Yes. God help her, she was.
She'd kissed him. Not once but twice. And when he'd deepened that second kiss, when his mouth had moved against hers with such hunger and tenderness, she hadn't wanted to pull away. She'd wanted to stay there forever, learning the taste and texture of him, feeling desired and cherished.
Eleanor pressed her hands to her burning cheeks.
She'd never been kissed like that before. Had never imagined being kissed like that. The romance novels in Aubrey's library had attempted to describe such things, but the reality was so much more intense. The way his hand had cradled her head. The way his lips had coaxed hers open. The brief, shocking touch of his tongue that had sent heat flooding through her entire body.
She wanted it again. Wanted more of it. Wanted things she barely understood but felt in the ache low in her belly, in the restless energy that made sleep impossible.
Eleanor turned onto her side, punching her pillow into a more comfortable shape.
This was madness. She was leaving, wasn’t she? She needed to be certain this was real before—
A sound came through the wall. The connecting wall between her bedroom and Aubrey's.
A moan. Low and pained.
Eleanor sat up immediately, her heart racing. Was he hurt? Had he tried to move and injured himself? He'd moved too much, trying to be presentable. Had that aggravated his wounds?
She threw back her covers and grabbed her wrapper, not bothering with slippers as she hurried through the connecting door.
Another moan, slightlylouder.
Eleanor didn't knock. She pushed open the door and rushed to his bedside in the darkness, her hands reaching for him instinctively.
"Aubrey? Are you alright? Are you in pain?"
Her hand found his forehead, warm but not feverish. He moaned again, and Eleanor realised with a start that it wasn't a sound of pain.
It was something else entirely.
His hand shot out and caught her wrist, his grip strong. His eyes opened, dark and unfocused in the dim moonlight filtering through the curtains.
And then, before Eleanor could react, he pulled her down and kissed her.
Not gently. Not tentatively. But with fierce, hungry passion that stole her breath and made her head spin.
His mouth was hot and demanding against hers, his free hand coming up to tangle in her loose braid, holding her exactly where he wanted her. Eleanor gasped against his lips, and Aubrey took immediate advantage, deepening the kiss in a way that made her knees weak.
This was nothing like the chaste kiss she'd given him earlier. This was raw need, barely controlled desire.
Eleanor kissed him back without thinking, her hands gripping his shoulders for balance as the world tilted around her. This was the man she'd loved since she was seventeen. The man who had just declared his love for her. The man who was kissing her as though she were precious, necessary, the answer to every question she'd ever asked.
When Aubrey finally released her mouth to draw breath, Eleanor's head was spinning. She could barely think, could barely remember her own name.
"Do you—" Her voice came out breathless, trembling. "Do you know who I am?"
Aubrey's laugh was rough, his breath warm on her lips. "Of course I do, Beth."
Eleanor gasped and tried to pull back, but Aubrey's arms tightened around her, his laugh deepening.
"I'm joking," he murmured, pressing kisses along her jaw, down her neck. "Of course, I know who you are, Eleanor. My Eleanor. My beautiful, infuriating, perfect wife."
His hand slid down from her waist to cup her bottom through the thin fabric of her nightgown and wrapper, pulling her closer against the edge of the bed. Eleanor's breath caught at the intimate touch, at the moisture between her legs.
"I know exactly who you are," Aubrey whispered against her ear, his voice dark with promise. "And I know exactly what I want to do to you. Want to strip away this nightgown. Want to kiss every inch of your skin. Want to make you moan my name the way I was moaning yours."
Eleanor's entire body flushed hot, desire and shock warring in her chest. "I came to… to check if you needed help turning."
