He reached for her, tossing the sword onto the bed as he pulled her close. “Not at all. I’m quite impressed with your collection.”
She wrapped her arms about his neck. “You flatter me, sir.”
Something deep inside warmed. This was how they were meant to be: playful and passionate. Odd how tonight was the night that something had clicked into place. “I should never have left you tonight.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be absurd. You sent Dillan, and besides, the evidence you gathered—”
He silenced her with a kiss. He’d put her in jeopardy. Never again. When he lifted his mouth, he looked down into the green depths of her eyes, softly lit by the first rays of the rising sun. “I know you want to be by my side, and I agree that you’re suited to the task, but I don’t like the idea of you facing danger. I can’t help but want to protect you. I…” He swallowed. “I love you. I always have.”
She ran her fingertips over his cheek. “I think I finally understand. And I see why you wanted to keep me safe.”
He kissed her again, and her mouth met his for several kisses before she backed away again. “But you have to understand Iwasn’t made to stay in parlors. I was always going to be out on the streets…”
He swallowed down a lump. He knew that she spoke the truth. It was one of the things he’d always loved about her. “How do we move forward?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to think about it tonight. What I wish right now is to hold you in my arms.”
That sounded good to him. “And the crate?”
“Leave it for the queen. It’ll be hers to open for the first time.”
“Good idea,” he answered before he captured her mouth with his. Their last kiss had been tender, but this one seared. Lips and tongues devoured as they pressed as close together as they could.
It wasn’t nearly close enough. And soon her dressing robe was a heap on the floor, followed by his coat and cravat. Then his waistcoat.
He had to break away to take off his boots, and he wasn’t until he sat on the bed, the short sword nearly piercing his backside, that he remembered it was there. “Bloody bollocks,” he shouted and jumped up again, before setting the sword on the floor.
She laughed and the tinkling sound filled the room. “Are you all right?”
He turned, trying to look behind him. “Did I ruin my breeches? It’s my last pair.”
“Last pair?”
He hadn’t told her of the robbery yet. “It’s a long story.”
She lay on the bed, the nightgown underneath settling over her body so that the delicate curve of her waist and flare of her hip was highlighted. “I’ve got time.”
“Well, I don’t,” he answered as he tugged off first one of his Hessians and then the other. When he had on nothing but his breeches, he climbed onto the bed, stalking toward her like astarving man. Because he was. He’d been far too long without her.
She rolled onto her back, reaching her arms to him as she welcomed his weight on her body. He sank into her softness, rumbling out his satisfaction as her fingers threaded through his hair.
“I missed you so much, Bennet.”
Those words—they tugged at the place deep inside that had always been hers. The part that had pushed him to go through hell to keep her safe. “I missed you too, my love. So much.”
Her lips met his again, one of her calves wrapping about his. He wanted more. He wished for her legs to wrap about his waist, the cradle of her body holding his.
He tugged at the hem of her night rail, wishing for the fabric to be gone.
But as he pulled, she stilled underneath him. “Bennet.”
Something in her voice caught his notice and he stopped too, lifting up to look down into the most beautiful face in the world. “What, my love?”
She swallowed. “I…I need you to know that I’m still a virgin. I never…”
He looked down at her, every emotion rising to his throat. “So am I.”
She blinked.He was also a… His lips came down on hers, his hungry kiss making her momentarily forget the question that had begun forming in her mind.