A soft sound behind him—his door opening and closing with a snick. He didn’t need to turn to know who had entered his bedroom. Her dress whooshed gently as she walked closer. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“I have considered what you said. And what you have offered.”
Katherine paused, giving George enough time to worry that she had only come to reject him. He continued watching the rain.
“Surely you understand that what you ask of me would make me a pariah of society.” She drew closer. George could feel her. “But I do not care what society thinks anymore. If my father were alive, he certainly would. But if he were alive, I would not be married to Clyde, and I would be free to marry you properly…in the eyes of the world.”
George finally turned, his breath catching at the sight of her. She was not wearing a dress at all, but what appeared to be her chemise and a white, lace-trimmed wrap. Her intentions in coming to his room were clear. He wished he’d had that drink after all. He waited patiently, watching her, sculpted in golden firelight and shadows—lovely, courageous and afraid.
“So what I’m saying is…is that I accept your offer.” She licked her lips and shifted from one foot to the other. “That I…I have never felt the way I feel when I’m with you. And that I don’t want to pretend any longer that I am happy in the house of masks and charades that is my life. That was my life. I gladly give it all up, even my father’s estate—my home—to be with you.”
In a stupor, George wondered how this could possibly be real. He had hoped she might return an answer within a week, but had never expected to hear within a few hours. And he had certainly never thought to receive such positive news from the goddess herself in his own bedroom, half-dressed and obviously not intending to leave anytime soon.
She had draped her hair in a loose braid over one shoulder, a golden rope shining by firelight. George stepped closer and gazed into the sage-green eyes he had come to worship with his every breath. He loosened the sash around her waist and opened her lacey wrap, sliding it off her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. Yes. She had worn only her thin, transparent chemise beneath, and the firelight gilded her womanly frame in delectable curves. Brave, giving, beautiful woman. He loved her for all that she offered. Not just her body, or even her reputation, but a lifelong partnership with someone like him, who was not truly an earl and a gentleman but a man dedicated to dealing with filth and evil on a daily basis. She knew what he was, and she wanted him still.
He dropped and knelt before her, spreading his fingers around her waist and holding her tight.
“George?” She placed her hands lightly on his bare shoulders. “What are you doing?”
He peered up and leaned in, placing an openmouthed kiss on her belly, the warmth of her skin burning through the linen shift.
She gasped. He smiled.
“You bring me to my knees, my lady. Now…I am going to bring you to yours.”
Sliding his hands along her hips, down her legs and underneath the shift, he wrapped his hands around the backs of her calves. He continued to kiss her through the fabric, nipping at her hip.
She clenched his shoulder. “George.”
She said his name like a question, breathy and unsure. But he was more than sure, and he planned to show her how a man should pleasure his woman. He drifted his kisses lower toward the apex between her legs.
“What are you—”
He tugged one of her legs outward at the ankle. She let him slide it wider. He trailed his hands higher underneath the shift to the front of her thighs, thumbs gripping hard before he opened his mouth on her.
“Oh heavens.” She held on to his shoulders, swaying a little as he pressed his tongue harder, laving her through the linen, which was no barrier at all, only a delightful friction between tender flesh and tongue. He moved one hand down and, inch by inch, lifted the hem till he held it at her hip, baring her. He captured her gaze—dazed with desire—waiting for her to protest him kissing her without the veil. She did not, her mouth parted, her chest rising and falling.
He took her with long strokes of his tongue, loving every sigh and soft moan. He could not know what intimacy was like for her with the beast that was her husband, but he knew without a doubt the bastard never cherished and adored her as he should have. As he would from this day forward. Her feminine sounds of pleasure urged him onward. He teased and tasted until she cried out. Her knees buckled. He held her up at the waist and stroked a few more times till her panting lessened.
Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to his bed and sat her on the edge. Untying the two bows at her shoulders, he slipped her shift over her head. Still flushed from her climax, she raised her chin as always, confident yet quiet. He wrapped his fingers around her nape and grazed his lips against hers, parting them tenderly. Her tongue came out and met his. He pulled the ribbon from her hair, still kissing her, and untwined the mass with his fingers. Slipping his drawers off his hips, he let them drop to the floor, then lay beside her, pressing her down into the pillows, never breaking the kiss.
“So soft,” he whispered against her mouth.
He marveled at her.
His whole life, even when he was mortal, had been an endless saga of hard, severe, even brutal encounters. A Roman soldier wandering to foreign lands, killing barbarian enemies, finds no soft bed and few kind words. His valor had bought him a second life, to serve in an ongoing war between Heaven and Hell. The constant battles, small and great, against demon hordes and titanic spawn toughened him further. The centuries of clashing iron and burning fields. The constant scrape of evil on his soul, watching innocents die, wearing him down till he hardened his heart again and again, permitting no gentle thoughts, no soft caresses, no sweet sounds.
And now Katherine.
The embodiment of beauty, in all its grace and elegance, lay beneath him in his bed, offering herself freely, completely. It was more than he could bear. She was everything he’d yearned for—strong yet yielding, magnificent yet kind, brilliant yet wise. Most of all, she hungered for a life of simple joys. Like him. They both seemed to understand that this was the key to true contentment. That the tender moments of life were what made the rest worth enduring. Like the sweet pleasure and ecstasy their bodies could give one another.
She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and chest. “You’re so hard.”
He smiled.
“I mean, your body is so…so…”
He could wait no more. He captured her lips and lifted his body over hers, holding his weight on one forearm while stroking between her legs. She jumped at the sudden sensation when he parted her folds and teased up and down in a slow rhythm.
“Oh God,” she panted, her neck arching as she pressed her head back into the pillow.
He circled her entrance, slick and ready for him. She lifted her hips, rocking against his petting fingers.
“Please, George.”
“Open your eyes, love.”
She did, her beguiling green eyes dark as pitch in the shadows.
“I want to see you when I come inside.”
Holding the base of his shaft, he nudged her entrance. Her mouth fell open wider, but it was his groan that filled the room when he sank into her tight core. He lowered his chest to feel her breasts brushing against his skin, hardening him even more. She was glorious.
She moaned. Then his mouth was on hers, devouring every sweet sound and murmur, thrusting deeper, faster. She widened her thighs and locked her ankles to the back of his legs.
“Yes, George,” she whispered. “More, my love.”
He rolled his spine and rocked with a steady, determined rhythm, each erotic whimper urging him on. One of her hands clawed down his back when she screamed his name, coming with wild abandon. Her inner walls clenched tight, rippling around him.
“Bloody hell.” He pumped three more
times. And pressed his full weight onto her, his shaft deep, spilling inside her.
As their bodies still clung to one another, humming with sensual bliss, she whispered against his ear, “Kiss me.”
He did. Tenderly. Softly. Barely brushing his lips against hers, their breaths intermingling. Just like their hearts.
“I want to do this forever,” she said. “I don’t ever want to leave.”
He chuckled, his chest rumbling against hers. He lifted some of his weight, but she held him to her, no smile at all upon her face. Rather, there was a desperate expression pinching her brows together.
George eased back down, tangling one hand into her hair and cupping the back of her head. “Listen to me, Katherine. Heed me well.” He smoothed her brow with a soft kiss. “You are my lady now. I will never leave you. And I will always protect you and care for you.”
She was quiet for a long moment, then her hand came up and cupped his jaw. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Chapter Seventeen
They made love a second time. Then a third before finally collapsing, unmoving and silent, in one another’s arms. Katherine lay with her head on his chest, her arm around his waist, tucked into the warmth of his body. He twined a lock of her hair over and over in his fingers.
“You know you could have been spotted coming to my bedchamber tonight.”
“I know. But I couldn’t help myself.”
He chuckled.
Katherine continued lightly. “And even so, what would it matter? The world will know soon enough.”
He exhaled a heavy sigh. “True. We should discuss our plan.”
“I’ve already decided our plan.”
“Oh, you have, have you?”
He squeezed her hip teasingly. She wiggled and burrowed back into him.
“Yes.”
“Well, let’s hear it.”
“As soon as your party is over, I shall return to London, pack, and leave Clyde, then return to Thornton.”
“That is your plan?”
“It doesn’t need to be complicated. There is no way I could stay there another night, no matter that it’s my family home. Clyde stole my love for that place long ago.”
He placed his hand over hers, which was covering his heart. “I am sorry you had to marry him. That I didn’t meet you sooner.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” She pressed a kiss to his chest, then lay her cheek back down. “There are a few family heirlooms I would like to take with me when I leave. And I must say good-bye to the staff. Many of them served my father. It is the least I can do.”
“I will go with you.”
“That’s not necessary. I can—”
“I am going with you,” he said in his heavy, grave tone. There was no use arguing.
“Fine. But there’s nothing to fear. Clyde is more coward than brigand.”
Yes, he had been the worst kind of husband—unfaithful, selfish, brutish. But it was always the drink and the dark that gave him courage to abuse and mistreat her. If she confronted him in broad daylight with her butler, Edmund, nearby, he would do nothing at all. That was always his way. Who knew? He may even be happy with this turn of events. He would be free of her and keep the estate all to himself.
Katherine did not plan to announce to the world that she was leaving her husband for another man. She planned to disappear altogether if she could. At least for a long while.
The fire had burned down to glowing embers. She traced a thin scar over the left side of his chest. “I do have one other request. And I am not sure if you will be amenable to it.”
“Ask.”
“You said once that you had a home in France. In Paris. Do you still have a home there?”
“I do.”
“Could we…go there for a while? Just until the gossip dies down. I know you have business here with Alexander Godfrey, but I would feel more at ease if I were out of reach of the ton for some time.”
He slid his hand up her arm and cradled her closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
“Of course. I can deal with Damas even if I tuck you across the sea in France. Travel is not an issue, since I can sift you there. Actually, I have a better idea.”
“Oh?”
“I say we take our own tour of Europe.”
“Our own tour?”
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “You once told me you love to travel. That day in the park. Remember?”
“Yes. I remember.” She just hadn’t dreamed she’d ever have the chance to go beyond England, because of Clyde.
“Well, it is now my wish to give you your heart’s desire. I would love to take you to the beautiful places in the world you have not seen.”
He’d already taken her to a beautiful place she had never seen, had never dreamed existed. Not for her.
“Would you like that?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
She let her eyes slide closed, the hissing of the coals the only sound other than George’s steady heartbeat beneath her. He continued to twine her hair through his fingers, lulling her into a deep, tranquil sleep. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. And happy.
* * * * *
She awoke to the first gray light filtering through the curtains, warning her it was early morning. Reluctantly, she slipped out of the warm bed and shimmied back into her chemise and night wrap. No time to retie her hair into a braid. The house would be awake soon enough.
Glancing back from the door, she let her gaze linger on George. Sleep had softened the edges of his square jaw and thoughtful brow. She wondered at her good fortune that soon she would be able to spend every waking moment with him. She wondered at the adventurous life she would have at his side, traveling the globe as he’d promised. Her world had turned into a fairy tale where dragons were real. Yet her knight in shining armor was the greatest slayer of them all. She would always be safe with him.
With one more glance back, she opened his bedroom door and crept out into the hall. The house was still, no servants on the move.
Tiptoeing along the wall, she walked swiftly toward the servants’ passage, but then heard a board creak behind her. The door across the hall from George’s bedchamber was cracked open, offering just enough of a silhouette by candlelight to outline the unmistakable bulbous figure of Lady Mable. The door closed suddenly.
Katherine’s pulse raced as she sped back to her bedroom. Anxiety fluttered in her stomach, making her nauseated.
“Damn!”
Of all the bad luck. Lady Mable had to be the one with poor sleeping habits, up at all hours, listening at doors. She had most certainly seen Katherine leaving George’s bedchamber.
“Oh hell.”
Soft pink light slipped through her drawn curtains. She whipped them open, ready to face the day, whatever it might bring. After pacing back and forth by the bed for a moment, she walked to the door connecting to Jane’s room and entered quietly. Jane still lay asleep. Conflicted, Katherine finally decided she had no alternative.
Sitting on the edge of Jane’s bed, she shook her shoulder. “Jane,” she said softly.
Jane didn’t startle. Her eyelids fluttered as she blinked in the morning gloom. Katherine stood and walked to the window to let in some light.
“Jane, please wake up.”
“I’m awake. What is the matter?” she asked, her voice still scratchy from sleep.
“I-I need to tell you something.”
Jane pushed up and leaned back into the pillows stacked against the headboard. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Katherine couldn’t help but laugh, the brightest smile breaking across her face. Jane must’ve thought her mad. “Perhaps. But I’ve never been happier in all my life.”
“Good Lord. Get on with it and tell me what happe
ned.”
“You already know.” Katherine sat again on the bed and curled her legs underneath her.
“I do?”
“George.”
“Lord Thornton, you mean,” she quipped, tucking her hair behind one ear.
“I mean George,” corrected Katherine. “We are in love.”
Jane clutched a hand to her chest and gasped with joy. “I knew it!”
“But there’s more, dear. Perhaps you should settle for the next part. You may not approve.”
Jane curled her hands in her lap and waited.
“I went to his bedroom last night.” Katherine paused. Jane said nothing, her eyes wide and wondering. “And this morning, I—”
“Wait one moment. You’re not going to go barreling ahead to this morning. What about last night? Was it…did you…was he—”
“Oh heavens, Jane. Yes, we did. It was marvelous. And he was spectacular.”
“Spectacular?” A silly smile brightened her face.
“Beyond imagining.” Katherine stared down at her hands, remembering how spectacular he truly was. And how skilled.
“You’re blushing.”
“Enough, Jane. There’s more, and this part won’t make you smile at all.”
“I’m listening. I’m your friend and will aid you in any way I can.”
“You may reconsider that statement once I tell you.” Katherine peered up at her.
“Go on.”
“I’m leaving Clyde. As a matter of fact, I’m leaving London altogether for a while. With George.” Jane said nothing. “And when I left his bedroom this morning, Lady Mable saw me.”
Jane sat straighter. “Are you sure?”
“Quite sure.” Katherine pulled her hair to one side of her shoulder, fidgeting. “Our plan was for me to return home at the end of the week and tell Clyde, then be on our way. But now—”
“Oh no. If you plan to tell Clyde yourself before he hears the news from someone else, you’d better go today. The sooner the better. I know Lady Mable all too well, the viper. She’s ruined more than one reputation with less evidence than this.”
The Deepest Well Page 15
