Page 35 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
But it was difficult to convince himself to let go when it felt so good.And strangely, holding Kit like this didn’t feel wrong.It felt like the most natural thing in the world.Maybe it was the fact that Kit smelled so wonderful.His hair smelled sweet, like honeysuckle, and other than that, he smelled like… Nathaniel paused to draw in a deep breath.In truth, the only other things he could smell were pencil lead and watercolor paint.Which didn’tsoundall that appealing, but to Nathaniel’s shock, seemed nigh irresistible.
He also could not help but notice how perfectly Kit fit in his arms, and how content Kit seemed to be there.As he slept, he nuzzled against Nathaniel’s wrist, making a soft, serene sound.
But then, Kit wiggled his hips, settling himself deeper into Nathaniel’s embrace.This had the effect of rubbing the soft curve of his bottom against Nat’s straining cock.
A moan burst from his lips, low and feral.He knew at once he had startled Kit awake, because the young man abruptly stiffened.They stayed frozen that way for eight agonizing beats of Nathaniel’s racing heart.
Then, Kit flew into motion, propelling himself from Nathaniel’s arms with such force that he shot out of the bed and stumbled across the room before catching himself on the washstand.
“I’m sorry,” Nathaniel said at once.“I was asleep.I didn’t intend for that to happen.”
Kit stood bent over, clinging to the washstand, breathing hard.Nathaniel noticed with surprise that, in addition to his shirt, he had slept in his trousers.
Nat swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.Kit’s panic-filled eyes, which had been darting all over the room, suddenly fixed themselves on one point.
Unfortunately, that point was his groin.
Nathaniel glanced down.He had slept in a loose shirt, but, unsurprisingly, the outline of his erect cock was clearly visible through the linen fabric.
He moved to cover himself with his hands, pressing his cock flat against his stomach.“Sorry.It’s just… you know.Morning.”
“Ha ha!Yes!”Kit cried, his voice shrill.“I know precisely what you mean by that comment!Of course, I do!”
Nathaniel crossed to the washstand.Kit skittered back as if terrified of the notion that their bodies might brush.
Nathaniel took up the ewer.March in the Hebrides was brisk, and the water, like the room, was bitterly cold.Perfect.He poured it into the basin.“A little cold water should take care of it.”
As Nathaniel started to draw up his shirt, Kit whirled around to face the wall.“Yes, indeed!That should do the trick, all right!”Carefully keeping his back to Nathaniel the whole time, Kit felt his way across the room to the chair where he had draped his waistcoat and jacket.He snatched them up, along with his boots, and hurried to the door.“I’ll see you downstairs!”he exclaimed before rushing out with the apparent intention to get dressed in the corridor.
Blast.Nathaniel knew the way he had woken up was… not ideal.But it had genuinely been unintentional, and he would have thought that, as a young man, Kit would understand that a fellow did not have complete control over his prick while he was asleep.
Still, Nathaniel should have released him immediately upon awakening, instead of lying there nuzzling the man’s hair.Gracious, what had come over him?
He finished his morning ablutions and pulled on a clean shirt.He wondered if he ought to apologize to Kit, or if that would only make things more awkward?Perhaps Kit would prefer that he not mention it.
His main concern was that this incident might strain their working relationship.He had so much riding on this project.His career was literally at stake.The last thing he needed was for their work to suffer due to an honest mistake.
As Nathaniel shut the door behind him and headed downstairs to breakfast, he vowed that he would do whatever it took to make the situation right.
If only he knew what that was.
Chapter16
Kate stumbled into the corridor, clutching her clothes.She had no idea how she would face Nathaniel after her shocking behavior that morning.
She still wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened.One minute, she’d been having a dream, except she still wasn’t quite sure what the dream had been about.To be sure, there had been a lot of images of Nathaniel standing shirtless at the washbasin, splashing water across the sculpted contours of his chest.
What had been less straightforward were the feelings that had accompanied her dream.Kate’s head had been swimming, as if she’d drunk too much wine with dinner.She’d felt hot, in spite of the chill of the room.
And yet,hotanddizzydid not fully encapsulate what had been going on inside of her.She had felt aching.Throbbing.Needy, but for what, she hadn’t a clue.And yet, she had felt certain that she would crawl out of her own skin if she didn’t get… whatever it was her body so urgently needed.
This state of confused desperation was the only explanation for what she had apparently done next, which was to press herself against Nathaniel and rub against him like a cat longing to be pet.It was utterly mortifying, but she’d had no idea she had been doing it, as she had been asleep.She had removed herself from the bed as soon as she realized what was happening, but that did not change the fact that it shouldn’t have happened at all.
As soon as she left the bed, Nathaniel had made some comments she didn’t understand.Something aboutmorningandcold water.Of course, she’d been so desperate to flee the room, she’d scarcely been able to attend to the conversation, and?—
A door opened down the corridor.The man who emerged was shorter than her with a thick, dark beard.She nodded and waved, only to receive a strange look in return.That was when she recalled that she was standing in the corridor in her unmentionables!
Fingers trembling, she started to pull on her boots.The worst part was that, over the past few days, their partnership had seemed so promising.Nathaniel was obviously a talented naturalist, and the two of them seemed well-suited in terms of temperament.This opportunity might have been the making of her career.
