Page 42 of The Secret of the Dashing Detective
“Good,” he said, his voice so solid, with such possessiveness that a surge of triumph rushed through her.
She ran her hands up and over his chest, exploring the tautness of his muscle and the solidness of his collarbones before she continued down, over the lines of paint she had left on him to the indents separating his stomach muscles. She moved then lower, and lower still, until she reached the waistband of his pants – but he didn’t allow her any farther.
“Juliana,” he muttered hoarsely, wrapping his hands around her wrists. “You have to stop.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
But that wasn’t enough of an explanation for her. So instead of continuing this talk, she did what she had been longing to do since the last time they had been so close together – she stood on her toes and brought her lips up to his.
She pressed her lips against him, not sure whether she was asking or taking, but it seemed he didn’t have quite enough restraint to hold out against her and after a moment of hesitation, she felt him give in, his lips beginning to move, more slowly this time, as they explored one another and all they had to offer each other. A warm glow of pleasure began to move through Juliana, from where they touched down through her body to the very bottom of her toes and she melted into him, her arms reaching up to curl around his neck.
He pulled her in close, as she was ready to give him anything he wanted or asked of her as his tongue slipped into her mouth and stroked against hers in an intimate love play that had her shivering against him.
Juliana closed her eyes as the sun caressed her face and this man, her protector, her near-lover, caressed her body, her mouth, her soul.
Until finally he eased back away from her, although he didn’t go far as he rested his forehead against hers and they stood there together, swaying back and forth in a dance unlike any other.
CHAPTER15
“Matthew, that was—”
He placed a finger against her lips. He couldn’t hear her say how wonderful it was, how it seemed meant to be, how she couldn’t wait to do it again.
For they couldn’t. He had to cease this before it went any further, as much as it nearly destroyed him to have to do so.
“Juliana, I’m sorry, but this… this cannot happen again.”
She pushed back away from him, far enough so that she was looking up at him, the green in her eyes intensified by desire and now dismay. “I believe I have heard that before. Whyever not?”
He sighed although he couldn’t stop himself from running his hands through the tendrils of her hair that had slipped out of its elegant designs during their practice.
“You know why, Juliana. I am not the man for you. I am not good enough for you. I shouldn’t even be touching you, let alone—”
Let alone envisioning a life with her. For that was what was going through his mind, although he didn’t want to put words to it, didn’t want to voice it aloud, and certainly did not want to tell her. For their lives could never be one. They were from different worlds that didn’t belong together.
“Matthew,” she said, reaching up and stroking his face with her soft, cool, hands. “Do not say such a thing.”
“It’s the truth.”
“It is not,” she said so insistently that he nearly believed her as she emphatically shook her head at him. “You are the best man I have ever met. You care for others. You would do anything for me, and I cannot thank you enough for that. I feel things for you that I never even thought possible. I know that we cannot have a traditional courtship, but we can at least continue to spend time with one another, to see how much of this is real, can we not?”
They couldn’t. It would only make things worse. He knew that, in the back of his mind, and yet he couldn’t stand the thought of not being with her. If this is was all they would ever have, then damn it, he would take it, as imprudent as he was for doing so.
“Very well,” he said. “Although your brother will have my hide if he ever finds out.”
“Then we won’t let him,” she said with an impish grin that he knew was going to get them both in trouble.
“Juliana?”
They both started at a voice from out in the hall, and Matthew bent and donned his shirt as quickly as possible. He managed to dress rather quickly and respectably, missing only his cravat, before the knock sounded on the door and Lady Prudence peeked her head in. Her eyebrows rose at the scene before her, but she said nothing about it.
“Giles wants to see all of us. It seems that he and Mother have something they want to share.”
Matthew nodded to the door. “Go,” he said to Juliana. “I can see myself out.”
“I believe Giles would like you to come as well,Mr. Archibald,” Lady Prudence said, emphasizing his name, obviously a reminder to Juliana as to who he should be to her.
