himself, and if he hadn’t been working so hard to be quiet, he’d have laughed aloud. Imagine it: his servant lecturing him on morals and behavior!
“Everyone is asleep,” he said. “No one will see.”
“Some of the sailors are awake.”
“I don’t care about them,” he bizarrely insisted.
“I do.”
“Coward.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Vividly, he recalled the evening in her bedchamber at Penworth Hall, when he’d improperly entered. His body still tingled at the memory of how he’d pressed himself to her, how her private areas had touched his own.
He loomed in as he had that night and trapped her against the ladder. Their torsos were wedged into the narrow space, and he was agog to discover that—in her haste to flee Violet’s nausea—she hadn’t donned a corset. Her full, round breasts were unencumbered.
He couldn’t recollect ever being in a woman’s presence when her bosom was so blatantly unfettered. The realization nearly brought him to his knees.
To steady himself, he rested a hand on her waist. She inhaled sharply and leaned away, but he wouldn’t let her escape.
She peered up at him, her concern evident.
“Are you afraid of me?” he murmured.
“Yes.”
“Why? I’m harmless.”
“In your dreams maybe—but not in mine.”
He riffled his fingers through her hair, riveted by the soft, lengthy tresses.
“You’re very beautiful.”
“You shouldn’t say that to me.”
“Why not? It’s true.”
He felt as if he’d been inhabited by an alien being that was driving him to attempt conduct he’d never previously considered. He wasn’t the type who harassed his maids, who tumbled his servants or demanded sexual favors, so she’d pricked at a reckless facet of his personality that he hadn’t known he possessed.
Without pausing, where he might have arrived at a different decision, he bent down and kissed her. She didn’t pull away, and he was thrilled.
In the history of kisses, it wasn’t much about which to brag. He didn’t grope or fondle. He simply stood very still, breathing in the warm, lush scent of her.
She was the one to break away, and if she hadn’t, he couldn’t guess how long he’d have tarried. Perhaps till morning. Perhaps the family would have stumbled from their cabins, hungry for their breakfast, only to find them frozen in the naughty embrace.
The prospect didn’t bear contemplating, and usually, he’d have been aghast at such a lack of decorum. But he wasn’t sorry and didn’t regret his bold act.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she charged.
“Why?”
“It’s wrong.” When he might have argued the point, she asserted, “It is wrong. Don’t pretend it’s not.”
“Then let me be damned for it. I enjoyed it, and I won’t apologize.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Everything. Nothing.”
“You can’t keep forcing your attentions on me.”
“I know.”
“I haven’t sought them.”
“I know that, too.”
“If I’ve misled you, if you think I’m loose or brazen or ... or . . .”
“I don’t think any of those things about you.”
They stared and stared, then she spun away, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“Come up on the deck with me.”
“No.”
She yanked away and stepped around the ladder to be swallowed up by the darkness.
“Lily . . .” he said, seizing the chance to speak her name.
“Go away,” she hissed from down the hall. “Go away and leave me be.”
A cabin door opened and closed as she went back into Violet’s sickroom.
At recalling Violet, he shook his head, astonished by his shamelessness. His fiancée—the one he’d waited years to pick, the one he’d selected with the concerted strategy of a war general—was lying in her bunk, twenty feet away, while he was dawdling outside and kissing her companion.
It was a hideous betrayal, yet he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse! What was happening to him?
He whipped away and clambered up to the deck, before Miss
“Everyone is asleep,” he said. “No one will see.”
“Some of the sailors are awake.”
“I don’t care about them,” he bizarrely insisted.
“I do.”
“Coward.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Vividly, he recalled the evening in her bedchamber at Penworth Hall, when he’d improperly entered. His body still tingled at the memory of how he’d pressed himself to her, how her private areas had touched his own.
He loomed in as he had that night and trapped her against the ladder. Their torsos were wedged into the narrow space, and he was agog to discover that—in her haste to flee Violet’s nausea—she hadn’t donned a corset. Her full, round breasts were unencumbered.
He couldn’t recollect ever being in a woman’s presence when her bosom was so blatantly unfettered. The realization nearly brought him to his knees.
To steady himself, he rested a hand on her waist. She inhaled sharply and leaned away, but he wouldn’t let her escape.
She peered up at him, her concern evident.
“Are you afraid of me?” he murmured.
“Yes.”
“Why? I’m harmless.”
“In your dreams maybe—but not in mine.”
He riffled his fingers through her hair, riveted by the soft, lengthy tresses.
“You’re very beautiful.”
“You shouldn’t say that to me.”
“Why not? It’s true.”
He felt as if he’d been inhabited by an alien being that was driving him to attempt conduct he’d never previously considered. He wasn’t the type who harassed his maids, who tumbled his servants or demanded sexual favors, so she’d pricked at a reckless facet of his personality that he hadn’t known he possessed.
Without pausing, where he might have arrived at a different decision, he bent down and kissed her. She didn’t pull away, and he was thrilled.
In the history of kisses, it wasn’t much about which to brag. He didn’t grope or fondle. He simply stood very still, breathing in the warm, lush scent of her.
She was the one to break away, and if she hadn’t, he couldn’t guess how long he’d have tarried. Perhaps till morning. Perhaps the family would have stumbled from their cabins, hungry for their breakfast, only to find them frozen in the naughty embrace.
The prospect didn’t bear contemplating, and usually, he’d have been aghast at such a lack of decorum. But he wasn’t sorry and didn’t regret his bold act.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she charged.
“Why?”
“It’s wrong.” When he might have argued the point, she asserted, “It is wrong. Don’t pretend it’s not.”
“Then let me be damned for it. I enjoyed it, and I won’t apologize.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Everything. Nothing.”
“You can’t keep forcing your attentions on me.”
“I know.”
“I haven’t sought them.”
“I know that, too.”
“If I’ve misled you, if you think I’m loose or brazen or ... or . . .”
“I don’t think any of those things about you.”
They stared and stared, then she spun away, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“Come up on the deck with me.”
“No.”
She yanked away and stepped around the ladder to be swallowed up by the darkness.
“Lily . . .” he said, seizing the chance to speak her name.
“Go away,” she hissed from down the hall. “Go away and leave me be.”
A cabin door opened and closed as she went back into Violet’s sickroom.
At recalling Violet, he shook his head, astonished by his shamelessness. His fiancée—the one he’d waited years to pick, the one he’d selected with the concerted strategy of a war general—was lying in her bunk, twenty feet away, while he was dawdling outside and kissing her companion.
It was a hideous betrayal, yet he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse! What was happening to him?
He whipped away and clambered up to the deck, before Miss
Similar Books
