Emily set her comb down and picked up the candle. She crossed to the window and looked out at the purple scenery beyond. Stars sparkled overhead like pieces of shattered glass tossed up into the air, the moon a bright orb of gold suspended against the darkness. Recalling a different glance out a different window, at Griffin striding toward the lake, caused a smile to tug at her lips. She would never forget how incredible he’d looked as he’d emerged from the water, or her body’s response to the sight. Even now, the mere recollection caused a wave of heat to wash over her skin.
She took a deep breath and closed the curtains, the bed that faced her when she turned a stark reminder of what she so desperately longed for. But would she have the courage or the opportunity? She shook her head with a chastising curse. Her best chance of enjoying such activity would have been at Clearview.Beforeher mother had arrived. Sneaking about now in her friend’s home with both of her parents present and other guests ready to catch Griffin ruining her was—
A soft scrape at the door gave Emily pause. It sounded like a cat or a dog clawing to get in. The noise came again, urging her forward. She hesitated, tilted her head, and listened again.
“Emily?”
The hushed whisper, barely audible through the door, almost made her drop the candle. Stupidly, she glanced around the room, as if it would tell her how to respond. The whisper was repeated, slightly louder this time. She reached for the door handle, gulped down a lungful of air, and opened the door, her eyes meeting Griffin’s across the threshold.
“I know this is highly irregular,” he whispered, “but I need to speak with you in private, only I can’t seem to get you alone.” He glanced both ways, as if to ensure that no one was coming. “May I come in?”
Emily hesitated briefly. If he entered her bedchamber she would most likely kiss him again, and if she kissed him again, there was a chance she would beg him for more. So if she had any doubts about heading down that particular path, the time to address them was now.
He doesn’t love you. He won’t offer marriage. All you will ever be to him is a brief distraction.
She stepped back and opened the door wider, her mind completely at ease with whatever might happen between them. This was her chance. Right now. With Griffin. She could not pass it up even if it meant having her heart broken when he eventually left her.
His shoulder nudged hers as he walked past. She closed the door gently behind him and turned. The light from the candle brought his features into stark relief, sharpening the angles while smoothing out the softer lines. The effect was dramatic, almost theatrical in nature, and utterly captivating. She was transfixed, unable to look away.
“Emily.”
Griffin’s voice broke through the darkness, the low cadence lulling her body as easily as a hot bath might soothe aching muscles. He dropped his gaze and allowed it to wander, leaving a blazing trail of awareness in its wake.
“Yes?” She had to say something, had to fill the silence now squeezing between them.
He looked up and she sucked in a breath, completely undone by the predatory way in which he watched her, like a wild jungle cat hunting its prey.
She heard him inhale, a ragged sound that raked her nerves and caused her to shiver. “You drive me to distraction,” he murmured. She didn’t realize he’d moved his hand until she felt it, the sensual brush of his fingers upon her arm.
A shudder went through her, sucking the breath from her lungs. “Really?”
He laughed, like only a rogue would do, with the sort devilish intent that could easily divest a woman of her virtue.
His feather-light touch trailed over her skin, igniting a fire inside her that burned through each limb.
Leaning in, he closed the distance between them to press a soft kiss on her cheek. The effect was dizzying: the scrape of his unshaved jaw, the smell of his sandalwood scent infusing the air, a hint of the chocolate he’d had for dessert. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life,” he murmured while nuzzling his mouth into the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
Leaning back, Emily clutched the candlestick, careful not to drop it or hold it too close. “More than a freshly baked scone?”
He laughed against her, the vibration sending a charge of delicious shivers straight down to her toes. “Yes. Although I’d be lying if I haven’t considered the fact that by marrying you I’ll be able to have both.”
She slid her hand between them and tried to give him a nudge. Thinking with him so near wasn’t possible. “You said you wanted to talk.”
He didn’t budge. “I thought that was what we were doing.” His hand moved to her waist, kneading her flesh beneath the chaste cotton before pulling her closer.
“Griffin.” His name was both sigh of pleasure and warning.
“Mmm...”He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled, breathing her in as if she were a fragrant bouquet of flowers. “Marry me, Emily. Be my wife and let us dispense with this madness.”
The words curled through the air, teasing and tempting like a sweet, intoxicating aroma, so alluring that Emily almost missed their significance.
She blinked as if jolted awake. “What?”
“I could arrange for a special license. We could—”
“No.”
He went utterly still. His breaths rose and fell, heavier than before. “We could be happy together,” he said, completing the sentence she’d just interrupted. “I enjoy your company and I get the sense that you enjoy mine.”
