Page 39 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman
He lowered his head and lifted her breast to his mouth, discovering the textures of her nipple and skin with his lips, teeth and tongue. His tongue cradled her nipple and he sucked, while her hands reached down and pulled his shirt from the waistband of his trousers.
It was as though a fever burned between them. He was not alone in his addiction.
Her fingers touched his skin. No other woman had touched him beneath his clothes. He straightened up to kiss her once more, his tongue pressing into her mouth as his hand kneaded her breast and hers swept across his back underneath his shirt.
A soft sound of pleasure seeped from her mouth into his.
Every nerve, every sinew in his body ached to do much more than they were. He wished to press her back, lay her down and lift her nightdress. His hands returned to her buttocks, holding her against him and crushing her soft breasts against his chest.
She broke the kiss. ‘Rob.’ Her voice asked for everything his instinct wanted.
I have not run that mad.
He released her instantly, as though his hands had been scorched, and swallowed back the lump of longing in his throat. He refused to regret what they had done, but it could not go further. He covered her breast, and with shaking, clumsy fingers resecured the buttons.
‘Why did you stop?’ Her expression, and her voice, spoke of fear.
She had voiced her fear of rejection earlier.
He was not rejecting her, only saving her from himself.
His palms braced her head, covering her ears, holding her so she could not run and would look at him. ‘I should not be touching you, I have drunk too much to make the right choice. The kiss, earlier… I am sorry… This should not have happened.’
She stepped back, slipping free from his hands, her skin reddening. Then she turned and fled.
‘Caro.’
The mists of lust swept away and left Caro in an instant. ‘This should not have happened…’
Caro was still blushing, even though she was in the dark, alone, as she climbed the stairs.
When she walked downstairs, she told herself it was only to say thank you. Truthfully she wanted Rob to make love to her. The night was so wonderful, she wanted to end it by feeling even closer to him, sharing her happiness and enjoying the experiences of a marriage bed.
‘Caro,’ Rob called quietly from below. ‘Caro.’
It was mortifying, to be rejected when she offered him her body.
‘Caro, come back.’
Her bare feet brushed on the stair carpet as she hurried up the last few steps, then she ran to her room.
20
The next morning, Rob came downstairs later than usual. They had finished eating breakfast when he walked into the room. Caro looked up, she and Mary were talking while she drank a second cup of chocolate. Drew was reading the newspaper that had been delivered from London.
She missed Rob smiling across the table this morning. His absence was a gaping hole in the start of her day. Mary and Drew had missed him too; Mary looked at the clock several times and Drew glanced at the door frequently, impatiently tapping his fingertips on the tablecloth.
They would all miss Rob when he left, and now, they all smiled at him.
A blush warmed her cheeks as he withdrew the chair and sat. After last night, perhaps she should spend her day in the nursery. But she had so little time left with him she did not want to hide away and waste it.
‘Are you feeling unwell?’ Mary asked him.
‘I sat up, I could not sleep, and I probably drank too much whisky and more of the punch than I should have.’ Rob sat down.
‘I agree, my whisky decanter had to be replenished this morning,’ Drew mocked.
Rob was pale, and his eyes were shadowed.
