She dared not move. He’d told her to wait. Was something wrong?
He turned to look down at her. Confused, she had come up on her elbows.
Then he said, “You are beautiful.”
Gwendolyn felt herself relax. “Youare beautiful,” she countered, and he was. No artist could ever capture the perfection of his lean body in the candle’s light.
“Stay here.” Beckett rose from the bed and went out the door, naked.
Gwendolyn wondered what would happen if Charles was there. Apparently he wasn’t. She didn’t hear voices.
A minute later, Beckett returned with a basin and a rough cotton cloth. He held up the material. “This is all I could find. It is clean.” He shut the door and crossed to the bed.
She didn’t understand what he wanted it for, until he sat on the bed and dipped the cloth into the water. He wrung it out, placed the basin on the floor, and then used the cloth to gently clean her thighs and her body where they had joined.
At first she was shy. She wanted to take thecloth from him. He kissed her into submission. “Let me do this for you.”
She nodded, trusting him enough to turn herself over to his intimate touch. With great care, he washed the stains of their lovemaking, of her virginity and her passion, from her thighs.
His expression was so committed to her well-being, she didn’t believe she could love him more.
Beckett rinsed the cloth out in the basin and set it aside on the floor. He blew out the candle and climbed into bed bedside her. He gathered her into the haven of his body, her back against his chest.
Their legs were intertwined. She adored having him all around her.
“Go ahead and say it, Gwendolyn,” his deep voice murmured in the darkness. There was a smile in it. “I can hear the questions humming in your mind.” His arm brought her closer to him. She could feel his spent desire against her buttocks.
“I thought I would feel differently,” she said.
“In what way?” He ran his hand over her hip as if tracing the curve of it.
If she wished, she could pretend they were the only two people in the world. There wasn’t a sound except for the beat of their hearts. “I thought that I would still be me.”
“And?”
She rolled to face him, the cotton counterpane around them. “Now, there is us.”
His hand had gone still. For a swift moment, she feared she had said something wrong... and then he spoke. “I love you, Gwendolyn Lanscarr.”
Then he kissed her, so deeply, so sweetly, it sent her senses swimming.
He loved her.There was no better music in the world than those words.
And she realized that this act of intimacy, of trust they had shared, was the bond that forged them together. She’d noticed it at work between her sisters and the men they loved. It was what created a haven for a relationship to blossom and then deepen.
Especially as a woman, she was putting her being, her very health, into his hands. That was why he hadn’t wanted to spill his seed in her. He was protecting her... because he loved her.
She moved closer, at ease with his body, knowing she was safe. She dared to touch him. He was hard. He wanted her.
“May we do it again?” she asked.
“Over and over again,” he assured her. His lips curved into a lazy smile. He pulled a lock of her hair through his fingers as if enjoying the silky touch of it. “However, not tonight. You need time to heal,” he said.
“That sharp pain goes away?” she wondered.
“Oh, yes.”
Gwendolyn placed her palm against his chest, coming up on one arm to meet his gaze. “I loveyou, Beckett Steele. Forever and always. That is my promise.” Could he see her expression in the dark? Did he know how happy she was? Helovedher. Not just that he’d made love to her. He lovedher.
