He held her gaze, and she couldn’t help thinking of how he had pleasured her earlier that night. Her face warmed the longer he stroked it, and she leaned into his hand.
“Sibyl,” he said a few moments later, his voice still soft in the candlelight. “I am going to ask you about the Viscount Grenford.”
At once, Sibyl bristled, her entire body going rigid. She tugged away from his grasp, her defenses rising.
Heavens, now she understood why he often evaded her questions.
“How do you know about him?” Her voice had an edge to it that she did not even recognize.
“It’s not circulating among the ton,” he assured her quickly, given the fact that they had just attended their first ball. “I… I heard it personally.”
“I—” Sibyl inhaled sharply, trying not to think too hard about that man’s hands on her dress, how he had torn it, how the wind had bit at her skin, how hehad dared to try to do the same. “I was accosted by him. I was lured alone, touched against my will, and I was terrified. If my family had not intervened, I do not know the lengths he would have gone to in his relentless pursuit of me.”
Gabriel’s fist clenched, but Sibyl smoothed her hand over it.
“But he is gone now,” she added. “He is not coming back, and I have nothing to fear. Not from him, not from Edmund. Both are gone.”
“Sibyl, I will never let anybody hurt you or Rosie ever again,” Gabriel swore, kissing her knuckles. “That was my first promise to you when I met you, and it remains. You are safe.”
Sibyl leaned in to kiss him, smiling into it. His tongue tasted like strawberries and chocolate, only making her crave more. But every time she tried to deepen the kiss, Gabriel would pull away and offer her another treat or slice of fruit before taking a piece for himself. It made her come back for more kisses, chasing the flavor in his mouth.
“You taste like chocolate,” he murmured, placing another square between her lips.
She chewed slowly, smiling at him as he watched her.
“And you taste like all the treats combined.” Again, she kissed him, and he cupped her face, laughing softly as she tried to move closer.
“I will only touch you again when you ask for it,” he purred when her hands strayed to his shirt, eager and yet trembling.
She kissed away his worries, sliding her tongue against his. Again, Gabriel pulled back.
“I think, er, we should take it slow.” His voice was so soft, so gentle, in the dim room.
The candlelight accentuated his sharp features, making her stomach flip and her need flare hot.
Still, as much as she wanted him, as much as her body ached for him, the mention of Edmund and Lord Grenford had her shaking, so she was slightly relieved when Gabriel gave her an out.
She nodded, exhaling.
Gabriel just watched her contentedly, as though he knew it was the right decision for them both.
“Here,” he said, “let me wrap your robe around you so you can remain warm.”
He rose from the bed, picked up her robe, and wrapped it around her nightgown. She smiled at him, grateful for another layer to burrow beneath.
“If you wish to help me undress,” he suggested, “I would not object. Nor would I object to sleeping here tonight.”
Sibyl blinked up at him, her heart skipping a beat. “Truly?”
“Truly,” he affirmed. “No more closed doors between us.”
Nodding earnestly, Sibyl was already on her knees on the edge of the bed, reaching for his shirt again. She tugged it off him, feeling the hard muscles beneath the fabric.
Carnal hunger coiled in her belly. It gnawed at her, pooling between her legs, as she let her eyes roam over his torso.
“Heavens,” she whispered, her hands smoothing over his chest and shoulders.
Everything about him was sobig, so broad, and she grew a little dizzy from his sheer size. Her fingers slid down to his ridged abdomen and then curled into the waistband of his breeches.
