Page 93 of If the Slipper Fits
“Yes, I did. Very much.”
He’d battled a simmering arousal all morning—nothing new where Anna was concerned. Everything about the woman seemed to ignite his carnal appetite.
Now, hearing her softly spoken admission, he went instantly hard. The need to feast on her plump, inviting lips, toss her skirts up, and take her, right here, right now seared his senses.
Feigning an interest in the surrounding area, he released her hand and shifted to face away from her. Closing his eyes, he laid his forehead against the sun-baked window panes.Christ.
“Not much longer now,” he ground out.
“Caden?” A tone of uncertainty laced her voice.
He prayed she didn’t require any further proof of her desirability. He could not withstand further temptation.
Bracing himself, he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“I assume you’ve given some thought as to what you’ll tell your family? About me, I mean, and why I’m traveling with you, unchaperoned.”
“I plan to tell them the truth.”
She lowered her gaze, but not before he saw the flash of alarm. “I see.”
Everything in him wanted to take her in his arms. He could not risk it. “Trust me?”
She lifted her eyes to meet his. “I do trust you, Caden.”
The constant desire he felt for her was hard enough to manage. But this. This hot sensation flooding his chest at her gentle assurance stole his breath.
It also felt unreasonably, intoxicatingly good. He wondered briefly if this was how Kitty made Zeke feel during their courtship. If so, it explained a lot—and served Zeke right.
***
The coach had been moving at a steady clip for the better part of an hour, during which blue skies gave way to a cloud dappled dome and the summer sun eased lower in the western sky.
Now, the slowing jostle of the cabin had Anna pulling aside the velvet curtains to ascertain what the musty scents of damp vegetation and slight tinge of garlic in the air had already told her. They’d reached the Derwent riverbank. Just ahead and below, the wide expanse of gently rippling water reflected the late afternoon sun.
The coachman guided the horses onto the old, three-arch stone bridge marking the eastern perimeter of the Claybourne estate.
Soon the coach crossed through a thicket of forest, then turned onto a cobblestone road. Anna could only stare unblinking at the vista unfolding before her.
Rolling green hills bracketed by miles of forest announced thepièce de resistancecentered on the hilltop like a crown, the castle known as Chissington Hall.
Bathed in the fading sun’s rays, the imposing limestone fortress radiated a fearsome bronze as if it shone with a light all its own. The sight of those achingly familiar towers and parapets pinched her insides, making it hard to breathe.
She’d always loved Chissington Hall. She was gratified to see it was every bit as beautiful as her memory held. As a girl she fantasized about living in one of the towers with Caden, she a princess and he, her own Prince Charming.
She was no longer a child, and was certainly no princess. Caden, however took on the part of her rescuing prince like he was born to it. Some things never changed.
She shot him a searching look. Over the last hour, he had shown a marked disinclination to converse beyond monosyllabic replies to her every attempt to draw him out. She couldn’t know precisely how the sight of his familial home affected him, but the muscle, rapid-fire ticking in his jaw said his thoughts were far from placid.
He’d told her of his bitter argument with Zeke and the earl before he’d departed for Femsworth Manor. Was that where his thoughts had gone? Or was he simply concerned about the earl’s unknown illness?
Another possibility existed which Anna could hardly bear to contemplate. He might be worried over his family’s reaction to her plight and its potential to bring scandal down upon them.
Caden had asked her to trust him. She did trust him. It was what the rest of his family might do that gave her qualms.
The coach rumbled to a halt in the wide, graveled forecourt. After so long on the road hearing the clatter of the wheels, the relative silence felt like a breath of fresh air.
Caden waggled his brows at her, vaulted out of the vehicle and placed the stoop. He reached for her hand, helping her down.
