As sleepy kisses went, this one was earth-shattering. It was soft, shockingly intrusive and delightfully intimate. His tongue tangled with hers as he rolled his weight on top of her and, in case he suddenly came to his senses and stopped his sweet torture, Letty wrapped one leg around his hip. Aside from holding him in place, this also served to cushion all that glorious hardness in the cradle of her thighs. Only two pairs of soft breeches separated their bodies. If Letty had had a wand or supernatural abilities, she would have used magic to instantly dissolve the unwanted barrier.
Jack had to be awake now, because surely no man was capable of causing so much carnal pleasure in his sleep. His lips strayed away from hers and trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, over her collarbone and deliciously over the covered swells of her breast. His mouth tortured her nipple through the linen, then with a growl, he grabbed the hem of the shirt at her waist and hoisted it up, exposing both of her breasts. His tongue swirled hotly around one aching tip before sucking it into his mouth. As Letty writhed in unashamed appreciation, he swapped sides and hungrily worshipped the other one before seeking her mouth again.
Letty desperately needed to feel him properly. Skin to skin. Heartbeat to heartbeat, so she clawed his shirt up to his shoulders and yanked it over his head. She arched against him wantonly, grazing her pebbled nipples against the solid wall of his chest and plunging her fingers into his thick hair, moaning her encouragement into his mouth. Everything blurred except the glorious sensations he was eliciting from her body.
She felt his hand rummage between their squirming bodies for the buttons on the falls of his breeches. Letty’s fingers hungrily joined his to assist. It was then that he pulled back, although not far enough to detract from the intimacy of the situation. His hardness still pressed against her core, one hand still cupped her breast, but his lips stilled and he lifted his head to stare down at her, somewhat alarmed.
‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’
His breathing was laboured, his sleepy eyes darkened and stormy with desire.
‘Why?’
‘You have been through a terrible ordeal. You are still overwhelmed with stress.’
To tempt him, Letty threw her arms back over her head. It brought her bare breasts into his eye line, one of them still covered by his big hand. ‘Do I look stressed to you?’ For good measure, she ground her hips against his and let him see the pleasure it brought her.
His thumb grazed her nipple once. Twice. He was not as immune to her as he had claimed. In that one moment, she could see how much he wanted her in the intensity of his deep blue stare. He closed his eyes and swallowed, clearly having an internal battle with himself.
‘I want this, Jack. I want you.’
‘I want you, too, Letty. More than anything...’ He closed his eyes again and sighed. She watched a myriad of emotions chase across his expression before he severed all contact by rolling on to his back. ‘But I won’t ruin you like this. Not now. Not when so much is still unsettled and fraught and you have no idea how being with me will seriously impact on your life. But...’ He sat up and stared down at her. She watched his eyes feast on the sight of her shamelessly sprawled on the hay, lingering on her breasts hungrily before he wrenched them away. ‘When this is over, when you are home and safe, then perhaps we can discuss this again. I shall lay out all the pitfalls and all the reasons why I am not a good choice of husband, and then you can rationally decide what you want to do.’ He located his shirt and hastily pulled it on. ‘Things will be different then, I can assure you.’
Letty forced herself to stay exactly where she was, displayed for only his eyes to see her as nature had intended. ‘Do you think my feelings will be different?’
‘Yes. Until the dust has settled, your feelings are bound to be confused.’ His words might have upset her, except his hand had come down to rest on her belly. They both watched its progress as it edged up her body, gently kneaded her breast and then came to rest lovingly on her cheek. ‘Passion isn’t love.’ Before she could argue, he jumped decisively down to the floor. ‘I’ll ready the horses. We leave in fifteen minutes.’
* * *
The weather matched Jack’s mood. The rain had begun again shortly after midnight. Fine, misty rain at first, but then it came down with a vengeance. About an hour ago, it had turned to sleet. Another partially frozen droplet hit his neck and dribbled under his shirt, compounding his misery further. The only part of his body that had been spared a thorough soaking was his backside. However, the same saddle which had kept his posterior dry was now almost torture to sit on.
This leg of their nocturnal journey had been interminable. Partly because there was once again an atmosphere between him and Letty and partly because he could not seem to get the image of her sprawled in the hay out of his head. Jack might well be frozen to the bone, miserable and saddle sore, however none of these ailments apparently affected his rampant male parts one little bit.
Why had his sense of responsibility chosen to rear its ugly head when it had? A few minutes later and his lust would have been thoroughly sated and the dilemma he suffered would be moot. They would have had to have got married and that was that. Except, his heart wanted more than a wife by default. He would absolutely not be his father and trap her. He wanted Letty to choose him. Not because she was frightened, or lonely or unsettled or grateful, but because she had properly considered her decision and decided he was worth all the trouble. This last month had not been normal for either of them. Letty needed some normality to rediscover herself.
And once she did, then she would realise the concept of them as a couple was sheer folly. When the danger was over and she was back on familiar turf, he had to be prepared for Letty to see the potential misery of marrying a Warriner and making the considered decision that it was not worth it in the long run. In Jack’s experience, hope in any form had always been the kiss of death. He needed to stop hoping, stop thinking they might stand a chance, and focus on getting her home safely.
He risked a glance sideways and saw she looked as miserable as him. The few strands of hair visible under the hat she wore pulled low were stuck to her face. Her long eyelashes were spiky from the rain and, more worrying now that the first light of dawn pushed forth, there was a distinct bluish tinge to her lips. She needed a warm bath, plenty of bedcovers and a roaring fire. The last time she had suffered exposure to the elements like this, she had been sick for days and he had feared she would die.
The last road marker had warned that they were only a few miles from Baldock, a busy little town where several roads merged with the Great North Road. Trusting Jamie’s advice, this might be the perfect place to risk stopping at an inn. People apparently saw less in crowds and they could both do with a proper bed, hot food and dry clothes before they set off on the final leg of their journey. Tomorrow morning, with any luck, they would finally arrive in the capital, and once they got there, the next instalment of Letty’s ordeal would begin. She would need all of her strength for that, so the risk of the inn was worth it. They would also benefit from having a brick wall between them when they slept. Two separate rooms would give them both some space. Letty would be able to think about their situation dispassionately and Jack would be able to avoid all temptation.
‘We will find an inn in the next town.’
Letty nodded, her expression wretched, clearly too cold and too tired to comment, so they trudged on until they saw a suitably busy inn. The morning carriages were already loading in readiness of leaving and the tantalising scent of cooking bacon wafted in the air. Jack handed her some coins and sent her to the dining room to order them both some breakfast.
‘While I sort out the horses and the accommodations, Letty, you should probably try and appear as inconspicuous as possible.’ She nodded listlessly and walked off, and Jack went first to the stables.
A lad relieved him of the horses and led t
hem inside to be rubbed down and fed. Jack went in search of the innkeeper, only to find his frazzled wife instead. ‘I should like two rooms, please.’
‘And I should like an ermine cloak and a husband who wasn’t workshy and still abed—but we don’t always get what we want. You can have one room or none at all.’
‘But I need two.’
‘We’re full. The world and his wife are travelling back to London now that Christmas is over. I have one room spare, it’s a fine one and plenty big enough for two. Take it or leave it, sir. If you don’t want it, someone else will snap it up within the hour, I’m sure.’
Jack wavered for a moment. All manner of mischief could occur in one room as it had this morning when he was still half-asleep. Sharing a room with Letty, one in possession of a proper bed, was a temptation he did not need if he was to keep his vow of not ruining her...but on the other hand, Letty was frozen and exhausted. And the innkeeper’s wife did say it was plenty big enough for two. There might be a place for him to make up a bed on the floor. If it came to it, he could probably bed down in the stables. Letty’s health and wellbeing had to come first.
‘I’ll take it.’
He found Letty sitting hunched at a small table in the far corner of the crowded dining room. ‘They only had one room.’
She shrugged and Jack couldn’t tell if she was peeved at him, the lack of a second room or merely bone tired. ‘It will have to do.’
‘I’ve ordered a hot bath to be drawn. It should be ready in half an hour.’
‘I wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat, so I have ordered you pretty much everything.’ She smiled then and the odd atmosphere began to float away. ‘Personally, I could eat a horse.’
* * *
The meal turned out to be both enormous and delicious. The hot tea was even better and it revived them both. Thankfully, Letty was her usual cheerful self and made no mention of their earlier indiscretion. It suited Jack fine. Talking about what had happened would make him think about it and it was already proving to be near impossible to forget the glorious feel of her perfect bare breast squashed into his palm, or the way her body had fitted so splendidly against his and how she had writhed in pleasure... All at once, his breeches tightened again and remained ruthlessly so during Letty’s third, painfully slow cup of tea.
By the time they had finished and located their room, the steaming bathtub was already waiting and, thoughtfully, the maid had also arranged a screen for privacy.
Jack had intended a swift exit as soon as he was sure Letty was properly settled, followed by a brisk and necessarily bracing wash from the pump out in the courtyard to cool his ardour, but the room was warm and the lure of proper armchairs to rest on was too strong, so he stepped inside. When he gave in to the urge to sit briefly in one of the chairs, his bones gratefully sank into the soft upholstery and his good intentions did not shout loud enough to drown out the sound of sheer contentment. The freezing pump could wait a few minutes more.
‘Do you want to bathe first or second?’
More temptation Jack did not need—but, oh, how his aching body would enjoy the soothing relief of a nice hot bath. Now the chance to soak in a hot tub had presented itself, he was reluctant to turn down the opportunity. Besides, he was also reluctant to leave the wonders of the chair just yet.
‘You go first.’
She disappeared behind the screen and Jack began to pull off his sodden boots. Letty’s wet clothing came off piece by piece and she slapped them noisily across the top of the screen.
He really hadn’t thought this through.
Now he knew she was completely naked behind the screen—and that was far too unnerving to contemplate for long. He needed to do something practical to distract himself. After he heard her sink down into the water with a throaty sigh, he retrieved the sopping clothes and arranged them near the roaring fire to dry. His own clothes stuck wetly to his body and he realised they were probably the reason his spine was aching with cold. He dithered as to whether or not he should take his off in readiness for his turn in the bathtub, then realised she had already seen him stripped to the waist, so the sight of his hairy chest was hardly going to come as a huge surprise. And he was cold, after all. He peeled off his shirt and breeches, wrapped a towel tightly around his waist and placed them next to hers to dry, trying to ignore the sound of splashing water as she soaped her naked skin only a few feet away.
The next ten minutes were the longest of his life. His imagination was out of control, his body was primed for action and the sounds of her bathing behind that blasted screen were possibly the most erotic noises he had ever heard. Who knew the sound of soap being rubbed on to a flannel would be so potent?
When she emerged swaddled in another towel, the skin he could see was all pink and it took all of his strength not to go to her, snatch away the towel and drag her into his unworthy arms. Her hair hung damply around her shoulders and down her back. She stared at him for a second or two, blinking rapidly, then smiled shyly as she padded past him. The back of the towel draped low, displaying the graceful lines of her back and the hint of the curve of her bottom. His big, calloused hands longed to be filled with it.
Feeling awkward, self-conscious and beyond aroused, Jack gratefully hid behind the screen to take his turn in the water. He undid the towel and stared down at his arousal mournfully. Was it ever going to subside or was he doomed to spend all eternity as stiff as a board? He should have washed at the pump. The cold water would have done the trick instantly. If he took a long bath, he reasoned, she would be tucked safely in bed by the time he finished. And if he stayed in it long enough, the water would chill and his rampant body might finally calm down. With any luck, it would take such a long time, she would already be soundly asleep by the time he felt settled enough to emerge.
Chapter Twenty-One
One final day remaining...
His skin was covered in goose bumps by the time he finally emerged from the bathtub. The dark, downy hair on his chest and abdomen clung wetly to the muscles beneath and his male nipples were puckered with cold. To say he made her mouth water was an understatement. A wet, half-naked Jack was even more appealing than any version of him she had seen previously. It took all of her resolve not to lick her lips at the sight.
He appeared surprised to see Letty sitting at the hearth drying her hair. Or perhaps he was simply stunned to see her shamelessly wearing nothing but a towel. Although it was tucked securely under her armpits, it was not long enough to cover her legs. His blue eyes flicked to them before he dragged them back to her face. When he spoke, his normally deep, commanding voice was a touch higher than usual.
‘I thought you would be in bed.’
His eyes dropped to her legs again and she watched his Adam’s apple bob in the thick column of his neck. Had he not been naked under the towel, he probably would have bolted for the door. She bothered him. And judging by the interesting bulge under the waistband of the towel, he liked what he saw. As reactions went, it did a great deal to boost her confidence. However, that was not the sole reason she had waited for him to finish bathing. There were things they needed to talk about and Letty was not inclined to wait, as Jack had wanted, for the dust to settle.
‘My hair is almost dry. Why don’t you come and sit with me and keep me company?’ There were things that needed to be said. Letty had several pertinent questions for him which positively demanded answers. She had had hours to mull over his words when he had put a stop to their intimacies this morning and his choice of phrasing had been telling. At no point had he mentioned his doubts about the pair of them, only hers. Why did he think she would suddenly change her mind about her feelings for him when she got back to London?
Jack walked stiffly to the chair, clutching the towel for grim death and doing his best to hide what was going on underneath it. When he sat down, he made sure the towel w
as suitably bunched to disguise his obvious arousal and stared back at her awkwardly.
‘Tell me about your family.’
This appeared to flummox him, because his dark eyebrows came together and he suddenly appeared even more uncomfortable in the chair.
‘What exactly do you want to know?’
‘I want to know all of the terrible reasons why the world apparently distrusts the Warriners.’ Because somehow, that was at the heart of his dilemma and the reason he held himself back from her. Letty had seen the effect she had on him. He wasn’t immune to her charms, nor was he indifferent to her character. In the last two days, he had proved he would move heaven and earth to see her safe. Jack cared about her. She felt it.
‘There are so many reasons, it would take days to tell you everything. All of them were a bad lot.’
‘But you and your brothers aren’t.’
‘Mud sticks, I’m afraid. We have been ruthlessly tarred with the same brush. I have tried to allay people’s fears over the last few years. So far, all my efforts have been in vain. As a family, we are universally disliked by all.’
Letty had heard versions of this comment frequently from all four of the brothers, yet they had been reticent about elaborating. ‘Then start with your parents. What did they do to upset the world?’
She watched him take a deep breath and stare down at his hands. He didn’t want to talk about it, she realised. He would use it as a barrier to stop him being happy—but it was not something he was keen on sharing. His fingers began to play with an edge of towel, alerting her to the fact he was uneasy about her potential reaction, but he met her gaze squarely. Almost defiantly. ‘My father was a complete scoundrel. He drank too much and had a tendency not to pay his debts. He was untrustworthy and lacked morals.’
An interesting assessment, but severely lacking in tangible evidence. Letty already had the impression getting the whole truth out of this proud man would be tantamount to drawing blood out of a stone, but there was too much at stake not to ruthlessly squeeze the stone for every drop. ‘What morals did he lack?’
A Warriner to Protect Her Page 20
