Alice awoke feeling warmer and more content than she had in a long while. Stretching, she realized why when her arm hit a warm chest that was serving as her pillow.
Heat rushed to her cheeks when she recalled everything that had transpired the evening before that led her here, now in the same bed as Ethan Beaumont.
After a few hours in the cottage, both finally regaining feeling in their extremities, it became apparent they would have to stay there overnight. Evening darkness was settling in, and the rain showed no signs of ceasing, continuing to come down in a steady deluge. Thankfully, Ethan had previously stocked the cottage with basic provisions in anticipation of the new steward, so they made a meal out of a jar of preserved pears and fire-roasted bread and cheese.
It was only after their meal that things became complicated. Ethan, being the gentleman that he was, insisted on sleeping in the chair. But Alice knew he would never be comfortable with his leg awkwardly positioned to remain elevated. She was about to suggest he take the bed while she slept in the chair, yet she inherently knew his manly pride would never allow for such an occurrence. The only practical solution, since she was now tryingto act on practicalities rather than worry about propriety given the situation, was for them to share the bed.
It would certainly keep both warmer as well. Although dry and tolerably warm, a deep chill had settled in Alice’s bones from the prolonged exposure to the cold that not even the strong blaze could reach. As darkness crept into the cottage with the late hour, so did the chilled evening air. Yes, there was nothing for it other than Alice insisting they share the bed. While just the thought alone caused her cheeks to flush, she knew it was the only reasonable option. She would have to convince Ethan.
“No. Absolutely not,” he replied upon first hearing the suggestion. They talked around each other for a few more rounds, Ethan unhelpfully reminding her of their confessions of attraction from a few hours ago and being so close all night would not help either party involved. In the end, the frigid temperature triumphed and he finally conceded.
Then came the problem of what to wear to bed. While the togalike construction of sheets kept Alice decent beneath the blankets while their clothing dried, it wouldn’t be enough cover for comfort once beneath shared covers. After another few rounds, Ethan now decidedly against the previous plan to share the bed, he gruffly conceded that her chemise and his shirt were dry enough for them to wear as bedclothes. However, he demanded that a barrier of pillows and blankets be erected between them.
Now, after having slept refreshingly well, it was apparent that the barrier had proven useless. Pillows and rolled blankets were strewn across the bed and surrounding floor, and Alice and Ethan were intertwined at multiple points.
Heart racing, Alice turned as slowly as possible, trying not to wake Ethan. But maybe staying in this quiet moment to observe him was best, as sensations in her body roared to life when she adjusted her position.
It seemed that during the night they had gravitated towards each other, most likely seeking the other’s warmth. Ethan lay on his back, which was good position for his injured ankle, and Alice was on his left side—tucked under his arm and half draped over the top of his body. She tried gently turning away from him again, but the movement caused her leg to drag across his own, bunching her chemise up around her legs in the process and leaving very little between herself and the man beneath her.
Sparks raced through her, settling into her most sensitive place that was now firmly against Ethan’s hip, only the thin linen of his shirt between them. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering and rolled quickly onto her back. Now only touching his arm that was beneath her neck, Alice had a moment to clear her mind and assess the situation.
A smart woman would rise from the bed and don her clothing before Ethan could wake. But Alice couldn’t bring herself to waste the opportunity to observe him from such proximity while he remained unaware of her perusal. Turning her head and angling her body back toward his warmth, she soaked in his presence. Alice knew she would have to tuck the memory of this morning away for her to savor on a later occasion, as this was likely the closest she would ever be to him.
He was so handsome it was almost unfair. Even though they were closed in sleep, she knew his eyes were a warm, deep brown and small lines radiated from the corners of them, reaching toward his cheeks and temples whenever he smiled. Her own eyes traced their way down to his strong nose and plush lips, past his chin and down his neck to a slice of chest that was exposed through the open collar of his shirt.
A small patch of springy chest hair lay where her cheek had been a moment ago, and she marveled at his masculine build. Her fingers itched to run through the hair there and feel the firmmuscle beneath his warm skin. Feeling her body stirring once more at the thought, she forced her eyes back up to his face.
While most of the Beaumonts that Alice knew possessed hair in various shades of brown, Ethan’s held more gold within it—a light, sandy brown that couldn’t seem to decide whether it wanted to be classified as brown or blond. Admiring a large lock that swept across his forehead, this time she didn’t hold herself back from lifting her hand and pushing the wayward strands off his brow.
His eyes opened at the feel of her touch, his gaze connecting with hers as she lay perfectly still, head still resting on his arm. “Alice,” he said, voice gravelly from sleep. And before she could question it, she leaned forward and placed her lips to his.
He held still for a moment, likely shocked or possibly still only half awake, but then rolled into her and ran his hand up her back until it tangled in her hair, cradling the back of her head while he hungrily leaned into the kiss.
Alice had never been kissed before, and her body came alive while her mind sighed—finally.She’d been close to kissing Ethan the week prior when he had found her with Tobias, and if she’d known it would feel this good, she wouldn’t have held back then.
His lips moved over hers again and again, as if he were starving and she was the only thing that could satiate him. She leaned into it, a willing participant, and followed his lead when he ever so gently used his tongue to taste her own.
Her entire body felt alive and liquefied. All Alice knew was that she wanted to be closer to him, to feel as much of him as possible. Inching closer, she threw her left leg back over him, curling it around his hip and using her foot to hook around his thigh, pulling him closer to the place where she needed him most.
Ethan let out a groan and began to kiss his way down her neck while his hand left her hair and traveled down her back, landing on the skin of her upper thigh, his fingers curling toward her buttocks. Alice’s chemise had ridden up completely, and she loved the feel of his hands on her with nothing at all between them. She let out her own gasp as the same hand moved up her side, beneath the flimsy underlayer, and brushed the side of her breast.
“Ethan,” she gasped, curling into his touch when he suddenly stopped. As Ethan wrenched himself away, her hips arched—instinctively pulling through the negative space between them at his retreat, chasing an unknown sensation, only to come up short.
“No—I can’t do this,” he panted, lying beside her. “I won’t do this if I can’t have you fully, if you can’t truly be mine.” He sat up abruptly, moving toward the edge of the bed and turning his back to her.
“Ethan?” she asked tentatively, reaching out and placing a hand on his heaving back. He stiffened away from her touch.
“Please don’t, Alice, I’m holding on by a thread here. You have no idea how badly I want you, but this would be something we can never come back from.” With that, he stood, pulling the long tails of his shirt down and wrapping a blanket around him before limping off to stir the fire.
Their morning was rather quiet after that. Alice tamped down her embarrassment and rose after taking a moment to cool her ardor.
Ethan dressed, then grabbed a long stick he’d found earlier to aid in walking before going outside to check conditions. Alicemade her way to her own clothes and checked their state. While not completely dry, they would do. The priority right now was to return to Hampton House and put space between her and Ethan so she could reflect on all that had happened within the past day.
While she knew intellectually that Ethan had not been rejecting her, trying to protect her in his own way, she was still frustrated that the intimate moment between them had been cut short. There was something that drew her towards him, but at the same time, she knew he was right and that they could never be.
Alice dressed quickly in her frustration and was preparing tea and toast when Ethan returned.
“It looks like the rain will hold off,” he said while looking at the floor. “Let’s eat quickly and begin to make our way back.”
