Price of Desire (49 page)

She caught his face between both her hands and drew it forward
.
Bending she laid the sweetest kiss of which she was capable upon his lips
.

“That is all I can ask.
”
She spoke against his skin, their foreheads touching in the lightest of caresses
.
He stared straight into her eyes and she felt her soul was bare for him to see
.
For a second, the
y paused,
frozen
.
Then the heat grew
.

She could feel it start in the tips of her fingers, burning growing, running from his flesh to hers
.
It swept up her arms, ran through her body, like an electric shock
.
Her breath caught, her heart
beat raced and still they stayed locked in that stare
.

She could feel the moisture of his breath against her lips
.
Her tongue darted out, to taste
.
His mouth opened and he pressed forward slightly, bringing her tongue to him
.
He caught it between his teeth, nipping but not hurting.

For a second she froze, and then surging forward she met him, lips locking, pressing
,
straining
.
He tasted of wine, and sweat, and lemonade
.
The sharp taste startled her, and then drew her deeper
.

His hands ra
n up her legs under her skirts
as she pressed forward, slipping to the edge of the chair, and the
n
further, sliding off onto his lap
.
He caught her easily, as if she weighed no more than a pillow
.
She settled across him, her legs wrapping tight about his waist.

And still they kissed
.
She knew his hands moved, knew hers did as well
.
She played with his buttons, opening his shirt, sliding her hands over velvet flesh
.
She could feel the heat, feel the intensity, knew every inch that their bodies touched.

And still they kissed
.
Still they stared into each other
’
s eyes, souls melding before bodies followed
.
It was sweet
.
It was passion
.
It was beyond anything she had ever dreamed
.

When her bodice slipped to her waist, the warm afternoon air caressing her, she didn’t know whose fingers had loosed the laces
.
When she moved to lie beside him, their legs intertwining in a dance older than time, she was not aware whose hands raised her skirts, whose fingers unbuttoned his breeches
.
They moved with one thought, one mind, each shifting to accommodate the other.

Finally, she shifted above him, pulling herself back to stare more fully
.
His lips were swollen from the endless kiss,
the
flush softening his
even
features
.
She could feel each breath he took as his chest rose and fell beneath her
.
She knelt above him, her thighs encasing his warm body, his hips beneath her
.
It was only the fraction of an inch before they were one
.
She stilled, paused, the eye in the midst of the storm.

And then she shifted, flexed, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough
.
His eyes clouded over, half shut
.
She shifted again, moving closer and yet denying
.
She paused waited, holding them both at the edge
.
His hands clenched, opened
,
moved towards her, slid down her hips, then stopped
.

She waited for his fingers to close, to grasp, demand
.
His thumbs ran over her flesh in the slightest of movements
.
She could see the desire in his eyes, the need, but his only advance was that gentle rub
.

She rose above him, positioned herself over him, opened herself fully to him
.
Their eyes met again and held
.
It was an instant, a second, a moment, an eternity.

And then with a sudden lunge she brought herself down, surrounding him, bringing him deeply to her core
.
His hands flexed upon her as the world suddenly spun
.
She flexed herself tight, holding to him, bringing them together in full union
.
She pulled back and sank, again and again, each time drawing closer to the pinnacle and the withdrawing
.
The rhythm sped, and slowed, as they fought for power together
.
Each time her body tightened
,
his response quivered through her
,
pushing her further
.
She raced onward towa
rds that final goal, knowing he
was right with her.

When the scream finally left her lips as reality exploded, his lips met hers again
,
swallowing her cries, taking them into himself
.

She lay face down upon his chest, her hair damp with sweat, but still permeated with that sweet smell of honey
.
He could feel her hot breath tickling over the hairs of his chest, as she drew each deep breath into her chest
.
Wulf wrapped his arms loosely about her
,
not wanting the moment to end.

He shifted slightly and kissed the crown of her head
.
She tilted her chin up
,
meeting his eyes
,
and she smi
led
.
Oh
,
what a smile
.
S
he lit from within as if from a thousand candles and each flicker warmed him, eased some wound or cut deep within
that
he’d no longer know
n
he carried
.
She pushed herself up against him until their eyes were level and then she kissed his lips again, an angel kiss, felt not with the lips but with the heart
.

“Can we be married today?
”
She spoke the words into his mouth a
nd he felt each one enter
, lodging itself
inside
him.

“Do you really want that
?
I thought you wanted to wait, to have the ban
n
s read properly
.
We could
,
you know
.
Without the threat of . . . of mourning
.
There’s no reason not to take a little time.”

She didn’t answer, but just kept watching him.

“Even if you are with child . . .” Of their own volition his hands moved up and circled her waist, his fingers spanning her belly, stroking with utmost tenderness
.
She flushed and looked away
.
He leaned forward and kissed her, just below her navel
.

“. . . even if you are with child a few weeks wait would not hurt
.
It can be an early baby.”

She swallowed, hard
.
“Do you want to wait?
”
There was a tremor in her voice.

“No.
”
He spoke firmly and with purpose
.
How could one word be so right
?
“I don’t know if the ceremony can be performed today, but I am sure it can be arranged for tomorrow
.
Will that satisfy you . . . my lady?
”
He whispered the last as he straightened and brought his lips against hers again, for the first time he could remember the word caused no pain
.
Lady
.
It was only a word.

“Mmmm, I don’t know that I can wait so long.
”
She wiggled her hips against him and he felt his arousal grow
.
He pressed back
,
letting her know just how she affected him
.
He kissed her again, and then more deeply.

Her one little sigh almost undid him as she wiggled again.

A loud tap on the door startled them apart
.
Tris stepped in shutting the door behind him with a decisive click
.
He turned to the corner, facing away from them.

“Damn you, Tris
.
I heard the knock . . . but damn you.”

“I wanted to get here before anybody else
.
There’s been another incident, a fire in the nursery
.
They’ll be here in a moment looking for you, Lady Burberry
.
I thought I
’d
best . . . well, I’ll be going now.”

He slipped out the door as if he’d never been there.

Rose was on her feet
,
pulling up her bodice and shaking out her skirts
.
Her golden hair spun about her in an unruly cloud
.
“I’ve got to go . . . Anna
.
I have to find out if Anna is al
l
right.”

Wulf got to his feet
.
His own heart beat with the same worry, but he would not let her see
.
“I am sure she’s fine
.
Tris would have said something if she wasn’t and I am sure that . . .”

As if his words had summoned them there was the sound of feet in the hall and then further pounding on the door.

“My lady, you must come
.
My lady . . .
”
Matson’s voice cut through the door echoing about the room
.
Rose looked at her own disheveled state and then his
.
He could see her mind take in the situation and then dismiss it as unimportant, what mattered now was her, no their, child
.

She moved towards the door, unmindful of her hanging hair or the wrinkles that lined the back of her skirt.

This he could do for her
.
He caught her hand pulling her briefly against him
.
“She is fine
.
I feel it here.
”
He placed her palm upon his heart
.
“Just say you fell asleep
.
After last night nobody will question that
.
I trust your sister to be discreet.”

“My l
ady, are you in there?
”
The knob turned and he could sense Matson’s indecision
.
He grabbed the smal
l key off the bed
side table and held it up
.
She caught his eye and nodded, gesturing to her dressing room door.

He flashed her one reassuring smile and headed to the dressing room and the servants
’
s
tair
.
His feet sped down the t
read, eager to reach the bottom and begin the long walk back up to the nursery.

He slipped out the hidden door and headed towards the hallway.

“
Westlake
’s already up there.
”
Tris sat beside the fireplace
.
His feet up and relaxed
.
He smiled wickedly at Wulf
.
“He claims some experience with fires
.
He was just about to leave when Nanny came rushing down
.
There was some difficulty finding Lady Burberry
.
She’s apparently never in her chamber during the day and the servants hadn’t bothered to check
.
If Marguerite hadn’t suggested that . . . I persuaded her to wait before spreading the word.”

“I am in you
r
debt
,
as seems to be becoming the latest trend
.
If you’ll excuse me.
”
Wulf finished his walk to the doorway and started down the hall to the front stair.

Rose stood in the doorway of the nursery looki
ng around her in dismay
.
While
only the far corner bookcase had actually burned
,
the entire room was black with soot
.
The puddling water from the buckets that had put out the flames did nothing to calm her.