Page 85 of Wicked Designs
“I only meant to ruin you by bringing you here, I didn’t really intend to physically er…ruin you. There was no thought of seduction until I put you on this very bed. You were so dirty and dusty from your attempts at escape, but when I set you down… I was entranced… I had to touch you…so I did.”
“You did?”
“Only a touch, I held your face in my hands. Your cheeks were covered in dirt and I rubbed it away. It took every bit of my self-control not to kiss you. That was when I knew you had bewitched me.”
Emily was surprised,pleasantly so. She remembered little from that first night, but she had avague memory that a handsome prince had stroked her face and nearly kissed her, a fanciful, fairytale dream, she’d thought.
Emily slid off Godric and tucked herself up in the warmth of his embrace. Sharing a bed with him now made her realize how lonely she’d be tomorrow. There would be no good morning kisses, nor more quiet afternoons in his study. There wouldn’t be any warm masculine body to cuddle up to at night when shadows lengthened across her bed.
Her love for him burned hotter and brighter each hour she spent with him, but that love would kill him if she didn’t leave. Blankenship’s men would arrive and there’d be bloodshed on all sides.
She considered telling him the truth, telling him what Evangeline had said, but she couldn’t. He and the other lords were nothing if not prideful and stubborn. They would vow to defend her and someone would get hurt or killed. Their blood could not stain her hands, they had become like family. She had to leave. Perhaps she could send Blankenship a letter when she reached Blackbriar, tell him she escaped and he would have no luck at the Essex estate. She could only hope it would work and keep them all safe.
Godric’s hand gently stroked her hair, the sensation so soothing and calming that she could barely stay awake. She needed a moment longer.
“Godric…”
“Hmm?” His response vibrated her body in its soft rumble.
“Thank you.”
“What have I done now?”
“You showed me a part of life I might have missed otherwise.”
The back of his knuckles brushed along her cheek. “If you were a chance, my dear, then it was my good fortune to take you.”
Her eyes burned. She couldn’t cry, not now.
“I know I shouldn’t say it, since it ruins our moments…but I love you.” She might never see him again after this and she wanted to know she was brave enough to say it to him, one last time.
“You could never ruin anything, darling.”
Godric raised her head to his and slanted his mouth down over hers. It didn’t matter how he kissed her, chastely or lustily, she came to life at his touch. Her tongue danced between his lips. He groaned softly, fisting his hand in her hair. His fingertips massaged her scalp, and Emily’s hands slid along his chest, reveling in the hot skin beneath her fingertips.
“Make love to me,” she pleaded between deep, languid kisses.
“As you command.”
CHAPTER 15
The house was rid of Evangeline Mirabeau long before breakfast was even set. Someone had seen to her early departure, and the rest of the house was none the wiser as to who it was. It would seem that, having played her role, she had wisely chosen to leave lest she still be around when Blankenship’s men arrived. The relief among the lords was tangible. Breakfast became a cheery affair, and despite Emily’s plans to depart, she took advantage of these last few hours with her friends. For they were just that. She’d miss Ashton mothering over the others. She’d miss Lucien’s attempts to hide behind his newspaper while teasing the others. She wouldn’t get to fish or hunt with Cedric, nor listen to Charles’s outlandish tales.
And Godric… She would misslifewith him, but she had no choice.
“Toast, Emily?” Charles offered a plate of toast as it came her way, breaking through her dark thoughts.
“Why, thank you, Charles,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” The earl winked, and when she fetched a slice of toast, he passed the plate over her head to Ashton.
“What has everyone planned for today?” Ashton asked the table at large.
Charles precariously balanced on the back two legs of his chair. “I’ve got some correspondence to catch up on.”
“Oh? You actually answer your letters, do you?” Lucien commented from behind his newspaper.
“Of course I do. Just because I never answer your mother’s letters doesn’t mean I don’t answer any of them”
