Page 106 of A Most Beloved Sister
“I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured against her hair.
“When I couldn’t find you after the announcement, I thought perhaps you were merely my imagination come to life.”
She could feel his smile against the top of her head. “How so?”
Elizabeth was grateful her face was hidden—and that it was dark—because her cheeks were burning. “I’ve… I’ve missed our discussions, so I’ve taken to walking in the groves and imagining that I’m actually speaking with you.”
When he didn’t respond, she tried to pull away, feeling a bit foolish. Instead, he held her more fiercely. “Each day without you has been agony. It was all I could do to keep from saddling a horse to ride immediately after you as soon as Georgiana received your note.”
The tension in her shoulders melted away at these words. “Then why didn’t you?” she asked, the lightness in her voice indicating her intent to tease.
He chuckled. “Believe me, I considered it more than once. As appealing as that sort of grand gesture seemed, the more pragmatic realities of life superseded all else. I had Georgiana to consider, of course—”
“Most certainly!”
“As well as business matters that could not be delayed. Not to mention commitments and engagements that had long been scheduled. Many people look at my position and income and think I lead a life of leisure, but the reality is that my time is very rarely my own.”
She murmured something vague in agreement, beginning to be distracted by the heady scent emanating from his warm skin.
“Additionally, I wasn’t entirely certain as to the state of your sister’s health. Thus, being unsure of your feelings towards myself, I did not wish to intrude if I wasn’t wanted.”
Shaking her head, she snuggled in closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. A low rumble sounded in her ears from his chest as he pulled her flush against him.
“I wished you were here every single day,” she whispered. “It wasn’t until we were apart that I realized that you were exactly the man in disposition and talents who most suited me.”
“Indeed?”
“Yes, for your understanding and temper—while quite unlike my own—answers all of my wishes. My ease and liveliness softens your mind and manners; and your judgment, information, and knowledge of the world increases my experiences.”
“We make quite a formidable team together, then,” he said.
“Precisely,” she replied. “Only I did not know what would happen next. You might have had your commitments and engagements to keep you occupied, and perhaps you were even so distracted that you were able to forget me for a time, but it is different for a woman. We live at home, quiet, confined, and our feelings prey upon us. Mine certainly did.”
“I must beg to disagree—I could not have forgotten you. Throughout every single moment, for you alone I thought and planned. I was half agony, half hope. You pierce my soul, Elizabeth.”
She shivered at his use of her name, and he groaned at the movement of her body against his. The air around them crackled with tension as they stood in the dark hallway, their hearts pounding in sync with the rhythm of the night. She had never felt closer to anyone, her every sense heightened by his proximity.
She pushed her head back from his chest to look up at him. Their eyes locked, a silent understanding passing between them, as if they were each waiting for the other to make the first move. And then, almost as if drawn by an invisible force, their lips met in a hesitant, tender kiss.
It was stirring, beyond anything she had ever felt, sending sparks dancing across their skin as they melted into each other’s embrace. Time stood still as they lost themselves in the sweetness of the moment, their hands entwined, their bodies pressed together in a silent declaration of love.
All too soon, he pulled back, his breaths coming in short gasps. “Elizabeth,” he groaned, “if we continue…”
His voice trailed off, his words hanging in the air between them like a delicate thread, tantalizing and full of promise. She could see the conflict in his eyes, the desire warring with restraint, the longing for more tempered by the fear of crossing a line they could never return from.
But with the moonlight casting shadows across his face and the scent of roses lingering in the air, she knew that she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in his arms, to surrender to the passion that burned between them.
Taking a shaky breath, she gently traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips, her touch sending shivers down his spine. “I want this,” she whispered, her voice barely a breath against his skin. “I want you.”
His resolve crumbled in an instant, swept away by the intensity of her gaze and the raw emotion in her voice. With alow growl of desire, he crushed his lips to hers once more, his hands tangling in her hair as he deepened the kiss, pouring all his longing and devotion into the embrace.
His hands slid lower down her back, then further still, and she gasped in shock at the sensation of being touched in a way she never had been. The realization of her innocence poured over his head like a glass of cold water.
He jerked away from her, putting several steps between them. “No,” he panted. “I will not dishonor you like this.”
His voice faltered, the urgency of their desires clashing with the constraints of propriety. They were walking a dangerous line, tempting fate with every stolen moment together.
Elizabeth’s heart raced as she looked into his eyes, seeing the same struggle reflected in his gaze. She felt the warmth of his touch lingering on her skin, igniting a fire within her that she knew she should resist. But the pull of their love was too strong to ignore, the desire to be close to him overwhelming her senses.
