Strictly Forbidden (32 page)

Just as her need for him stemmed from her own.

Kira threw herself into the kiss, their lips dancing, tongues swirling, breaths mating.

Suddenly, her nightdress skittered down her arm, baring her breast. Gavin covered
the taut mound with his hand, cupping with tender fingers. The connection sizzled.
But when he dragged his thumb over the hardened crest, the sensation rocked her to
her toes. Her desire steadily rising, she cried out.

Gavin needed no more encouragement. He eased the garment from the rest of her body
until it lay in a pool at her feet. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried
her to his bed. He
laid
her on the mattress and followed her, his body engulfing hers as their limbs tangled.
He never looked away, the pale moonlight showing the utter care in his eyes.

Kira raised her arms to him. He fell into them, drugging her with a slow, endless
kiss as he sank down against her. Her lashes fluttered closed as she tasted heaven.

Kissing his way down her neck and her collarbones, Kira knew his destination but still
felt stunned by the first touch of his heated mouth on the swollen crest of her breast.
With a whisper-light touch of his tongue, he traced the shape, soothed the tip, then
engulfed it inside the hot cavern of his mouth.

He cradled her in his arms as if he never wanted to let her go. And that suited Kira
fine, especially when he laved the downy skin between her breasts, soothed his hand
over the curve of her hip, his fingers curling around her backside, drifting over
her thigh until she felt a slow burn of fire.

Murmuring something soft against her skin, he turned his attention to the other breast.
Kira shivered against the whirl of sensation and clutched his head tightly against
her. Arrows of pleasure darted from her nipples down to her belly and lower. Slowly,
he explored her, consumed her, as if reveling in her soft surrender, as if he too
treasured the tenuous feelings between them.

But she wanted to consume him
,
too.

Fitting a hand between them, she stroked the hard slabs of his chest, the rigid expanse
of his stomach,
and
eased his drawers off to expose the lean taper of his hip.

He groaned at her touch, moving restlessly above her. She fed his response by gliding
her palm down the firm cheek of his buttocks.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured against her neck. “The things you make me feel…”

Her heart all but stopped at his confession. “You make me feel them too.”

His sigh against her cheek sounded relieved as he caressed her thighs, fingers urging
them apart.

Readily, Kira complied, a part of her desperate to know Gavin’s solid strength inside
her again. She wanted to be one with him, belong to him, to know that for this moment
at least, he was hers alone.

His body warm and damp, he pressed himself to her from breast to hips. Then with an
unhurried stroke, Gavin found his way home.

Kira felt filled, stretched even, but more, she felt Gavin
,
the rhythm of his heart against her, his murmurs and sighs of encouragement, the trail
of his soft touch where she seemed to want it most.

Carefully, he withdrew, nearly leaving her, before he entered her again in a long,
slow meeting. Kira arched up to him, wondering if she’d ever known a bond so powerful,
a moment so perfect.

In London, she might have been mad enough at him to strangle him, but Kira could not
deny that she loved him still.

Then rational thought fled when Gavin trailed his thumb across the sensitive nub between
her thighs in a silky caress as he pressed inside her once more. Desire soared with
dizzying speed. He repeated the process until she felt drunk with need. She clung
to him, deep pleasure resonating within her, expanding like a bubble with every stroke
of his body into hers.

The pinnacle of passion danced just out of her reach. The sensations shimmered inside
her, elusive like a butterfly, but climbing, building, until her legs tingled, her
stomach tightened,
and
her breathing became erratic and labored.

With every thrust inside her, he murmured in her ear, “Kira, Kira, Kira…”

She felt on fire both inside and out. Pleasure threatened to swallow her whole. She
gasped for her next breath.

And then the moment was upon her. She saw stars, brilliant and bright. Iridescent
satisfaction roared through her blood, fluid and undulating. With every pulse of pleasure,
she squeezed Gavin’s stiff length inside her, hugging him with her body.

Above her, he seized her lips in a ravaging kiss, fingers clutched desperately in
her hair. He stiffened and groaned into her mouth for endless moments.

Finally, he slowed, then stopped. His kiss transformed again into a sweet courting
of lips before he lifted his head with a sigh.

“Kira,” he murmured as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Perfect…”

Moments later, she heard his deep, even breathing. He dozed for a minute—or perhaps
half an hour. Kira really didn’t know, as she was so lost in her thoughts.

She and Gavin felt so natural together, so inevitable. Did he feel the same? Or had
he merely taken advantage of her vulnerability and bedded her for the sport of it
again? And why had she allowed him to make love to her again before she knew the answer?

Because she had not thought to ask. She’d been too afraid of his reply. And for her
timidity, she had earned a new fear to her list of worries.

After the long silence, Kira needed to move. Her right leg had fallen asleep. Gavin
was too heavy to keep on top of her forever
,
even if she didn’t want to let him go.

When she shifted out from beneath him, he wrapped his arm around her waist, palm resting
warmly against her. His dark gaze searched her, his expression guarded.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

Not yet, but would he? “No.”

Gavin released her. The night air chilled her within seconds.

“Good. That—that’s good.”

He sounded uncertain, even a bit awkward. Kira closed her eyes.

He made no mention of love or marriage, despite their improper, passionate interlude.
She feared that nothing between them had changed. After all, just because she felt
the connection did not mean he felt a thing. Just because she loved him did not mean
he had any interest in wedding her.

What did he feel? Kira could not resist gazing at his strong, angled face and trying
to guess what was in his heart. But neither the dark nor his stoic expression gave
her any hope.

She needed time alone to think, to decide how she should repair the damage to her
future after allowing Gavin to take her to his bed a second time, particularly when
he’d failed to marry her after the first.

“I think I shall go to my room.” She made to leave the bed.

Gavin’s arm wound about her again. “Stay.”

Her heart caught in her chest. Was he suggesting she spend all night in his room so
that he could hold her and talk to her about a future together? Or because he hoped
to use her again?

Lord, she simply did not know. But her yearning for him, for his acceptance, was so
great, she feared if she remained curled up to his warmth, listening to his beating
heart, she would allow that longing to drown her common sense and she would give him
anything and everything he wanted.

Perhaps that wouldn’t be all bad. Gavin must care
something
for her if he wanted her to stay. And now that he knew her feelings on the matter
of marriage, surely he could not be heartless enough to take her to his bed again
when he had no idea of marrying her.

Could he?

“I’m not certain that’s wise,” she said finally.

“What if our ‘friends’ return?” he countered, raising up on his elbow to look down
at her. Blue-grays shadows clung to the masculine angles of his face. “I couldn’t
bear if anything happened to you.”

Her heart lurched again, softening to his request that she stay. And Gavin had a point.
Lord Vance’s men, if they returned
,
were quite likely to come in greater numbers with even more determination to kill
them. Still, they had not returned yet. And if she stayed and succumbed to him once
more, she would surrender the rest of her dignity as well.

“I—I… It would be… improper.”

As if they hadn’t already crossed that line long ago.

How could she have been so careless, so foolish? She sighed. The attack had happened
so quickly. Her fear afterward had nearly swallowed her. What started as mere comfort
had become complex, explosive
,
and unstoppable.

The question was, what to do now?

When he stroked a few stray tendrils away from her face, however, she wasn’t sure
if she should throw herself in his arms again or bolt out of the inn altogether.

“I must go.” She clutched her sheets over her naked breasts. “I’d like to be alone.”

“I will remain on the far side of the bed.” His voice held a pleading note that surprised
her.

Even if he did stay on the far side of the bed, that would not change her need to
think in peace, away from the distraction he inevitably provided.

“I’m going to my room,” she said with a shake of her head. “Unless there is something
else you wish
to
discuss.”

“No.” With a heavy
sigh
, Gavin released her.

Fighting a wave of dejection, Kira stood in the shadows, aiming to retrieve her nightdress.
Quickly, she realized the garment was puddled on the floor
on the other side of the room. She couldn’t possibly fetch it in the nude. He would
see
.

“I—I’ll need my nightdress,” she told him, not daring to look his way. “Um, I—I believe
it’s on the floor, quite close to you.”

“Oh, right.”

Gavin rolled out of bed, and without much modesty, traipsed across the room in search
of her gown. The moon didn’t light the chamber well, but Kira got an eyeful of his
taut backside and long, lean legs.

He was a wonderful lover and a very tender man when he chose. Kira felt certain he
would make some woman a
n
excellent husband.

Did she have any chance to become that woman? Not knowing the answer was clawing at
her composure, her very heart.

Finally, he located the garment and handed it to her without a word. He watched with
a dark, piercing gaze as she donned it and crossed the moonlight-dappled room.

“Stay,” he implored again. “Please.”

His request was so, so tempting… In the end, sense won out. She shook her head and
reached for the door. “If you have nothing to say, then there is no reason.”

Resigned, Gavin sighed. “If you hear or see anything suspicious, shout for me. If
you need me, I will come.”

Kira nodded, not trusting herself to speak. How could she when the only words on her
tongue were to tell him that she needed the love he might not feel for her?

* * * *

The following morning, Kira entered the sparsely furnished parlor to find Gavin there
dressed and waiting for her. He glanced up at her entrance, his dark eyes fixed upon
her. Suddenly, all she remembered was the moments in his arms, the pleasure he gave,
his plea for her to stay.

Color rose to her cheeks, even as her heart did a nervous dance. What would he say
this morning?

Half the night she had tried to discern his feelings, but feared the worst. She wished
she had the courage to simply ask him if he had any attachment to her. Ultimately,
she dreaded his answer too much.

So Kira waited for him to speak. He only watched her as she made her way to the chair
beside him and began to pour tea. The silence hammered at her composure until she
felt compelled to speak.

“Did you sleep well?”

He shrugged. “Not terribly. You?”

“No.”

Frowning, he leaned closer. “The thugs last night, they did not hurt you, did they?”

Again, she said, “No.”

“Good.” He nodded, leaning back into his chair. “That is good.”

She swallowed. Still, he stared as if he wanted to say something quite badly. But
the sharp silence all but forced her to fill it.

“Sugar? Milk?” Kira gestured to the tea.

Gavin shook
his
head
,
and she handed him a cup.

He accepted it without a word, then began sipping at the brew. She did the same, but
despite her two spoonfuls of sugar, she tasted nothing.

After only a sip or two, Gavin set his cup in his saucer and took her cup from her
hand, setting it aside as well. Then he took her gloved hand in his, stroking his
thumb over her palm. His velvety dark eyes remained on her, conveying warmth and anxiety.