Page 87 of A Fearless Heart
And then he thrust.
Pleasure burst all through her body. How had she lived her whole life without knowing this feeling existed?
Gabe seemed to know exactly what she needed, and within moments she was crying out, the sound muffled in her pillow. Then he pressed his body hard against hers and thrust three, four times, his breathing fast.
She felt the sticky warmth on her thigh as he withdrew, but then he pulled her close to him as he rolled onto his side, keeping her within his embrace.
“I told you I know how to prevent a pregnancy,” she murmured.
“And I told you I don’t want to risk it.” He kissed her ear. “But at this point, you should be rendered senseless with bliss, so I’m not sure why you’re talking at all.”
She bit her lip to stop a laugh. “Am I? I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the conventions.”
“I like that you’re unconventional. It’s wildly tempting. The first time I saw you, I wanted you.”
“I’m no temptress,” she objected. “I was a miserable little wreck, afraid of my own shadow.”
“Don’t believe that. You have a spark. Buried, true. But I could see it. And I don’t just mean I wanted to bed you. It was more than that. Though I’m going to do that again before I leave here.”
Lust welled up in her supposedly satiated body. “I’m listening.”
It was twice more by the time she finally fell asleep, completely exhausted in the most pleasurable, hedonistic way. Cady never knew she was so susceptible to the lure of the flesh, but Gabe awakened a side of her that seemed ravenous with need.
Cady still wasn’t sure what he saw in her, but then she reasoned that it didn’t matter. After all, she had gotten to be with him. The sort of man she had no hope of meeting in her bizarre, unhappy circumstances—yet there he was, and he was surprising and exciting and wonderfully gentle with her strangeness, and he tried to help her, and he definitely broadened her horizons. Cady knew it wouldn’t last. Gabe was too good to be true, but at least for now, she would believe in the dream.
* * * *
The next morning, after he’d slipped out of Cady’s bedroom, Gabe was still stunned by what happened between them. Here he was being so noble and self-sacrificing by telling Cady that he wouldn’t perform the act that would ruin her completely…. And then she just turned around and ruinedhimfor life by telling him none of his sacrifice was necessary, and would he please take her virginity. And she was sosweetabout it, smiling at him while he was losing his mind and probably cursing in six different languages because one language could not contain all he had to say.
Oh, Lord, he was lost. He needed her and what was worse, he was starting to lose all perspective around her too. It was one thing to seduce a woman to further the goals of the assignment, which he assumed he might do at the beginning of all this. It was quite another to succumb to her just because she was so gloriously soft and sensual and made him feel like the only man in the world when she looked at him.
Not good. Not when he needed to find out who was behind the killings all over London. Not when he’d be assigned to something else, somewhere else once this was over, and Cady would learn just how much he’d hidden from her. She’d never forgive him for lying to her about that. And he wouldn’t deserve her forgiveness.
Chapter 30
Cady awoke alone. Gabe hadleft while it was still dark and she only got a short, cryptic note delivered to the house, telling her that he had something to investigate but that he would be at her dinner party as planned. The note arrived on her breakfast tray, since Cady reverted to her more hermit-like state and requested it to be served to her in bed. She was feeling far too lazy to get moving, especially after her rather busy night.
She frowned, reading over the note as she nibbled at her toast. She didn’t expect anything revealing or personal, but some hint that he was thinking of her would be nice.
Perhaps the existence of the notewasthe hint, she decided. And after all, Gabe was tracking down his friend’s killer, not courting her. Why be surprised that he wasn’t showering her with attention? Really, it was her fault that she was letting her heart run wild. Which it was—Cady found herself thinking and dreaming about not just Gabe, but alifewith Gabe. However, she’d resolved to not bring up the matter until he had found out the truth about the poisonings. By then, they’d be able to talk freely to each other without this hanging over them.
Later that morning, Cady fulfilled a promise to her brother by at last visiting a doctor, the first on Trevor’s list of specialists. Judith accompanied her as a chaperone, though she remained in the waiting room during the actual consultation. The doctor was not inspiring, recommending only that she lie down whenever she felt any sense of excitement coming on, and that she not worry so much.
Oh, thank you, Cady refrained from saying out loud.It had neveroccurredto me to simply worry less!
He prescribed laudanum, which he said was the cure-all for nearly all women’s problems. Cady paid him his fee and crossed his name off her list.
She went back out into the street, with Judith trailing behind.
“What a waste of time,” Cady said with a sigh.
“Well, my lady, there are a lot of other doctors in London,” Judith told her.
“I suppose, not that I want to visit them all,” she said. Cady was just about to ask Judith to signal for a hired carriage when she heard a familiar voice.
“My goodness, is that you, little Cady?”
Cady whirled around. “Mr Addison!”
