Authors: Nichole Matthews
She lay there for several moments
floating in an out of wakefulness
.
Just a
s she star
t
ed to doze off, the sound of
shuffling
foot
steps paused
outside her door.
Quickly
Poppy sat up, waiting quietly for the feet to move on, or
for a knock.
When none came
and the
sound of footsteps didn’t move
further down the hall
, she slid
softly
from her
bed
,
slipped on her wrapper and placed her ear against the do
or where she made out a slight
scratching on the door
followed by
a faint whisper from a deep
,
famil
iar voice
. Her heart beat fast as s
he slowly
turned the doorknob cracking the door
open slightly
to peek
into the hall
way. H
er
eyes hit the brass buttons attached to the cream vest covering the wide chest that belonged to only one man; she lifted her
gaze
until her blue eyes
connected with
D
e
clan’s intense emer
ald stare
.
Considerably
better in real life.
She should say goodnight and close the door. He was a gentleman, he would be unable to find fault with those actions, but she was riveted, fascinated, her heart beating far too rapi
d
ly, her skin suddenly flushed.
“Declan?”
Poppy could have sworn someone had punched her in the stomach. She couldn’t breathe
, which is how her brothers always described that sensation after a bout at Gentleman Jackson
’
s
.
“What are you do
ing out here?” s
he whispered
a bewildered smile spread
ing
across her face. “Parker is going to kill y
ou if he finds you at my door.”
“I
wanted
to see you again
.
”
H
is passion filled g
reen e
yes gazed at her longingly
.
“
I missed not being able to
become better acquainted
after dinner.”
He was amazed that after all of his
thirty
years that this little bitty thing could bring out this insatiable need.
H
e could feel her vibrant energy pulling him
, h
is muscles
tens
ed;
he shifted a fraction nearer to her temptingly sweet lips
.
Without preamble and throwing caution to the wind, Declan hauled her against his wide chest.
He silenced
her shocked gasp by claiming her lips possessively. H
is
tongue
thrust
d
ee
p into her mouth bold and hot.
Her head was spinning.
Poppy met his demanding kiss with equal passion.
She
felt no hesitation as she
speared
her hands in the hair at his nape. The silky feeling tantaliz
ed
her fi
n
ge
rtips. She moaned in ecstasy, unmistakable warmth pooled between her thighs at the taste of him.
Cursing his swelling erection, he took
one last
intoxicating
sip
from her
tantalizing
lips
, his
breath rasped ha
rsh and uneven. His gaze rak
ed
her from head to toe
unconcerned with her
dishabille
.
She fascinated him.
Trying to regain control of her senses, she supported her weak knees by leaning against the doorframe. “Declan…,” she protested
, drawing a shaky breath at his unsettling nearness
.
Her breasts rose and fell rapidly as she gazed at him.
He held
a finger to her lips; his voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke,
“
Goodnight.
” Bowing slightly, he
w
alked
quickly
down the hall.
She
stared
after him in
innocent wonder. Poppy quickly closed her door leaning against it for strength.
Her fingers
l
ightly touch
ed
her lips
,
which still seemed to tingling. She took a moment to r
ecover from the
incredibly arousing
feeling that flowed through
out
her body
.
Climbing
back into her bed
, she felt incredibly wicked
.
For a long
moment,
she took
deep breath
s,
waiting for the wild beating against her ribcage to slow.
Sitting up,
she leaned across and
blew
out her
candle
.
She fell back against her pillow, p
ull
ing
the
covers to her
chin,
she
snuggled d
eep d
own in the dark. Cocooned in darkness, she yawned
widely
b
e
fore
drift
ing
off to
sleep with a contented
smile.
***
Declan closed the door to his room with only the faintest click, blinking wearily
.
He a
d
vised
his valet
Finley to retire earlier,
so
he
began u
ndress
ing
himself.
He pulled
his cravat from around his neck
and
toss
ed
it on the nearest chair
, then grimaced when
he
noticed the bur
n
ing end of a cheroot glow
ing beyond the open doors to
his
balcony
.
He squared his shoulders
preparing for a fight
. He didn’t intend to hide his growing a
t
traction, especially from her family. “Parker.”
P
arker tossed down his cheroot putting it out
with his boot heel
, then
saun
tered
into the room.
Declan was tired, i
gnoring pleasantries
he asked abruptly
,
“What do you want now?”
Parker’s eyes narrowed. “A lot, but t
hat is neither here nor there.”
Declan scrubbed
his hand across his face
.
“Ash, I’m exhausted. Can’t we talk tomo
r
row?” He threw himself into his armchair
,
lean
ing
his forearms on his legs.
S
tifl
ing
a yawn
,
he insisted,
“I’m tired
, I understood your lecture from earlier. There is no reason to rehash it again with me
.”
“
Surely you
cannot believe
that I am going to allow my sister to be seduced in my own home?”
He circled Declan watchfully.
Declan stiffened.
Had he witnessed their heated encounter?
“I want what every good
brother and guardian would want.
”
H
e
smiled tightly.
“T
o know what
you’re
about?
”
He stared at the floor, saying nothing
.
“Tell me you are not playing
with my sister
?”
Instead of responding to
Parker’s
question,
he asked
one of his own
,
“Why
hasn’t
Poppy or Piper married yet?”
Parker looked at him quizzically
, “
Probably because I
haven’t
force
d
them to.”
“Why would you ass
ume I would harm your sister?”
Declan questioned impatiently.
“You’ve been in a self-imposed prison for almo
st three years, for God’s sake,” Parker countered warily.
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to ravish the first girl I meet or that I’ve been celibate the entire time.”
Declan glanced at him with a scowl.
“I know you,” Parker said quietly.
“But,
I
also
know your reputation
is well deserved.
”
“Well I know yours too
.
”
Declan l
aughed. “Our reputations were built
together, if you recall.
And neither of us has had to resort to unimaginable things to slake our lust.
”
“I love you like a brother Declan, you know that.”
Parker’s muscles were
rigid
.
“
But know that if you irrevocably harm my sis
ter, I will have to kill you.”
Declan winced
.
“I understand.”
He couldn’t stop the yawn that erupted,
wearily
he
rubb
ed
his tired ey
es. “Can I
please
go to sleep now
, Parker
?”
Parker gave a slight smile, glancing over his shoulder as
he opened the door.
“I’ll be watching you.”
He stepped into the hall and shut the door.
Declan
finished undressing, then
climbed naked between the cool sheets. He felt a great sense of peace after his talk with Parker.
He lay
o
n
his
bed, his head propped on his ar
m
s staring
at the ceiling.
His chest tightened when
it occurred to him he was feeling an odd possessiveness
, one that he had never felt before
.
He pondered
the feeling, then shaking his
hea
d as if to clear it
.
This would not do
at all.
He had
only met
the girl that
morning. Sighing
, yet
he
couldn’t help
imagining what she would look like naked
on her bed that looked like a
ethereal
cloud
a
s he drifted off
to
sleep, unable to stifle the
wicked smile on his face. His very own scandalously n
a
ked an
gel,
An agnel; or, if not, an earthly paragon.
Love is like a
child that
longs for
Everything it can come by.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
*William Shakespeare
T
he twins had the art of shopping down to a science
. B
ecause they knew Ashford li
ke the back
of their hands, they ushered the
women
efficiently
from store to store. Now Ashford
de
f
initely
wasn’t large enough to boast individual stores for e
ach item in a woman’s wardrob
e, h
owever,
there was a milliner who had many charming bonnets in their
window di
s
play and Quinton’s
could order anything
else
from London if it was not avail
a
ble in his shop.