Chapter10
Drew kicked the door shut softly with his foot, his arms full of the simple fare he’d purchased from a passing pie seller in the hope it might satisfy his lady’s appetite.
His body hummed with satisfaction after a long afternoon of mutual lovemaking. It had been another exciting day of meeting in secret. For three days in a row, Aurora had come to him at this house on Conduit Street, and he’d gloried in making love to her.
He did not take Aurora’s involvement in this amorous encounter lightly. She was skittish in ways he couldn’t quite put a finger on. Accepting of intimacy but fearful of voicing any sort of emotional commitment.
He set out their fare on a small table by the fire and went to her. She’d been standing at the heavily curtained window when he’d left the room and was still there now, naked, and oblivious to her state, it seemed. She wasn’t standing around naked to be provocative for his benefit. She didn’t seem to possess any modesty at all.
Drew placed his fingertips to the small of her back and with gentle pressure, guided her away from the window. The sun would not set for another hour, and there was still so much he wanted to do with Aurora before she was gone.
“Feeding me changes nothing either,” she whispered. “I will not marry you because you won’t let me hunger.”
How odd of her to suggest that was his motive for offering a common courtesy. Drew was certainly not so deluded as to think an apple pie would improve his standing in her eyes. She was still resistant to being with him openly, but here in the bedchamber she was as generous as he could hope for.
However, this, their secret meetings, changed everything in his mind. Their continued affair cemented his decision that only she would do for him, but he kept that opinion to himself. He’d promised Aurora not to talk about marriage, and he wouldn’t propose only to be refused yet again.
When they reached the low chairs, he dropped his head so his lips grazed the tip of her shoulder, and kissed her skin. He was quite in love with the curves of her body. He would like to spend years worshiping them. “I’d love to see you bathe,” he whispered.
She looked at him, seemingly alarmed by that suggestion. “Why? Do I smell?”
“I love your skin,” he assured her. She smelled divine. So good, so soft, he’d love nothing more than to spend an eternity in close proximity, touching her. He did not say that out loud though. Voicing any sort of commitment seemed to be another taboo. All he’d managed was to arrange for them to meet one day at a time. “I’d watch you bathe because you’d be naked and wet. My fingers could slide over your skin, delve between your legs. I could bring you to climax that way.”
He saw her gulp, then pant. Excited by his plans for her pleasure. “I don’t believe the wash basin over there is large enough for even one of us to try that.”
“I happen to know of one elsewhere that we could both fit in together.” He chuckled softly and nipped at her ear. “It can get a bit messy. Bathing together. Soap and water get everywhere. My hands, too. The fun, of course, is in the cleaning up. I’d use my tongue to lap all the water droplets from your body. I might easily get distracted by your curves though. They are so very appealing to me.”
Aurora’s eyelashes fluttered as she leaned into him. Her skin was cold against his bare chest. Drew wrapped her in his arms to warm her, and she sighed, content it seemed to be held against his body for a while. He glanced down at her face, curious about the creature he craved more and more each day. “Have you ever made love in water?”
“No. I cannot swim.”
“I must remember to take you to the hot springs as soon as we get—”
He stopped abruptly. He’d been about to say as soon as they were married and went home to Kent. However, now was not the time to discuss their future living arrangements. The present moment with her was much too compelling.
Drew had hoped to find a like-minded woman in London, someone with an open mind and adventurous nature toward intimacy. Aurora seemed quite naturally inclined toward pleasurable activities at least, if not the wedded state. He detected no hesitation or doubts in the bedroom.
That was a refreshing change from his experience with his late wife, especially in the last months of their marriage. Clare had become irrationally prudish as the birth of their child had drawn near. Toward the end, he’d looked to his hand for satisfying his own hungers.
He shook away the bad memories. “We’ll find the time one day to do it, I’m sure,” he promised.
He couldn’t get too far ahead of the present moment. Aurora was still resisting his requests to even think about marrying him, but had not denied his need for passion or her own. He wouldn’t give that up for anything.
He feathered his hand down her body, pausing just above the nest of dark curls between her thighs.
She squirmed, brushing against his groin.
It wasn’t an innocent brush.
Aurora knew desire.
Had experienced it before with someone else.
He had so many questions about that. But they could wait until a less delicate time in their budding relationship. He brushed his fingertips in slow passes across her abdomen, teasing, heartened by her reactions.
Aurora seemed a lady quite content to be worshipped and take all he could give. She slowly lifted her arms to encircle his head. “You really have been living a lie, my lord. You’re not good at all. I think you’re positively wicked.”
He kissed her hair. “I was only hiding my amorous side until I found my proper bride.”