Page 21 of An Honorable Arrangement
His breath tickled the shell of her ear. "I want you, Sarah. I have never yearned for anyone as I do you."
Facing him brought her breasts against his chest, and with only the thin cotton of her nightgown and wrap, the sensations spread from her nipples to lower regions. "I don't know what to say."
"If you would say my name, it would make me very happy." He pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Montgomery," she breathed.
ChapterSeven
For hours, he had imagined what it would be like to have Sarah Sommers in his arms, but never had he dreamed she would appear outside his door with wild expression and all that silken hair hanging around her shoulders.
The sound of his name from those plump lips was more than a mortal man could take. "May I kiss you, Sarah?"
Eyes like saucers, she nodded.
He indulged in touching her thick tresses and letting the strands run through his fingers. One kiss, just one kiss.
Closing his eyes, he breathed in roses and the warm scent belonging only to her. He kissed her high cheekbones, and when she closed her lids, he kissed those too. "You are lovely."
She lowered her chin and pressed her hands flat on his chest. "Beauty fades, Montgomery. One day, I will be an old woman, and you will wonder what you ever saw in that girl who ran from you at Michaelmas."
Placing his finger under her chin, he eased her gaze back to his. "Do not mistake me, sweetheart. You are very pleasing to the eye, but it is not that which has brought us to this pass. I saw your beauty in Oxford but never thought you might mean more to me than a chore I did for my uncle."
"I don't understand."
"You are kind, smart, caring, thoughtful, strong, and yet vulnerable. I didn't see those things until we came to Bristol." He slid his lips along the crease of hers. He was playing with fire, but though he might blister, he couldn't help himself.
"How could you see all of those things here in Bristol?" She moved her hand from his chest to his neck where she toyed with his hair.
Her touch was maddening, and he hoped it would never end. "I knew from the way you restrained yourself rather than further enraging your father. And from the way you still wanted to help him despite his horrible accusations. I knew because you told me of your life and troubles. All those things and even the way you were kind to Mrs. Cochran showed me the woman inside to be such a lovely package."
"I think you should kiss me now," she said, breathless.
He was unable to resist. Monty explored her lips with a feather’s touch and let her set limitations. He touched his tongue to the crease of her mouth, and she opened for him.
Sensations flooded him as their mouths battled, found détente, then bliss. He explored her lips, teeth, and tongue, tasting and enticing while she met his every move. Nothing would ever compare to the heat of her kiss or the innocence of every hum and gasp from her throat.
He pressed a string of kisses along her jaw to her ear.
Clutching at his back and shoulders, she pressed her body flush against his.
Unable to resist, he gripped her bottom and pulled her in tight. Instead of relief, his desire cascaded to new heights. Finding her mouth again, he made love to her lips as he wished to one day make love to all of her. "Sarah, you are magnificent, but I think you had better go back to your room."
She stilled and relaxed against the closed door. Her breath pushed out in heaving gasps. "You're right, of course."
Monty kissed her forehead. "Promise me you will not regret this in the morning."
One delicate hand rose to the space above his heart, and she stared into his eyes. "If you have no wish to change what has happened, then neither shall I."
"I only wish…" It was too soon for such declarations, so he’d stopped himself. "I will wait until you are clothed to discuss such wishes." He pressed his lips to hers. "As you are, it is too tempting to be a cad rather than a gentleman."
After sliding his hand along her waist to her hip, he forced his touch away from her and lifted the latch on the door before stepping back. "I will see you in the morning, Sarah."
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Gaze clearer than any lake or sea, her eyes filled with longing and maybe something more. "We have a few days’ journey where perhaps you might tell me about those wishes."
The touch of her hands on his back and shoulders left an echo as she walked down the hall away from him. His discomfort was acute, but taking her against a door was unconscionable. He wanted to bring her all the delights she deserved, and for that, he'd need a setting that didn't include sneaking her back down the hall to her room in an hour when the sun came up.
There would be no sleep for him that night. When the sun rose, he washed, dressed, and asked the kitchen for some bread and jam before he found his driver readying the horses and carriage.
