It was frustrating and part of why Gray was up so early now. He needed a ride to clear his head. He’d just gotten the saddle on when the stable door slid shut in the distance.
He turned to see who had entered, expecting it to be Stevens, but when he saw the intruder, he caught his breath.
Rosalinde stood in the corridor, her arms folded, her lips trembling and her eyes flashing fire. She was dressed in a plain morning gown in a deep blue, but the somber clothing did nothing to reduce her vibrant beauty. It made him all too aware that it had been four long days since he last touched her. Another frustration that kept him up nights.
“Rosalinde,” he said, moving toward her. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?”
She lifted up a hand as if to ward him off, and he stopped. She was not teasing—she truly wished him to stay back.
“Of course I’m following you,” she hissed. “I have not had a moment to speak to you privately since our…since we…since that night in the library.”
He smiled at her stammer, her blush, and took another step in her direction. “And now you want totalkto me? Like we did that night?”
He looked toward the stable doors. Stevens would likely be up in the house for an hour for orders and food. More than enough time to enjoy a few pleasures with Rosalinde.
“You disparaged my sister to your siblings,” she said, her voice shaking.
Gray wrinkled his brow as the true nature of her reasons for following him became clear. “You came here to talk to me about Celia?”
She nodded. “Of course. After all, she has no one on her side but me, it seems. Not when you are fighting hard to turn everyone else against her.”
Gray stopped advancing on her and folded his arms. “Rosalinde, I made my stance on your sister’s marriage to Lucien clear more than once. It can’t surprise you that I would speak both to him and to Felicity about my concerns.”
“You make it sound like you’re addressing a business issue,” Rosalinde said, and her voice cracked. The painful sound hit him in the gut. “Celia is aperson. She is the person I love more than any other on this earth. And you’re trying to hurt her.”
He caught his breath. “I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I’m trying to make sure my brotherisn’thurt.”
“How many times must it be said that Celia has no intention of harming Stenfax? The two of them have made their agreements,bothwill benefit from them. Not only will Stenfax receive my sister’s generous dowry, but she will make a good countess for him.”
She said the words, but he could see a flicker of hesitation on her face. Was she aware of some betrayal on Celia’s mind, or was it just that the two of them had no connection and it troubled passionate Rosalinde?
Either way, her words didn’t sway him as she likely hoped. He leaned in closer, getting a whiff of the lemon scent of her hair on the cold breeze.
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
Her jaw stiffened and lifted in outrage. He supposed he should have been put off by that, but he wasn’t. He liked her loyalty to her sister. He liked her fire when she was angered. He liked that she faced off with him directly, not simpering or playing or hiding how she felt.
As if to prove that point, she pushed her face closer to his and hissed, “I despise you.”
She moved to turn away, but he caught her arm and pivoted her back, dragging her almost into his arms. She made no move to resist and her pupils dilated with the desire she was obviously trying to deny.
“Do you?” he whispered.
She held his gaze, mouth twitching, her cheeks growing pink. Then she looked straight at his mouth and licked her lips.
He was lost. He tugged her firmly into his embrace and crushed his mouth to hers. She was stiff only for a fraction of a second, then she parted her lips and met his tongue. He kissed her as he backed her up until she was flat against the stable wall, tilting his head to taste her, panting as he took what he had been missing these four long days and nights.
And he knew there would be no stopping the tide now. He would have her. Here and now.
She seemed to sense the same thing, for she began to arch against him with a breathless, eager fervor that only stoked the need driving through his body.
He broke from her lips with a gasp and looked down at her upturned face. “Do you want this?”
She nodded. “God help me, yes. Yes, I want this.”
He almost sagged in relief at her acquiescence, given despite her anger toward him. He cupped her face and kissed her again, this time more gently. She moaned softly in her throat and her hands came up to grip his jacket lapels as she lifted against him.
He knew they didn’t have much time, so as much as he wanted to make love to her slowly and sweetly, until her body was limp and languid from orgasm after orgasm, that wasn’t an option. Instead, he crooked her leg up with one arm and used the other to ratchet up her skirts.
