As he pulled off his jacket, he continued, “I take it this is your considered decision?”
“I, er, yes, it is. My—my considered, measured decision.”
“I’m glad.” Next came his boots. She jerked in alarm as they went flying across the floor. “What has brought this about?”
He had good cause to ask, she conceded. Once, she had been too puritanical, and now she sat in an unmarried man’s bed without a stitch on. What had effected such a turnabout? “I’m not the same person anymore,” she answered slowly, choosing her words with care. “The old Nellie Barchester is no more, the new one is still in the making, and for now I am…in transition. I know not what I’ll become, but the feelings I have for you—the emotions you stir in me—they are so urgent and powerful that I cannot deny them.” She paused to lick her lips as her thoughts churned. “Julian, you are a force of nature I cannot withstand, nor do I wish to. For this one night, and this night alone, I wish to…to escape from all other ties and simply be with you.”
His chest rose and fell with the force of his breathing. His gaze pinned her to the pillows. “You wish to forget everything else?”
“Yes.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little,” she confessed. “No, more than a little.”
His mobile mouth lifted at one corner. “So am I.”
“You?” She found her lips twitching in response. “I find that difficult to believe.”
His eyes darkened as he bent over her. “Believe it, my dear Nellie.”
The resonance in his voice shook her, and she knew she’d never regret her decision. Whatever happened in the future, she would have this night with Julian. This night was an interlude from the past and the future, an escape from reality, a dream carved out of time. And Julian was her dream lover, the man of all her erotic fantasies. Eager to touch him, she sat up, and the sheet fell away, revealing her bare body.
Julian sucked in a deep breath as his sight riveted on her exposed breasts. “Be careful, my crumpet. I’m only human.”
She breathed heavily, stimulated by his frank admiration. “If you do not get rid of those clothes of yours, I shall be forced to use my claws on you.”
In a matter of seconds he shucked off the rest of his clothes, then tossed back the sheet to take his fill of her naked length. Instead of pulling her into his arms as she expected, he drifted his fingers over the scars that peppered her chest and shoulders. Unhurried, he moved to her face and lovingly stroked the marks crisscrossing her cheeks, his touch almost reverent. In the reflected glow of his eyes, she felt infinitely beautiful and precious. Her heart swelled. How fortunate to receive such tenderness from such a man. Impatient for more physical contact, she twisted up onto her knees and curled her arms around his neck. Mildness gave way to animal appetite. His mouth came down greedily on hers as he toppled her onto her back with his weight. At the first touch of his lips, her senses sang. Their mouths melded together in a fusion of ecstatic heat. The warm scrub of his body against hers ignited her every nerve. He was hard muscle and soft skin, rough hair and delicate fingertips, brute strength and athletic grace. The bulk of his chest rubbed up against her breasts, exciting her nipples to hard peaks.
He was not tentative with her. He cupped one breast and possessed the other with his covetous mouth, his lips and tongue and teeth toying with her nipple. Rings of pleasure rippled out from her nub, joining with the erotic titillation caused by his thumb roughly and urgently caressing the other. She couldn’t control the sensations exploding through her, couldn’t stop—didn’t want to stop—herself arching her back, pressing her breast to Julian’s mouth and begging him for more. She was on a wild ride into the unknown landscape of sensual pleasure, with Julian as her guide. When his lips drifted away from her breast, she almost cried out in frustration, only to realise he was not abandoning her but rather following the map of her curves down to her stomach. He nibbled at her belly while his hands worked their magic on her hips and thighs. Against the white sheets and the paleness of her skin, his body glowed like a river of bronze, licked by the flickering firelight, enticing her to touch. Obeying her instincts, she trailed her fingers over him, exploring every sculpted inch, revelling in his glorious beauty. She traced her lips over him, lapping and sucking at his tangy flavour. Nothing was forbidden, no inhibition held her back. His eyes sparked with devilish humour as he let her have full rein on his body. Only when she’d explored his pulsating erection with her lips and fingers and tongue for several ecstatic minutes did he reluctantly draw her away.
“Now is not the time for that, my darling.”
Taking charge once more, he laid her on her back. His fingers reached between her legs and caressed her with long slow strokes until she was drenched and writhing. Wet and mad with desire, she could only think of one thing—Julian entering her and filling her to the core. Acceding to her wants, he claimed her with possessive force, the delicious hard thrust of his body the sole reality in her thrumming universe. Their bodies moved together in primitive harmony, heat and tightness and spiralling pleasure, their coupling earthy and urgent. As he reached the deepest part of her, he awakened new facets in her and she found herself in a place she’d never visited before. In a quick hot rush that was almost painful, they climaxed together, and when they fell upon the pillows, she felt as if she’d fallen from a great height, and she was grateful for the darkness that suddenly swamped her.
After a while she realised Julian was calling her name softly, and she blinked her eyes open.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, concern etched on his face.
She shook her head. “No, I merely…I was merely overwhelmed. With pleasure.” She gave him a weak grin. “You made me swoon.”
He tucked the sheet under her chin and felt her forehead. “I’m flattered you think so, but I’d rather my lovemaking didn’t render you insensible.”
She caught his hand in hers and pressed a kiss on the back of it. “Oh, Julian. Never have I experienced such—such magnificence. It was sheer bliss, was it not?”
“Magical,” he murmured.
Yes, it was like nothing she’d ever dreamed of, and now she’d had a taste she feared it would not be enough.
Sometime later the fire had died down to a glowing bank of ashes, and Nellie lay in Julian’s arms, her head curled upon his shoulder. The sweat was cooling off their bodies from their third coupling, and she hazily thought that she might be sated enough to sleep. Julian absentmindedly played with one of her tresses. His body seemed relaxed, but she sensed his thoughts were not so at ease. Glancing up at him, she felt a tremendous tug of emotion towards him. Always, in so many ways, he was there for her, even though he had equally pressing concerns of his own.
“Julian?” she murmured, twisting herself around the better to view his face. “Tell me about your birth.”
For a moment he looked startled. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. For instance, how do you imagine you landed here on Elijah’s doorstep?”
He stroked her hair meditatively before saying, “I have no solid proof as yet. This is all conjecture, but…I imagine my mother, once her pregnancy was discovered, would not have been allowed to remain in the family’s Mayfair home. She would have been bundled off to spend her confinement in anonymity somewhere.”
“Somewhere like around here, perhaps?”
He nodded. “Perhaps. At the time of my birth, this place was quiet, remote. Mr. Cazalet mentioned my mother was accompanied by some old governess of hers. She must have been a confidante, if she went with my mother to have her brooch repaired. Perhaps this governess came from nearby, knew of Elijah’s kindness, and decided to leave the baby—me—on his doorstep, knowing I’d be well cared for.”