Wine & Roses (10 page)

The change of tone in his voice was subtle, but Abby felt it, a blend of tenderness and insinuation. Awareness sparkled through her limbs and she wrapped her arms around herself, determined to maintain her focus.

“Then someone is playing a trick on me,” she said. “Who would do that?”

“Maybe Oscar?”

“He went home a while ago.”

“Well—”

Before Jason could finish his sentence, the two lit lamps in the room went dark simultaneously, leaving him and Abby in sudden blackness.

Chapter Seven

“That was spooky,” he said mutedly.

“The bulbs burned out, that’s all.” Abby tossed the rose in the direction of the bed as she turned to feel for the door behind her. The heavy curtains blocked out almost all the light from outside, leaving her nearly blind as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“Both at once?”

Abby was about to suggest a blackout, but a sliver of light under the door told her the lights in the hallway weren’t affected. “Stranger things have happened,” she said calmly, ignoring the shiver of alarm that scooted down her spine. “I’ll go get some fresh bulbs.”

Finding the doorknob, she wrenched the door open, welcoming the reassuring flood of light from the hallway. Leaving Jason in the room, she hurried down the hall to the supply closet, where she quickly located a box of bulbs on one of the shelves. Good. Once they had light again they could get back to figuring out who left the rose outside her room, and why.

Halfway back, Abby stopped, a strong scent suddenly filling her nostrils. It smelled like perfume, with overtones of lavender. She turned around slowly, inhaling deeply in each direction in an attempt to determine the source of the fragrance. She was sure it hadn’t been there when she crossed from her room to the closet. Maybe some kind of perfumed cleaner had fallen and broken in the closet when she took out the bulbs … but no, she felt sure she hadn’t disturbed anything, and in the quiet she would have heard something fall. Besides, she was too far from the closet now for the odour to be emanating from there. It seemed to be everywhere around her, enveloping her, as though it were seeping from the walls.

Abby knew there was nothing supernatural or the least bit threatening about a perfume smell, but telling herself that didn’t slow the sudden battering of her heart, or the feeling of dread that swelled through her. She turned to face Rebecca’s portrait, hung on the wall nearby. Stepping closer, she gazed into the benign blue eyes, their colour still vivid after two centuries.

All at once the portrait leapt forward off its hook, falling and hitting the carpet with a soft
thunk
.

Abby gasped, her scream caught in her throat. She stood frozen for several seconds, gaping at the portrait lying innocently on the carpet. Her heart thundering, she backed up and then sprinted into the bedroom, clutching the box of bulbs to her chest. She practically knocked Jason over in her haste.

“What’s wrong?” Concern creased his brow.

“The portrait … it just
jumped
right off the wall,” she told him breathlessly. “Just before it happened there was a fragrance in the hallway, like lavender. Really strong.”

Leaving her in the room, Jason stepped out into the hallway, and returned to the room a moment later with the portrait in his hand. “Doesn’t look damaged. Maybe when you walked by you somehow shook it loose from the hook.”

“I did not. I wasn’t even moving at the time,” she said. “Did you smell the perfume?”

I don’t smell anything.”

“It was overpowering. How can you not smell it?” Incredulous, Abby hurried out into the hall again—but he was right, the fragrance was gone.

A sudden chill racking her body, Abby scurried back to the room. She set down the box of bulbs on the dresser, too unsettled to deal with them at that moment. Jason followed her, still holding the portrait.

“Please just put it back,” she told him.

While he returned the portrait to its hook, Abby paced back and forth in the dark room, chewing her lip furiously.

“What’s going on here, Jason?” she demanded when he returned, her initial alarm turning to panic. “This is starting to freak me out.”

“Calm down, Abby. It’s just perfume. And pictures fall sometimes.”

“And the rose? And the lights going out like that?”

“All setting a romantic tone,” he remarked evenly. “It’s as though Rebecca’s trying to nudge us together.”

Abby frowned at him, irritation overlaying some of her anxiety. “I’m never sure if you’re joking.”

“I’m not sure I believe in ghosts,” Jason said. “But if that’s what she wants … who am I to thwart her plan?”

In one step he closed the space between them, so that Abby could feel the glow of his body heat.

“Jason, really, I don’t think—”

His mouth on hers extinguished her words, and she relented readily, melting against him as his arms slid around her waist to draw her close. Her fear drifted away, replaced by an exhilarating longing that blazed through her body.

As their lips parted, neither of them spoke for a long moment, the only sound in the room the mingled rasp of their ragged breathing.

“I’d better go now.” Jason eased away from her. “If you’re scared, I can hang out in the hallway for a while. Or would you prefer that I go back downstairs?”

Taking a step back, Abby grasped the doorknob and pushed the door gently closed, enveloping them once again in darkness.

“Neither. Stay here with me.”

“Are you really frightened?” she heard him ask.

“No. I just want you here.”

Grasping the loose fabric of her nightgown, Abby pulled the garment up over her head, dropping it to the floor. Though he could barely see her, Jason was aware of what she’d done, and she heard him draw a sharp breath. In a moment his hands found her, curving around her bare shoulders. Sliding downward, the backs of his fingers slowly skimmed her forearms, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in their wake. Reaching her elbows, his palms curled inward, cupping the supple swells of her breasts.

Abby sighed, delighting in the flare of luscious heat as his thumbs caressed, slowly circling her nipples, now taut with arousal. Sliding her hands slowly over his hips and around his back, she settled her mouth against his throat, feeling his pulse flutter delicately against her lips. Her kisses elicited a shudder and a groan of pleasure from deep in his chest; the evidence of his desire for her gave her a sense of satisfaction, while stoking the heat pooling in the pit of her stomach.

Using memory to determine the location of the bed, she inched closer to it, urging Jason along. Once her legs touched the side of the mattress, she crawled onto it, pulling him down with her. Without hesitation Abby gathered the fabric of his pajama top in both hands and yanked it over his head, discarding it. Bending her head, she skimmed her lips and tongue over the firm muscle of his chest, delighting in the hot, salty taste of his skin. She longed to touch and kiss every inch of him, and intended to do so, hooking her hands into the waistband of his pajama bottoms to help him wriggle out of them.

“Abby, are you sure?” Jason asked, as his pajamas came to rest in a pile on the floor.

“I didn’t plan this, but … I’m sure.” She wasn’t certain what had changed her mind, or whether she’d even thought about her impulse before acting on it. Maybe it was the blackness of the room that emboldened her. All she knew was all at once it felt like the perfect time and place to be in Jason’s arms, and to give herself wholly to him.

Rising from the mattress, he gathered her against him as he rolled over, laying her down with her head against the pillow. Abby smiled to herself, relishing his warm weight along the length of her body. He kissed her ravenously, his lips migrating down the ridge of her jaw to her sensitive earlobe. Draping her arms over his back, Abby moaned softly, agonizing need rippling through her.

“We can stop if you want to, Abby. As difficult as that might be,” Jason said against her cheek, his voice rough with arousal.

Though she appreciated him offering one last chance to change her mind, she didn’t want to stop at all. Everything she felt now, in her heart and in her body, was amazing and so different from anything she’d experienced before. Jason’s caresses were so tender, and so generous, she couldn’t get enough of them.

“I don’t want to stop,” she told him. “It’s just … I don’t want you to be disappointed.” As the thought invaded her mind, she reproved herself silently for allowing it in, and blinked back sudden tears that burned behind her eyes.

“Why on earth would I be disappointed?” He skimmed his fingertips gently along her cheek, awaiting her answer.

Abby released a long sigh. “I suppose you might as well know. Colin didn’t think much of my lovemaking. He said I was cold and unresponsive. I suppose he was right.” Though she hadn’t voiced it before, she realized she had come to believe her husband’s appraisal of her, and had blamed herself for his rejection. “I don’t want to be that way with you.”

“I see,” Jason replied thoughtfully. Abby held her breath, regretting her confession as she waited for him to continue. What must he think of her now?

“Tell me,” he said at last, “did Colin ever take the time to make sure you were satisfied, or did he think only of himself?”

Taken aback by the question, Abby didn’t know how to answer at first. She hadn’t enjoyed intimacy with her husband all that much, and had believed it to be her failing, not his. But Jason knew as well as she did that it was part of Colin’s nature to dismiss the needs and desires of others, even his own wife.

“That could have something to do with it,” she admitted. “He was selfish in many ways, and I suppose this was no exception. He always seemed to be in a hurry.”

“There’s no hurry now.” His tone low and sensual, Jason let his hand drift down to her belly, the backs of his knuckles stroking lightly, making her flesh quiver. “We’ve got all night.”

Shifting his weight to his knees, he freed both hands to leisurely trace the soft curves of her hips, stroking her thighs and then moving between them, teasing her with feather-soft caresses. She drew a sharp breath.

“Lie back and relax.” He bent to kiss her lips again before his focus wandered downward. With his hands and mouth he explored her body patiently and methodically, seeking out the most sensitive areas. Reluctant to selfishly receive such attention without reciprocating, Abby nonetheless did as instructed, closing her eyes as she let the exquisite sensations wash over her. Each gentle stroke fuelled her mounting need, a delightful warm pocket slowly gathering in her belly.

As the warmth grew to a more insistent heat, she felt her breath come faster and she reached up to grip his shoulders. Arching her back, she clung to him, her heart hammering and her body rigid with expectation as her desire swelled into waves of deep, shimmering pleasure that cascaded through her in a dazzling rush.

Fighting to catch her breath, she raised her eyes to Jason’s face, a barely visible outline above her. A glimmer of light from somewhere, perhaps the headlights of a passing car slipping through the break in the curtains, caught his eyes and sparked off them like polished gems as he met her gaze.

“Make love to me now,” she breathed, gathering him closer.

* * *

Jason woke with her sleeping form curled against him, her supple curves fitting neatly alongside his larger shape. Releasing a deep breath, he relaxed into his pillow, contentment settling over him. Abby’s auburn curls tumbled about her head, ticking his chin, and he gently brushed the strands away from his face, careful not to jostle the bed. Though he longed to stroke her bare arm, or bend his head to kiss her shoulder, he was reluctant to do so and wake her.

Touching her was something he’d felt compelled to do since the moment they met, and having been given free reign last night, he had relished the chance to freely explore her body. Her response to him had aroused him to incredible heights; the knowledge that he was able to please her gave him immense satisfaction.

More than this, Jason realized he was falling in love with Abby. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the emotion, or whether loving her frightened him or made him ecstatic. He was still too steeped in the heady glow of their lovemaking to think about what the future might hold. Here and now, he felt content to lie with her and let the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing lull him back to sleep.

Before he could close his eyes again she stirred, stretching her long legs before rolling onto her back. Her eyes flickered open, gazing up at him as a soft smile touched her lips.

“Morning,” she said sleepily, reaching up to stroke his cheek with her fingertips, as though to assure herself that her night with him hadn’t been a dream.

“Morning, Abby. Did you sleep well?”

“Very well.” Glancing down at the sheet draped over her waist, she realized her breasts were exposed and quickly gathered the sheet up to her neck. Still clutching it as she sat up, she pushed back her unruly hair, frowning. “I must look dreadful.”

“You look beautiful,” Jason said, meaning it. Without make up, and with her hair tousled wildly, she looked natural and radiant.

Her smile returned, touching her eyes. “So you weren’t disappointed last night?”