His desire warred with propriety, though, so when he heard the rustle of the bed linens when she had crawled into his bed, he felt immense relief.
From the moment he had stepped out of the warm water, his desire for her had nearly overwhelmed him. A semblance of sanity had him performing his nightly prayers. A sense of duty had him seeing to her comfort after he had taken his pleasure. How he treated her on this night would determine if she would be as willing to share a bed with him in the future, and now that he had discovered what it was like, he wanted her even more than he had before.
From the time they had shared the coach ride home from the museum, he had thought her a perfect match. Their shared interests were only part of it. He hadn’t expected to feel such attraction to a young woman so quickly. To have his thoughts turn to her from early in the morning until late at night. To find any excuse to be in her company despite her insistence that he should consider courting Lady Rose.
Didn’t Adeline realize she was a much better match for him?
Apparently she did now, for she emerged from the bathing chamber and immediately stepped into his hold, her bare breasts pressed into his chest and his manhood cradled against her belly as her lips found his.
“You will stay with me tonight?” he asked in a whisper.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
“I’ll join you in the bed in a moment.” He kissed her again and then moved into the bathing chamber.
Adeline was about to protest, but given the sudden chill she felt upon the loss of his body heat, she quickly climbed onto the bed at the same moment the light was extinguished in the bathing chamber.
She gave a start at feeling the bath linen beneath her bottom when Ertugrul joined her in the bed.
“It was rather considerate of you to cover the damp spot,” she whispered.
“I want you to be comfortable,” he countered.
She stretched out on the bed as Ertugrul did the same, but after a moment, she was half atop him, her head resting in the small of his shoulder with a leg draped over one of his and an arm across his chest.
“I’m comfortable,” she whispered.
He chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head.
