Warrick let the tapestry fall back into place. He wore only his braies, and the moment he arrived, she rolled herself up within the sheets, hiding her body. In the firelight, his body gleamed. He was the most magnificent man she had ever seen, and against her will, a flood of memories washed over her. She could almost feel his hands upon her skin, his breath mingled with hers.
He stood motionless at the entrance, his expression unreadable. Only his eyes revealed a trace of heat. Beneath the coverlet, her skin prickled with sensitivity, her breasts rising as if he had caressed them.
Rosamund looked away, trying to gather her composure. But she was too aware of his gaze upon her. And she knew she had to say something, to remind him that she had no intention of submitting to him.
‘I don’t want—’ Rosamund started to say, but Warrick raised a finger to his lips and pointed towards the wall. Her eyes widened. Did he mean that Alan was hiding himself in the passageway to witness this?
The very thought unnerved her. Why would her husband do such a thing? But then, she supposed he didn’t trust her, and with good reason. She might have obeyed him in the preparations, but she was not going to go through with this.
Warrick crossed the room with slow steps and stood in front of the bed. She had wrapped herself up so tightly in the sheets, she was helpless to move.
He sat down, his weight pressing against the mattress. She didn’t know what his intentions were, but he leaned in. His voice was a silken whisper against her ear. ‘Do you want to know the conditions I forced Alan to accept?’
Her mouth went dry with anxious fear, and she didn’t answer him. Her heart pounded within her chest, her pulse racing.
Warrick drew his hand over her hair, smoothing the length of it. The light touch evoked a longing she couldn’t deny. His blue eyes were searing in his desire, and he murmured, ‘I asked for three nights with you.’ He leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers.
The light kiss seared her skin, and she turned her face. ‘I have already told you that I do not want to lie with you.’
He nodded. ‘So you did. And I have sworn to Alan that I will not claim you unless you ask it of me.’
Her shoulders relaxed slightly at that. ‘Then...you are wasting your time here. For I will not change my mind.’
His thumb moved down her face to her lips. ‘Perhaps not. But if you do not obey Alan, he has said he will find another man to take my place.’
‘No,’ she blurted out. She didn’t believe her husband would do such a thing. ‘I would never allow that.’
He loosened the sheet and untucked it from beneath her, allowing her more freedom of motion. ‘If he believes that you are willing to let me touch you, it is enough for now. He agreed that we need not consummate anything for the first two nights.’
‘Or any night thereafter,’ she shot back. With the sheets fully covering her body, she sat up and swung her legs over the side. ‘I told him I would obey, but we both know it was a lie.’
He reached out to the nape of her neck, his strong fingers threaded in her hair. ‘Was it?’
She was startled when he kissed her again with no warning at all. At first, she kept her mouth firmly closed, but he tilted his mouth, nipping at her lips in an invitation. His hand began to massage the base of her neck, finding the tightness and tension. She wanted to moan in thanksgiving, it felt so good. And God above, she’d forgotten what it was like to kiss this man.
He knew how to take her lips, how to use his mouth to awaken her desires. Her mind was spinning, her emotions in turmoil—especially with the question of whether Alan was still watching them.
Warrick continued to kiss her, with lazy effort, as if he had all the time in the world. Her mouth grew swollen as it went on and on. Then he slid his tongue inside her mouth, and her skin grew heated. It was as if she could feel his hands upon her skin, even though it was only his kiss.
He moved his mouth to her throat, and her skin erupted in gooseflesh. For a moment, she managed to collect herself, and she murmured, ‘It doesn’t matter whether you kiss me or not. I will not change my mind about this.’
She had to fight him with all her resolve. The sleekness of his tongue was like the echo of his body moving inside hers. She couldn’t stop the rush of feelings, nor her body’s desires. Though they had only lain together a few times, she had never forgotten the way he had made her feel.
And hehadbeenher first husband. Regardless of what her father had done to drive them apart, Warrick had spoken vows and consummated the marriage. There was no denying it.
Not once in three years of marriage had Alan awakened her to such sensations. Her eyes welled up with tears, for she hated herself for feeling anything at all. She wanted to remain closed off to this man, as if she were enclosed within stone.
But his hand moved beneath the bedsheet, caressing the lines of her bare flesh. The moment he did, she shivered from the heat.
Warrick never stopped kissing her, and after a time, she felt herself falling back into the girl she had once been. She had loved this man then and had desperately wanted to stay married to him.
A heaviness closed over her, tears burning in her eyes as she began to kiss him back. Never had she imagined it would come to this. With all her heart, she wished she could turn back the years and make different choices.
Chapter Seven
Warrick waited until he heard the faint click of the door to the passageway before he broke away from Rosamund. Beneath his breath, he murmured, ‘He’s gone now.’
Her cheeks were rosy, her lips swollen, and she didn’t seem to understand what was happening. He picked up her fallen shift and tossed it to her. Then he turned his back and walked towards the table and two chairs on the far side of the room. ‘Clothe yourself.’
