She echoed the toast and sipped her drink. “Your house is lovely, by the way. Did I mention that yet?”
“You did.” He’d given her a tour of the downstairs, but had yet to show her the bedchambers.
“I look forward to exploring the library more and to playing the pianoforte. A house is most homely when filled with music, don’t you think?”
“It is,” he agreed while observing her stiff posture, the high color in her cheeks, and the way her fingers were clutching the glass. She took another sip of her drink.
What Callum truly wanted to do was get her upstairs and out of her clothes, but she still didn’t look quite ready for that. If he suggested it, he worried she’d just get more nervous. He pondered their situation. They were both on the sofa. The servants had been sent away. No one was going to walk in on them.
He downed the remainder of his drink and set his glass aside. “Do you like this particular port or do you prefer a sweeter variety?”
“Oh, this one is very good.” She drank some more and licked her lips. “It has a wonderfully soothing effect as well. I rather like it.”
“I was thinking we might go skating tomorrow,” Callum suggested while lazily placing his arm across the back of the sofa so he could stroke his thumb over the back of her neck. “You do skate, do you not?”
“Of course I do,” Emily said. She expelled an almost imperceptible sigh while leaning back into his subtle caress. “I enjoy it tremendously.”
“Excellent.” He shifted a little bit closer and placed one hand on her thigh, just as he’d done in the carriage. The fingers brushing the nape of her neck slid sideways to toy with a bit of fur trim at her shoulder before dipping underneath the edge of her gown to brush hidden skin. “We’ll have tea and cake at Gunther’s after. Would that be to your liking?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice breathy. “Very much so.”
Although she was starting to melt in response to his touch, there was still some tension there. She wasn’t yet fully relaxed, or at least not as much as he wished. Leaning in, he kissed the edge of her jaw while drawing slow circles against her thigh with his thumb.
Her arm came around him, bringing him closer. The scratch of her nails against his scalp as her nails raked his hair, threatened to set him on fire. He curled his fingers around her inner thigh and smiled with smug satisfaction when she repositioned herself to grant him more access.
Distraction had helped her abandon her inhibitions, turning her into the wanton he’d first glimpsed at Seaton Hall and later today, in the carriage. He loved her that way – wild and free and ready to get up to all sorts of mischief.
Kissing her deeply, he gave her what she desired, bringing her right to the edge of the cliff before pulling her back.
“Callum,” she muttered in utter frustration. “You can’t just…”
Rather than answer, he kissed his way down her throat while undoing the fastenings on her gown. The decolletage dipped to reveal the perfect swell of her breasts and Callum’s pulse spiked. Crushing her mouth with his, he took her on a sensual journey that saw his jacket and waistcoat removed, his shirt untucked, her bodice pulled down to her waist, and her skirts pushed up to her knees.
Her questing fingers dipped into his waistband while he worked on ridding her of her stay.
“You’re so bloody gorgeous,” he whispered as soon as the item had been removed. Hovering over her while she leaned back, he gazed into her yearning eyes. The hunger he saw there matched his own. “We probably ought to retreat upstairs.”
“Must we?”
Callum’s heart raced. “You don’t mind doing it here?”
“We’re alone, are we not, with no risk of discovery?”
“Yes.” His muscles flexed with desire.
“A rare occasion, I suspect.” Those eager fingers of hers found their way to his placket. “Besides, I’m not sure I have the patience required to wait until—”
Callum’s mouth was upon hers again. Hell, she didn’t need to convince him that they were in the perfect place for their coupling. He’d only wanted her to be more comfortable, but if she liked this, if she enjoyed having him on the sofa, then who was he to complain?
Instead, he pushed her skirts up even farther, undid his placket, and found the place where he’d always belonged.
Ensuring she received the caresses she needed, he brought her back to the edge of the cliff with stunning swiftness.
Gasping, she clutched at his shoulders while his every movement grew more erratic. Blood pounded through him. His stomach tightened. Hot little shivers raced down his spine, propelling him forward until he finally found the pleasure he sought in her arms.
A guttural moan assured him she accompanied him off the cliff, flying beside him while stars burst around them.
The experience was, he later reflected, the most incredible and unifying one of his life. It bound him to Emily in a way nothing else could, aligning their bodies and minds, and making them one.
