Page 85

It felt magical to him, like nothing he had ever experienced before. The sensation of her body pressed against him, moving in tandem with his, caused every nerve in his flesh to awaken and light on fire.

His eyes moved to her lips and his own parted hungrily.

“You are all mine, Georgiana,” he whispered.

With no further thought, he bent down and took her mouth with his.

An explosion of sensations overcame him. He drowned himself in her soft, warm mouth, inhaled her lavender scent, tasted the chocolate and Irish whiskey on her tongue, and listened toher dreamlike sighs. His skin tingled and he kissed her with increased passion, silently thanking God that He had brought her to him.

Georgiana pulled away from him abruptly, stumbled backward as if in a drunken haze, and wiped the taste of him from her lips.

“What is the matter?” he asked in a husky voice startled by her actions.

When Georgiana did not respond, he reached out for her, but she stepped farther away. He frowned, confused by her behavior.

“Did I do something wrong??”

“I do not want…” she turned away, “I did not like…” she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. “I do not like the start, stop nature of this…these interactions. Yesterday we…and then you…I…no explanation, no…epilogue.” She made a sound of frustration. “I am not making myself clear.”

He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “I understand,” he said gently. “That is why I arranged for this evening. I knew I left things hanging, or we did…yesterday. What about this? Let us…adjourn to my chambers and sit down. If you want more than that, fine. If not, I shall escort you to your chambers and wish you goodnight.”

“Why can we not sit inmychambers?” she asked a bit sulkily.

He laughed. “Fine. Let us go and sit in your chambers.”

She nodded and he reached for her hand, clasping it in his. “Shall we take the wine?”

She glanced over at their half-full glasses and the nearly full decanter of wine. She nodded. “Yes.”

He released her hand and collected the bottle and glasses. He handed her a glass and they both finished the remainder of their wine before Robert retrieved the glass from her.

Carrying the bottle and glasses in one hand, he clasped her hand and led her from the room.

CHAPTER 28

“Ipray it does not storm tonight,” Robert said quietly, his eyes on the window.

This should feel more awkward.

Georgiana nibbled on her fingernail as she sat on her bed beside Robert.

She felt wonderfully comfortable holding hands and drinking wine in companionable silence as they stared out the window.

Outside her chambers Georgiana could hear the ebb and flow of a house winding down for the night. Soft footsteps echoed along the corridor, curtains swished as they were pulled shut, and the staff murmured amongst themselves as they wrapped up their duties for the evening.

Georgiana felt cozy and content. She tried to recall the last time she had felt that way, but it was too long ago to remember.

She realized that she spent most of her life worrying about other people and what they needed instead of taking care of herself. Now that she was here, beside Robert, she saw what she had been missing: the sweet feeling of Robert’s fingers entwined with hers, the warmth of the wine in her stomach, and the tenderness she received from their companionship warmed her insides more effectively than the crackling fire in the grate.

It began to rain. The soothing pitter-patter of raindrops on the window added another layer of peace to their intimate bubble of silence.

“If it does, I know I will be safe with you,” Georgiana replied boldly.

Robert turned his head to look at her. “You will. I promise you.”

“Th-thank you,” she whispered.

He turned and pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and leaned her body into the kiss to prove that she wanted him.