind with lust was that she wasn’t exactly immune to his touch either. So difficult to focus on a goal when his mere presence turned her into a steaming pool of desire.
She reminded herself to be patient. This would be a long, slow siege, but victory would be worth it. For Gideon and for her.
“London must have been a nightmare.”
He looked over the horses’ heads, and his gloved hands tightened on the reins. “Yes.”
“How did you bear it?”
He shrugged. “I had no choice. The sovereign commanded. I obeyed. I drank. I took opium when liquor failed. I canceled what engagements I could. Tulliver and Akash helped.”
“And now there’s St. Helier.”
He smiled. “Believe me, St. Helier is much easier than London.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll soon be back at Penrhyn.”