Page 39 of A Raven Repents

“I’ll close my eyes while you change.”

He shrugged. “You don’t have to close your eyes. That’s up to you.”

She covered her eyes with her hands, and he laughed as he walked to the far side of the room. But after a lot of rustling, her curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked. He was facing away from her, but he was completely naked. She took in every delectable inch of him. His shoulders were broad, and his back smooth and lean. His perfectly rounded bottom was lovely. What would it feel like to wrap her hands around it?

“Would you like me to turn around?”

She gasped. He was watching her over his shoulder. She clapped her hands firmly back over her eyes. “I’m not looking!”

His soft laughter urged her to peek again, but she refrained. After a few minutes, she heard him approach the bed.

“You may uncover your eyes now. I am fully dressed in respectable pajamas.”

A warm glow filled her cheeks as she looked sheepishly up at him. He settled onto his side, facing away from her, and reached for the lamp, sending the room into darkness.

His bottom was right there. Covered, but right there, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. After a few minutes, she finally mustered the courage to ask him.

“Giles?”

“Hmm?”

She hesitated, still feeling like a ninnyhammer. “Would you mind terribly, if I touched your backside?”

A rumble of laughter filled the room. “Not only will I not object, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

She turned to face him. She wanted to do it properly, after all, and her left hand was useless for everything. Tentatively, she settled her hand against his bottom. It was even better than she’d imagined. Somehow both soft and firm as she squeezed. She gave it a little pat before turning onto her back, once more.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling into the darkness.

“No need for thanks. My bottom is yours to touch any time the desire strikes you.”

With a giggle, she gave it one more quick squeeze. Perhaps her left hand wasn’t completely useless after all.

Chapter

Ten

Bringing his wife to Bournemouth to meet his mother had definitely been a good decision. Not only had it led to some wonderful kisses, but his mother had welcomed her into their family. He’d known she would at least be kind, but watching Christina laugh with her as they walked from one shop to the next, warmed his heart. A few times, she’d even reached for his hand.

A wide grin spread over her face as she waited for the clerk to hand her the sachet of sweets she’d chosen. She pulled a toffee out of the bag and held it up for him.

“You don’t have to share your treats. Those are for—” She popped the candy into his mouth before he could finish. His mother gave an approving smile.

“Thank you. It’s delicious.”

She giggled and rummaged through the little sack for a sweet of her own, smiling with delight.

It should have been torture, trailing along with his wife and his mother as they shopped. But it wasn’t. He enjoyed every moment of it. Especially the ones when Christina’s gaze locked on him and hunger filled her eyes. He’d always been complimented for his stunning blue eyes, but no one had ever looked at them quite as appreciatively as she did. He didn’t even get to take credit for them. That was God’s work. But he enjoyed the benefits of it all the same.

That evening, he took a few minutes with a glass of brandy before going up to join his wife. He wasn’t dreading it the way he had last night. But tonight, he’d have a much harder time keeping his lust in check. Especially because she obviously wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.

It wasn’t dark when he entered this time, and she smiled at him from where she sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown. He closed the door and she padded across the room to look up at him.

“I had a lovely day today, and I was hoping you might like to end it with a kiss… or three.”

“I’m going to go out and come back in, and we’ll do that again. This time, you’re going to tell me what you want.”

She scowled at him. “I just did tell you.”