“I thought I did, but you confuse me.” She paused, as if collecting her thoughts. “I do not think I could ever hate you. I loved you too much for that.”
Loved.Past tense. Her choice of word was not lost upon him.
“Do you love Sidmouth?” He had asked her before, but she had never given him a proper answer. That conversation had been interrupted by Sidmouth’s arrival.
He needed to know now.
“No.”
Her admission was so soft, it was scarcely audible.
But he heard it. He heard it, and it gave him a fierce surge of hope.
“I do not think I am capable of loving anyone,” she added, crushing the incipient burst. “You broke me, Jack. Your betrayal broke me.”
That was not what he wanted to hear. Mayhap it was something he could work with, however.
“Let me make you whole, Nellie,” he said. “Let me repair the damage. I swear to you, I will never again hurt you.”
He meant those words. He meant them more than any he had ever spoken.
But they were not enough to sway her. They were never enough, his words. The only way he could ever reach her was through her body. Her heart, she kept carefully locked away, out of reach.
“You have seven more days.” She pulled her hand free of his grasp. “I should go back to my chamber now and leave you to your rest.”
“Or you could stay,” he invited.
“Jack.”
“Nellie.” He reached for her again, finding her breast with unerring aim, even in the darkness. He cupped it, rubbed his thumb over her nipple. “You have hungry nipples. All hard and ready, waiting for my mouth.”
He knew she loved it when he said wicked things to her.
She made a sound that was half purr, half moan. “My body is foolish.”
He moved to the neckline of her robe and found the buttons already undone. In her haste to come to him, she had only cinched it closed with the sash at her waist. Leisurely, he caressed her silken skin, gliding his hand inside her robe to find she was not wearing a night rail.
“Mayhap your body is wise.” He cupped the heavy roundness of her breast.
Her warmth seared him. He pinched the peak of her breast, then tugged. Her breaths were faster now. Shallow, little bursts that told him she desired him every bit as much as he desired her. If she would deny him her heart, he would take every bit of her he could get until he could not have her any longer.
The last thought caused an intense burst of anguish.
He banished it. No time for pain now. Only pleasure. He was going to lose himself in her sweet body.
With his other hand, he untied the belt on her robe, then pushed it down her shoulder. He wished there was light in the chamber, because he wanted to see her. Wanted to see his hands on her breasts, the way she arched her back to fill both his palms. He played with her nipples, pinching them harder.
She made a restless noise in her throat. “Jack.”
“You want this,” he said. “You want the pleasure only I can give you, don’t you?”
Nell did not respond.
“If I touch your cunny right now, I will find you dripping for me, won’t I?” he prodded.
Her breathing became more erratic. He continued caressing her breasts, playing with her nipples.
Enough waiting. His cock was rigid and ready. He clamped his hands on her waist and moved them in one smooth motion, leaving her on her back and him atop her. Her legs parted naturally to accommodate him. His fingers dipped between her legs, parting her, finding her swollen pearl.
