She trembled as she struggled to breathe, her eyes squeezed shut and her hands pressed firmly over them, as if Jeremy’s nudity might somehow seep through her many barriers.
Her heart fluttered like a trapped bird as she heard the rustle of coverlets and the creak of the bed, followed by the thud of footsteps on the wooden floor.
He is too close. Oh heavens, he is too close…
She could feel his presence as it stole the air from the space between them, tightening her chest until she could barely draw breath at all. He was right in front of her; she knew it, though she did not dare to look. If she reached out just a few inches, she would touch that warm, bare skin and trace the deep lines of his muscular physique.
As it was, she pressed her hands harder to her face, over her eyes.
A yelp escaped her throat as she felt his rough grip on her wrists, his hands easily pullingherhands from her eyes.
“Ye should look me in the eye if ye mean to offend me,” he growled. “Open yer eyes.”
She shook her head. “I will not, sir.”
“Ye act coy now, whenyewere the one slipping into me bed?” he said, sparking a fresh flurry of irritation within her.
“This ismybedchamber!” she snapped, as she bit her lip, the encounter yesterday colliding with the present moment.
Her dizzy mind conjured a dangerous image of him holding her arms behind her back. As she writhed and wriggled to get free, she imagined how it would feel to brush against his bare skin. Her nightdress might have mostly covered her, but it was still thin, with nothing underneath. It would create a different kind of friction altogether.
You have clearly stewed your brain into mush in that bath!she scolded herself, as her body shook. There was no way he could not feel the tremble as he continued to hold her wrists, the pressure of his proximity thinning out the air even more, causing her bosom to heave with every strained breath she took.
“This is the Duke’s chamber,” Jeremy said. “And only one of us holds that title.”
“No, it is the Duchess’ bedchamber, and only one of us holdsthattitle!” she retorted, her eyes beginning to hurt with the exertion of keeping them tightly scrunched. “The Duke’s chambers havenot been used since my husband died in them. So, I would ask again, what on earth are you doing here in my bed?”
His grip relaxed on her wrists, though he didn’t let go entirely. “I was informed that these were the Duke’s chambers.”
“Then, you weremisinformed,” she gasped, her heart racing and lungs heaving so fiercely that she worried she might faint. “My former husband’s… rooms are at the… end of the hall. It is locked… but the housekeeper has the key. Perhaps, she… can be fetched.”
Her breath caught as she felt the light touch of his thumb on the underside of her wrist, where the skin was unexpectedly sensitive. A gentle touch that made her head spin even more.
“So, thisisyer room?” he asked.
“Have I not been clear enough already?” she shot back, panting. “I wouldneverget into bed with any man I was not married to. And… and… you should not be standing before me in such a state of undress, while I am in… nothing but my nightgown! You certainly should not be accusing me of… seduction when all I wanted to do was go to sleep!”
She felt his breath upon her cheek as he whispered. “How do ye know what state of undress I am in?”
“Because I saw you!” she replied, her eyes snapping open. “Because… I can see you.”
Her voice faltered as she looked upon him once more, half-relieved to discover that he was not completely naked. Covering his lower half were a strange pair of trousers, very loose and flowing, tied at the hips and made of some kind of light fabric. She had read of something similar, called mogul’s breeches, but they had fallen out of fashion decades ago.
Perhaps, that news did not reach as far as Scotland…
“Do you not have a nightshirt?” she remarked, forcing herself to keep her gaze trained on his face, though his bare skin and sculpted muscle teased her from her periphery.
“I find them too restrictive,” he replied. “Though it becomesyewell enough.”
She blinked. “Pardon?”
“Ye heard me,” he said simply. “The hour is too late for me to be finding a more suitable room, so perhaps ye should just come to bed.”
“What?” Her throat tightened, her mind running wild with the idea of lying beside such a man.Knowingly, this time.
He pulled her closer, those black eyes glittering in the dim light of the room. “Let me apologize for commandeering yer bed. I am better with actions than words, lass.”
Her neck arched so her gaze would not falter from his, but it seemed he misunderstood as his hand came up to cradle her nape, his head dipping as if… as if he meant to kiss her. Her eyes widened as his full mouth came closer, pausing just an inch away from her lips, his warm breath tickling her mouth, teasing her. As if he wanted to close that gap, make her come to him.
