Now if that didn’t shoot a signal straight to his cock. She was inviting him to stay while she bathed? This was progress indeed. Not wanting to scare her with his eagerness, he nodded. “I will have two baths brought up.”
This time, her eyes locked with his and she shook her head. “I dinna think there is need for two,” her voice had turned sultry and his senses fired off all at once.
He cleared his throat, and nodded stiffly. “Are ye certain?” he asked.
She nodded confidently. “I have ne’er been more so.”
*
Willamina knew whatshe had to do. And as much as her heart was saying that she needed to stay with Finlay, her mind was telling her what she really needed to do.
Though their marriage was a farce, on paper it would still have been legal. But with Gerard alive and well, it voided any contract they had made.
She wouldn’t put Finlay through the scandal that would ensue if she stayed with him. She’d felt the wrath of what ascandal could do to someone and their livelihood. There was no way she would play a part in that happening to Finlay.
But, her heart was selfish.
She would leave, but in the early hours of the morning.
For this night, she was only thinking of herself. When she told Finlay they only needed one bath she meant it.
They drank wine while the tub was being filled with hot water. Her nerves were on edge, and the wine was going down smoothly and quickly. A refill of the decanter was ordered. Finally, she felt her body unwind just a bit. Her nerves settle just a tad.
With the tub filled, the maids left the room, and she and Finlay were once again alone. She bit her bottom lip, thinking of what she should do next. In her mind, she knew what she wanted to happen. If she was going to return to her loveless marriage and be miserable for the rest of her life, she wanted one night.
One night to be cherished. To experience what it felt like to be loved. This night was all about making memories that would last her a lifetime. To get her through what she would have to endure once she returned to Warton House.
Finlay had been watching her, trying to read her expressions. She hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts. She didn’t want him to know her plans. He would try to stop her, she was certain of it. And that couldn’t happen.
Not for him and his future. Without her, he could still marry in time. He would meet another woman to make a marriage pact with and secure his title. She ignored the stab of pain that pierced her heart at the thought of him with another woman.
Because no matter how hard she had tried to fight it, she couldn’t.
She was in love with the man that stood before her, looking at her with adoration in his eyes that would be forever emblazoned in her memory.
She finished her wine and gave him what she hoped was a sensual smile. She didn’t have experience in such things. As long as she didn’t look like a clown, she would be happy.
His beautiful blue eyes, so different from the muddy brown eyes of Gerard, flared and darkened as they clashed with hers.
“I believe the bath is calling our name,” she whispered, her voice shaky. It was her first attempt at seduction and she was nervous. But Finlay didn’t appear to notice.
“Are ye certain?”
She licked her lips and nodded, tracking his stare as it dropped to her mouth.
His approach was slow, as if he was giving her the option to put a stop to what they were tumbling toward at any time.
When his hands circled her waist and drew her flush against him, she gasped. She could feel him.Allof him. His hands moved to her face and cupped her jaw, his thumbs feathering over her cheeks as he searched her eyes.
It felt like he was looking into the depths of her soul. She offered no resistance and he must have noticed because his mouth came crashing down on hers, his tongue demanding entry and she melted into him, opening her mouth and savoring the clash of their tongues as they performed a wicked dance. He tasted of the wine they’d consumed earlier. Sweet and tart at the same time, and she sighed.
His hands dropped to her bottom, pushing her against him. She could feel his hardness against her upper belly.
Her fingers moved from the short hair at the nape of his neck to the ties of his shirt, deftly untying them. He watched her movements, his brow furrowed, his eyes intense, his tongue peeking, and wetting his bottom lip as he inhaled sharply.
With the ties released, she pushed the shirt off his broad shoulders. His hands left her bottom and he wriggled out of the arms, letting the linen fall to the floor. She traced theplanes of his muscled chest. Trailing them lower, lower, down his abdomen and the muscled ridges there. His sharp intake of breath the only sound in the room other than the crackle of the fire.
He caught her hand and brought it up to his mouth, tenderly kissing her fingers. “Much more of that, lass, and this will end a lot sooner than ye would like.” His eyes crinkled with a smile, full of mirth.
