“Are you not comfortable, sweeting?”he murmured, his voicethick with sleep.
“Okay, honey, I get why you felt the need for barriers, butyoutry to sleep in a corset.”
He roused at that.
“I need this dress off,” she finished.
He had decreed they’d sleep in their clothes, an effort tofight temptation.
Therefore, he’d tugged off his boots and socks, she hadslipped off her slippers.
And they were on top of the bedclothes with the duvet pulledover them that usually lay folded at the foot in case an evening was uncommonlycold.
He’d forgotten she was daily tortured with that item ofapparel.
“Never understood why you women suffer that contraption,” heremarked.
“I knew I was falling in love with you.”
Startled, Loren was powerless to do anything but allow herwords to flood through him, the light of them momentarily, but brilliantly,illuminating places that had long been dark.
He did this before he moved his hand to the top button atthe back of her neck.
He released it from its loop, the next, and then, withpracticed ease, he angled his fingers just so, in order to slide them down andrelease all the buttons in one go.
Nary a second after he accomplished this, she shiveredagainst him and remarked, “Maybe we should keep our clothes on.”
He grinned into the dark then pulled them both from underthe duvet and onto their feet.
He heard the silk of her dress rush to puddle on to thefloor.He then used her hips to turn her and found the ends of the satin lacesat her back.He tugged them and loosened them, thankfully unable to see what hewas doing.It was bad enough being able to feel it.
He stepped away to allow her to pull the corset over herhead, which would leave her in nothing but her shift, and he turned hisattention to the buttons on his breeches.
He pulled those down so that he was only in his undershorts,then reached beyond her to tug back all the covers.
With a hand at her hip, he guided her in and followed her.
With ease, he turned her into his arms, but this was becauseshe was already heading there.
“Much better,” she decreed.
His lips curved, he pulled her closer and tangled theirlegs.
Much better, yes.
And much more dangerous.
Nevertheless, his fingers found themselves wound into hersoft hair.
She melted into him.
“How’s your side?”she asked quietly.
“I’ll live.”
“The goal should benotto allow them to cut you,”she teased.
“There were five of them, and only two of us.I can promiseyou, my lady, I did try.”
