Page 47 of Gambling with the Earl
Nor was he. But he couldn’t let her go, not while the chance to prolong their time together was so tantalisingly close.
“It is merely a continuation of the nursing care you have already provided.”
She nodded her agreement. Her composure was absolute, bar the quick rise and fall of her bodice, denoting a heart rate just as fast as his own.
Was this madness? He had kept his promise to act with propriety until now, but each day it became harder to resist her. And now, with the baking heat lending a shimmer of unreality to their surroundings, it would be all too easy to give in to temptation.
He shook the notion away. He was a knight of the realm, not some base fool living at the mercy of his sexual urges.
“Where would you like me?” he asked.
His question brought a flash of colour to her cheeks, and he regretted his choice of words.
“You will need to be sitting, as otherwise I will not be able to reach.” Her hands lifted to emphasise the distance his shoulders stood above her.
He remembered how it had felt to circle his fingers around her delicate wrists.
“On the bed then. Shall I put my shirt back on?” He was determined to be practical, to banish the tension that had sprung up between them.
“No, leave it off.” Her voice was small.
He strode over to the bed and lowered himself onto the corner of it. He loosened his shoulders and widened the stance of his legs, to better distribute his weight.
She was behind him. He could sense her even though he couldn’t see her. He closed his eyes, tense and ready for her touch.
Her fingers were soft and warm. They dipped over the wall of muscle in his shoulder, gripping and pulling to release knots he never even knew were there. Guy found his head lollingforwards and a great sense of relaxation descending over him. Her palms pushed against his upper back and then ran down the sides of his arms, bringing pinpricks of excitement to his bare flesh. Despite his good intentions, desire was uncoiling within him with every sure, controlled movement of Kitty’s hands. Now she was concentrating on his left side. On the shoulder he had thought of as ruined. But her gentle kneading brought him no pain, only pleasure.
Pleasure that was building inside him. Pleasure he craved and tried to deny at the same time. Her breath hit the back of his neck. If he reached behind him, he would find her soft, womanly curves. Heat pulsated through him as he gripped down hard on his self-control. It was no good. In another moment his need would overtake his rational thoughts.
Kitty darted away from him as if he had spoken the warning aloud. Bereft of her touch, he breathed deeply to calm his passion.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice came out hoarse and deep. He turned to look behind him to find a most curious expression flickering across her face.
“I was gathering my thoughts, my lord.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Are they gathered now?”
She worried at her lower lip, but resolution shone in her eyes. “I believe so.”
Part of him throbbed for her still. He dared not move lest he scare her away.
“Are we to continue?”
“Most certainly.”
She stepped up behind him once again. This time, when her hands ran up his bare arms, her touch was slow and steady, almost as if she had calculated the most precise way to stimulate his desires. Her fingers spanned out against his backbone andthen stroked the length of his spine, spread to his sides and travelled up his body to settle on his shoulder blades.
He exhaled sharply. Her touch was weaving magic, putting him under a spell. The sultry heat of the room mixed with her seductive gestures, intentional or not, would surely prove to be his undoing. His mind flashed with images. He could turn in less than a heartbeat, gather her up into his arms and lay her down on the bed. He imagined his own hands being free to explore her soft curves. He would unbutton her bodice and lower his lips to her breasts.
Enough. He could stand no more. He launched himself away from the bed and stalked over to the window where the brightness hurt his eyes.
“Have I displeased you, my lord?”
“Only in that your touch is driving me wild,” he shot back.
He expected his confession to shock her, but when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw her standing as bold and resolute as before.
“It is overly warm in here,” she stated. “Perchance you’re in need of fresh air?”
