Tears glistened in her eyes, slid down her cheeks. Her palms flattened on his chest, but she did not push him away. “You are wrong, Jack.”
“I am not,” he vowed, forcing her to hold his gaze as he cupped her face and caught a tear on his thumb. “Do you know why Sidmouth does not want you to stay here with me for the next thirteen days, Nellie? It is because he is afraid he will lose you forever. He can see what is between us, what has always been between us. He knows it is far stronger than whatever you have with him.”
He believed those words. He had to, because if he did not, then he stood no chance of winning her back.
“Jack,” she protested. More tears slid down her cheeks.
He caught them with his lips. Kissed them away.
“Stop fighting this, Nellie,” he whispered. “Stop fighting me.”
Her sorrow was salty on his lips. He licked it up.
“I have to fight you, or I will lose myself.” She pushed at his chest, but with halfhearted force.
Not enough to budge him.
“Mayhap you will find yourself.” He kissed away another tear, taking his time, catching each one with great care.
“All I will find with you is raw pleasure. The physical.”
Stubborn, stubborn creature.
He kissed the corner of her lips. “It is more than that, and you know it.”
“My body wants you, but my heart does not.” But even as she said the words, her arms went around his neck, and she pressed her lips to his.
He kissed her slowly, sweetly, seeking to banish from her mind all thoughts of the past, betrayal, or pain. Most especially all thoughts of Sidmouth. She opened for him on a sigh, her tongue sliding into his mouth first.
Their physical connection was as strong as it had ever been.
The passion was there.
The love would follow.
It had to.
She tasted of her tears and chocolate. Cook’s cocoa biscuits if he were to wager a guess. She had always loved chocolate. And he had always loved the sweetness of it in her kiss. He still loved it now. He lovedher.
He loved her, and he would win her back. There would be no surrender. No divorce. No Nellie moving on to Sidmouth.
Jack sucked on the fullness of her lower lip, then nipped it. By God, he wanted to consume her. To ravish her mouth and banish the notion of marrying another man from her mind for good.
She nipped him back. Their kiss turned aggressive, each of them battling for dominance. He broke the seal of their mouths, dragging kisses down her throat. She smelled so sweet there, her silken skin perfumed with exotic floral notes. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and carry her back to his bedchamber.
Instead, he forced himself to stop.
To take a step back.
Her lips were swollen from his kisses, parted, her breathing as harsh as his. Her eyes were glazed with passion, all the anguish gone from her countenance. He vowed to keep her that way. To spend every day reminding her of why she should choose him over Sidmouth.
“Give in, Nellie,” he said softly. “You know how it is for us. How good we are together.”
She shook her head, as if she were emerging from a stupor. “Youare no good for me, Jack. Kisses and passion do not mean anything.”
“Does giving me your body mean anything?” he pressed, frustrated.
Her expression shuttered. “No.”
