No, roared the rest of him.
He swallowed against a rising tide of yearning. “I cannot honestly say I am sad you dropped the book.”
Her cheeks went pink, and she pursed her lips as if attempting to fend off a smile. “Hudson.”
But her scold was far too warm and it carried no bite. If anything, his name uttered in her sweet voice only served to make his cock even harder. “Shall I return to my room, then?”
She shook her head. “Stay. If you wish it, of course.”
It was not an invitation for the entire night, but his poor prick did not know that.
Why did he suddenly feel like a lad experiencing his first rush of lust? Was it because she was his wife, or was it merely because she was herself?Elysande.
“I do not want to intrude,” he said, hesitating.
Every part of him wanted to remain. To haul her into his arms, take those soft lips with his, and carry her to the bed. But his honor forbade it. Not unless she asked him to break his vow, regardless of how much he wanted her. How much heneededher.
“You are hardly intruding, Hudson.” She padded toward him in her bare feet.
He found himself admiring her dainty toes, the turns of her ankles. Why had it never occurred to him before just how alluring each unique aspect of a woman’s body could be? He longed to worship every inch of her.
Instead, he settled for sweeping a wet curl from her forehead as she reached him, tamping down the hunger burning to life deep within. “The hour is late, and I kept you on your feet for most of the day.”
She did not appear worn or ragged, however. In the low light of the lamps, she was utterly luminous. A small smile curved her lips as her gaze searched his.
“I am not tired. Not yet.”
Nor was he. Suddenly, he was very much awake. And painfully aware of her nudity beneath the poor shield of her towel, which did little to hide her body.
Stop looking at her, you dolt.
But where else to look?
He wanted to consume her. To lick and kiss and love her.
“Is your lady’s maid returning this evening to assist you?” he asked.
“Only if I ring for her. I am frightfully independent, I fear. Taking care of myself has always held a certain appeal for me. I am capable, practical, able. Why not tend to myself?”
“Because you are a lady,” he said, the obvious answer.
And yet, it was as illogical as so many rules which governed her set. Her set and now, by an accident of nature, his as well. Most reluctantly.
She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. “True, but it is all so silly, is it not? Have you ever stopped to think about the arbitrary nature of the world in which we live? So many rules we accept, and yet never question their reasoning or who has made them. Why?”
What a marvel she was. If he had not married her, he would have proposed to her now, on the merit of her spirit alone.
He searched his mind for a good answer to her question and found none. So he offered his second-best explanation. “Because we must do what is expected of us.”
“But why is it expected of us?” She shook her head. “My father taught me to question everything, and I suppose it has become a habit of mine.”
“You are close to your father, are you not?” he asked, for he had wondered before, during their interview when she had agreed to marry him.
It occurred to him how little he knew of this woman. Her past, her family, herself. He knew what she tasted like, and he knew how to make her come with his tongue, but he had yet to truly learn abouther.
He needed to rectify that omission. They had married in haste, and he had left her in a similar fashion, and then she had returned to him in London only to face such a horrendous tragedy. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have courted her and grown to know her. He mourned that lost opportunity now, for what he felt for Elysande was so much more than a physical attraction.
“My father was always quite good to me,” Elysande said with a fond smile. “I learned a great deal from him. He never made me feel as if I were unequal, or as if I ought to pursue a certain course of learning because I was born a woman in the way most fathers do, if they even pay any attention to their daughters at all. Instead, he encouraged me to work by his side, and he taught me so much. He was most fortunate in that he had the opportunity to work with some eminent engineering firms, despite the fact that he was to be the earl one day. Whatever he was able to glean from those days, he expanded upon, building his knowledge whenever he could.”
