Page 26 of Magic Touch
"Too much, William." Esme sounds half panicked. "Ease it back down."
Behind us, the kitten hisses, then growls.
"No, Simon," Esme calls.
Distracted, I let the water free. It splashes to the earth in a vertical wave that soaks the ground around the pond, and us with it.
Simon hisses again and runs back toward the cottage.
Esme sputters and pushes her sopping hair back from her face.
I'm soaked through.
About to apologize, I'm shocked when she laughs. It rolls out of her, musical, gets louder and continues. Holding her stomach, she rolls to her back. "Oh, dear, we shall have to work on your control."
Lying beside her with my head propped on my hand, I look into those green eyes, and I'm lost. I tuck the wet curl on her cheek behind her ear. "I'm so damned attracted to you, Esme. It's hard to think of anything else."
Her laughter fades, and she cups my cheek. "You've been in my heart since long before I met you."
"Have I? In what way?" I thumb the water away from the soft skin under her eye.
She lifts her hand, and with a wave, warm air dries us both. "I read all about you in the paper and saw your portrait. I fantasized about the hero you might be. Then we met, and you are even more than my imagination conjured."
Being called a hero never appealed to me, but having her admiration makes the idea more bearable. "It's distracting from things more important, but I want to kiss you now more than I wish to draw my next breath."
Her chest lifts and falls with quick breaths. Desire courses through her eyes, and I don't need to use magic to feel her want. Maybe it is magic, I don't know. She lifts her head from the warm grass. "You should kiss me, as I can't resist, and honestly, it’s all I've wanted since meeting you."
"Will you believe me when I tell you my motives are honorable?" I let my lips ease an inch closer to hers.
She threads her fingers through my hair. "I believe all that is good about you, sweet William."
No man could resist the longing in her eyes, and I have no desire to push her away or keep her at arm’s length. Too much thinking at this moment is unpardonable. I lower until my mouth touches hers. Energy pulses around us, and the earth seems to vibrate. I nibble her bottom lip, and then her top. I press my tongue against the seam, and she opens for me.
Her fingers grip my hair while her other hand hugs around my back.
In the damp grass, I shift so my hip presses against hers and make love to her sweet mouth. Passion rises as our tongues slide against each other, over and over again.
I caress down the side of her breast to her waist, and then grip the swell of her hip. My shaft is rock hard, and I have to force some sense into my brain. Breaking the kiss, I spread light kisses on her cheeks. "I swear I have never wanted anyone as I want you, Esme. It's as if my control is lost whenever you are near. I'm a gentleman, you must believe me."
Gazing up at me, she looks like an angel. "I know you, and there is no need for you to defend yourself. I, too, have never felt so compelled to be near someone. I'm no virgin, William, nor do I randomly take lovers. I decided some years ago that lovers were more trouble than the pleasure is worth. Still, desiring you as I do is beyond my control."
Cupping her cheek, I kiss those full, mind-altering lips once more. "I don't know how this can be more than an affair, and I don't want that for you, or from you."
She smiles, but sorrow fills those eyes where I only wish to ever see joy. "Perhaps it's best to not think about the future. We have until you are trained."
Her mention of a time limit on my feelings sits me up. I face the pond, now still after my meddling. "And then we are to be strangers?"
"I hardly think that is possible." She presses her hand to my shoulder. "We are not strangers now."
My temper is rising, but none of this is her fault, so I have only myself to be angry with. I could rail at society, but who would care? "I am not the sort of man to dally with a woman."
"A dalliance is all we can hope for." She sighs. "You must act as your conscience demands, William. I want you and will not turn you from my bed. However, we also have a duty to our magic. You need to learn, and if Prudence is right, there is some purpose to your magic awakening at this time. Danger is coming, and we have limited time to train you as a witch. If making love with me will be a distraction, I think it best to keep our distance."
Chapter
Eight
ESME
