Jules sauntered from the ballroom, uncaring of the multiple eyes piercing into her shoulders, especially the duchess’s own. She could feel the intention in the stares, dissecting and digging deep, trying to uncover her identity and the reason their duke had danced only with her. As if a mere glare would allow them to see the thread of connection that had inexplicably tethered them together, or the nerves cascading through Jules.
Once outside, Jules looked around, yet he was not there. An empty feeling swirled up inside her chest, but, taking a steady breath, she swallowed down the nerves erupting through her. She had no difficulty in guessing his current whereabouts. James had gone into the woods, leaving the choice entirely up to Jules to follow him. Gripping the edges of the ballgown, Jules made her way across the lawn, her delicate shoes whispering over the grass as she moved away from the laughter and revelry, the darkness of the night obscuring her venture across the lawns from inquisitive eyes.
On the edge of the woodlands, her steps hesitated for a moment. The night was black and intimidating. The tree limbs towering and gnarled. She entered the path leading to his tree house and faltered. There were lanterns lit along the path. Her heart started to pound a wild rhythm.
Had he been so certain she would come? She felt as if she made an irrevocable step, and even though she’d always known being with the duke in an intimate fashion had been long decided, now it felt unalterable. Jules hastened along the path, the breath easing from her chest when she saw him waiting below the ladder leading up to the tree house.
A wild emotion leaped in his eyes when he saw her. Jules went to him. He touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers, and for a moment, she savored the wonderful caress. James stooped and removed her shoes, placing them neatly at the trunk. She sucked in a harsh breath when he slipped his hand underneath her gown, untying the tapes to her stockings, and gently rolled them off. She turned around at his urging, finally smiling when he unhooked the full skirts and assisted her to step out of her gown and the bustle.
Jules climbed the tree half naked but much more secure that she would not accidentally topple from the ladder. She entered the cottage and slowed her steps, peering at the dozens of candles that lit up the space.
“I made it a bit…softer for you,” he said gruffly.
A well-padded and sweetly scented pallet had been added. And at least a dozen cushions, all made from dark gold, blue, and green brocade. A table was pushed against a corner, and there rested a decanter of amber liquid—whisky perhaps—two glasses, and a plate of cakes. The night was alive with the sounds of the owls, birds, and other creatures as they made their music and the whispering of the wind between the trees. Everything felt enchanting.
“Thank you,” Jules said, hiding her smile and the warmth spreading through her entire body.
She closed her eyes and leaned back against James when he hugged her from behind, pushing his nose against the curve of her throat, and inhaled.
“I like when you smell me.”
She felt the curve of his mouth against her flesh.
“I knew you would come to find my nose charming.”
Jules turned in the cage of his arms, peering up at him.
“Give me your honesty. What are you feeling?”
“I long for your touch, James.”
“Good, because I ache to consume you and fear I might fall on you like a savage beast.”
A sharp ache stabbed downward through her womb and along her inner thighs. “Fall on me,” she whispered. “I want that…I want you.”
Their mouths came together in a burning kiss. He kissed her with a fierce, consuming hunger that turned her nerves to fire. She wanted to crawl inside him. No, she wanted him inside her. There was a tightening within Jules’s chest and also a loosening. James couldn’t stop touching her, caressing her throat, over her collar and down to her breasts. He undressed her, his fingers nimble and swift, then rough when the garment resisted his advancement. Soon it fell away, and she was caught up in lust and hardly aware that she was perfectly naked before another person.
James swiped his thumb over her nipple before capturing the hard pebble between his thumb and forefinger. She gasped at the pleasure throbbing through the tip and leaned more into his wicked caress. Jules pulled away from him, and a little laugh that was remarkably breathless left her. “I have taken leave of my senses.”
“Do you want to leave?” he muttered roughly against her mouth.
He used the back of his fingers to brush against her throat before trailing down to her collarbone.
“No,” she gasped.
The hand that wasn’t holding her against him came up and gripped her hair in his fist, tugging her head back. Jules’s nipples became so hard, so tight, they were a near violent ache.
“Good, because I was not damn sure I would have been able to let you go,” he groaned, hauling her against his chest, lifting her into his arms, and bearing her down on the cushions. His head lowered, his lips covered hers, and she was lost for endless moments. He launched from her, ripping at his clothes with impatient hands. She came upon her elbows, staring at him in awe. His body was delineated with brutally honed muscles…everywhere. James was simply breathtakingly stunning in a savage, beautiful way.
“You are so amazing,” she whispered.
He prowled over to her, dropping to his knees on the blanket. He dipped his head and kissed the top of her knee, the soft brush of his mouth reverent. James’s fingers trailed a path over her quivering belly, down to her thighs, and placed a cushion under her, as the heat in his gaze seared her sex.
Jules flushed to be so wantonly exposed to her lover.
“You are so damn lovely, Wildflower.”
James lowered his head, and without any hesitation licked over her sex with a wicked curl of his tongue. She gasped, gripping the cushions to her sides.
