Page 36 of The Lord's Compass
“Wonderful,” he said with a grin that appeared genuine. Was he truly so happy to simply sleep next to her?
She climbed into bed first, noting that they already seemed to have each claimed a side, no matter if they were on the ship, at the inn, or here at this estate.
She turned to her side, facing the wall, feeling the dip in the bed when he lay down upon it, rolling over until he was tucking her body into his.
“What will you do when we are no longer sharing bedchambers?” she murmured, even as tears frustratingly pricked her eyes at the thought of sleeping alone once more.
“I shall be very lonely,” he said with a sigh, and she snorted.
“What am I saying?” she said, unable to help the bitterness that crept in. “You likely never sleep alone.”
He was silent for a moment, which she took as agreement from him until he began to speak.
“I cannot say that I am a saint,” he said slowly. “But I never actually sleep with any other women.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, unable to help the quickening of her heart that perhaps she was different – significant.
“I mean that I never spend an entire night with a woman. We always part ways before the sleeping begins.”
Faith didn’t respond. For there were two warring factions within her – the one that was jealous that other women were worth having relations with, and the one that was happy with the fact that there was something special about what she had with Eric.
“Goodnight, Eric,” was all she finally said.
“Goodnight, Faith,” he said, snuggling in closer to her, his nose and chin nearly nuzzling her neck as his warm breath tickled her cheek.
Before, his presence had caused her comfort and had lulled her to sleep, but the awareness that had been building between them before was creeping over her again. Every place he touched her body – his hand on her hip, his knees in the crook of hers, his chest on her back – seemed to tingle. He shifted slightly back away from her, telling her that he felt it too.
His hand moved from her hip to slide around her waist, his palm splaying across her stomach, and she had to hide her gasp at the warmth that shot from his touch down between her legs.
He was as tense and immobile as she, as they both lay there, likely waiting for it to ebb away.
Finally, Faith couldn’t take it any longer.
She turned over to face him, surprised to find his eyes wide and staring when they came face-to-face.
“Is everything all right?” he asked in a strangled voice.
“No,” she said. “Not at all. There is something strange between us, and I believe we must determine just what it is.”
His throat bobbed as his eyes flicked from one side to the other.
“What’s that?” she asked suddenly.
“What’s what?” he asked, clearly attempting innocence, but something was protruding into her stomach – something he was trying to hide as he began to shift backward.
“Eric, are you?—”
“Ignore it, Faith.”
“But—”
“I’m just tired, all right?” he said, rolling his eyes. “It happens when I’m tired.”
“Of course,” she said, becoming annoyed now, although she wasn’t entirely sure why. Was she upset that he didn’t want her, that he didn’t want to admit he wanted her, or that she wanted him worse than she ever would have imagined? “I am well aware that you do not desire me in that way.”
He closed his eyes as though in pain and she began to turn around and draw away from him when he reached out and cupped her shoulder, stopping her.
“Faith.”
