His heartbeat quickened. Why was she looking at him that way? And why had her gaze dropped to his mouth as her expression turned to one of passion?
He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth. She must not be awake. That was the only explanation. Yet the way she stared athis mouth made him wonder if she wanted him to kiss her. As hard as he fought the temptation, he just wasn’t the type of man to turn a woman down. When desire was present, he knew he must act upon it. And in the state of mind he was in right now, how could he hold himself back?
Hesitantly, he leaned in. If she didn’t want a kiss, she would stop him at any moment. Instead, she closed her eyes and met his lips halfway. Startled, he hitched a breath, while she sighed heavily. It wasnotsupposed to happen like this.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, making him feel more relaxed, but at the same time, he was inwardly jumping with excitement. Her kiss was incredibly tender, and just as he remembered from their very first time, her lips were the sweetest he had ever experienced. Fire burned inside of him, and he wanted to turn things up a notch, but he should let her control the moment to see what she wanted to do next.
By the way she kissed, it was obvious how inexperienced she was. Of course, this made him want to be her teacher. Would she be an eager student? However, the only way he was going to know was test the waters.
As he shifted to get better access, he moved his hand around her waist, bringing her closer. Slowly, he took control, and thankfully, she allowed it. Being as gentle as possible and not letting his raging desire for her ruin anything, he showed her how to kiss. Soon, she began copying his actions.
Excitement built up inside him until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss. A tight moan escaped her throat, just as her body melted. He groaned, not believing this was happening. He should stop this, but heaven help him, there was no way his mind would let him pull away.
Once again, warning bells chimed through his head, but he pushed them aside, convincing himself that she wouldn’t be kissing him so urgently if she didn’t want it too. She must havebeen as curious as he was at first, but now, without a doubt, he knew that kissing Priscilla was the most enjoyable thing he had ever done in his life. It worried him that he didn’t want to stop, and even once they were back at the manor, he would still want to sneak in kisses throughout the day. He prayed she obliged him with his craving.
Another heady sigh tore from her as she ended the kiss and rolled her head away, closing her eyes. A satisfied smile stayed on her face as she drifted back to sleep.
Groaning with frustration, he shook his head. She had been asleep this whole time. Yet would she remember the exciting kiss she thought had been in her dreams? How could she not, especially after how passionate she had been?
This was so unfair! But perhaps it needed to happen like this. After all, he didn’t want to break her heart ever again, but he wasn’t ready for marriage, which was what his grandmother wanted. If she knew what they had done just now, she would expect him to do the right thing and propose. That could not happen, and he didn’t know if it ever would.
*
A cool breezetouched Priscilla’s face, waking her from a deep sleep. The stiffness in her body let her know the uncomfortable cushion beneath her wasn’t the mattress on her bed. As she came awake and opened her eyes, she remembered the rainstorm, the cottage… and cuddling with Gavin on the sofa.
She sighed, trying not to remember it that way. They were notcuddling. Instead, she was trying to keep him warm so he didn’t freeze to death. Yet she had felt warm and tingly inside, as though keeping him from freezing had meant something personal—as though they had done something very intimate.
Her mind flashed with an image of his face leaning in to kiss her…
Her heart fluttered and she shook away the dream. Why on earth was she dreaming of kissing him so passionately, and liking it? Although she had kissed him once eighteen months ago, her dream seemed much better. But then, it wasn’t real, and it never would be. She was not going to kiss him or get involved with him ever again.
As she became alert, she noticed that Gavin was dressed and dousing the fire. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. She couldn’t hear the rain pelting the roof anymore, and from the window it appeared that a coach was outside…
A coach?
She gasped and jumped to her feet, realizing too late that she had sprained her ankle. Grimacing, she limped toward the window. “Gavin, is someone here?”
“Yes, my dear Cilla. Grandmother sent a footman to find us.”
He moved toward her and placed his hand on the lower part of her back. Warmth spread through her again, making her insides tremble.No, it was a dream and nothing more…
She gazed into his beautiful eyes, and her heart melted. Why was he so blasted handsome? And why did she feel differently about him?
“How is your ankle feeling?” he asked.
His voice was so deep, sending tingles throughout her body. And pray, why was her heart beating faster the longer he stared at her? Perhaps it was because her dream seemed so real. But whatever the reason, she had to stop this infatuation immediately.
“My ankle is still sore, but it is much better than earlier.”
“Put your stockings and boots back on. The footman is waiting for us.”
She snapped out of the trance his gaze had put her under and moved back to the sofa to do as he instructed. Thankfully, her boot went on a little easier this time. He knelt in front of the hearth, stirring the ashes.
“Gavin? I’m assuming because your grandmother’s footman is here that she…” Priscilla swallowed hard. “That she knows we were together in the cottage during the storm?”
He sighed heavily and looked at her over his shoulder. “That is what I assume as well.”
She licked her dry lips. “Will… my name be ruined?”
