“Mmm.That was wonderful,” she purred.
“There’s more,” he rasped, “If you want it.”
“You know me.”She licked her lips, not bothering to hide the hunger in her eyes.“I always want more.”
God, she made him feral.Hal bared his teeth and slipped an arm under one of her sweetly rounded thighs, crooking her knee over his elbow and opening up her body.
The shift allowed him into the very core of her with sharp, almost punishing thrusts that he knew, by the way she knitted her brow and clutched greedily at his shoulders, were what she needed now.
He needed it too, God, he needed her.His mind was going, buried under an avalanche of feeling.Hal was nothing but body now, the pounding, pulsing beat of his blood taking over everything as they moved together.
“Hal!”Gemma choked out, a wild thing in his arms, untamable and perfect in her pure, instinctual responsiveness.Her body froze while internally, he felt the contractions of her sex massaging his length and demanding his seed.
With a harsh cry, Hal pulled out and released his passion on the blanket.He collapsed beside Gemma and gathered her into his arms, utterly spent.
ChapterNineteen
Sometime in the depths of the night, when the fire in the grate had died down to glowing coals, Gemma woke to the sensation of Hal’s large, capable hands in her hair.He cradled her head, stroking his fingers patiently through the tangled strands and combing it out into tendrils that spilled down her back.
She’d fallen asleep lying full length on top of him, her head on his shoulder and their legs twined together.Stacking her hands in the center of his muscled chest, she propped her chin on top and regarded him thoughtfully.
Hal gave her a smile, but most of his attention was on his careful detangling of her hair.The light scratch of his fingernails made Gemma want to purr.All her bones felt melted and soft, like butter left out of the root cellar overnight.
Between her legs, she was sensitive and maybe a little swollen, but not truly sore.She felt…well used.The thought made her smile with contentment.
There had been a moment, when Hal first turned and saw that she’d blatantly disregarded his attempt to keep things chaste and innocent between them.She had thought, for an instant, that he might send her away untouched.
But instead, he’d shown her what her body was capable of, the dizzying heights of delight two people could reach together.
The right two people.
Gemma watched his serious face in the waning light of the fire, noting the care he took not to tug painfully at her hair and the delicacy with which he unraveled a particularly stubborn knot, and her whole heart turned inside out.She buried her face in his chest, her feelings keen enough to cut.
She could not possibly marry the Earl of Stonehaven.As kind and understanding and wonderful as he might be—he wasn’t Hal.
Emotion welled up in Gemma’s throat; she thought it was mainly relief, perhaps tinged with a bit of guilt.
This choice affected more than just herself.Her mother and sister had no one else to care for their needs and plan for their futures.
But in the quiet certainty of her soul, Gemma knew she’d already made her choice—for good or ill.
Now all she had to do was tell everyone what she’d decided, and hope that Hal felt the same way she did.Filled with shimmering excitement and nerves, Gemma looked up at him, lips parted and ready to spill the truth of her heart to the man she loved…
But he was asleep.His hands were still tangled in her hair, his face peaceful.Gemma pressed her lips to his warm, smooth chest, right over his generous heart, and settled herself against him with a small smile.
The morning would be soon enough to tell him that she would rather have a life with him than the wealth of a hundred earls.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was to the gray light of dawn.The fire in the kitchen grate had died out, leaving nothing but cold ashes.The chilly gray clouds visible out the windows presaged another day of rain.
Trapped in the blanket, Gemma shivered and thrashed her way to sitting up.She frowned, looking around the empty kitchen.Where was Hal?
The chill of the early morning air struck her and she shivered, huddling into the blanket and feeling terribly vulnerable to be wearing absolutely nothing underneath it.
How could Hal have left her here, naked and alone, after the night they’d shared?
A folded piece of paper caught her eye, propped against the chair where her clothes hung from the day before, wrinkled but dry.For some reason, the sight of it tightened her stomach with dread.
With shaking fingers, Gemma reached out and picked it up.
