Chapter 57
Gervaise had stripped with gratifying haste, and they now lay under the covers together, facing each other.
“I’m waking first this time, remember?” he said.
Caroline rolled onto her back and shut her eyes obligingly. She lay like this for what felt like a long time. “Have you woken up yet?” she asked out of the corner of her mouth.
“Yes,” he replied. “I’m just enjoying the view.”
Opening one eye, Caroline found him propped up on one elbow simply gazing at her.
The expression in his eyes was so soft, she had to catch her breath.
“We forgot the bolster,” she remarked. The cats should also be in bed with them by rights and Gervaise had certainly not been naked under the sheets the first time around, but she left these inconsistencies unspoken.
“Imagine I have already dispensed with the bolster,” he replied, entirely unruffled. “Are you awake now?”
“Were you waiting for me to wake?” she asked with surprise. He nodded. “Oh, then yes.” She turned her head to look at him.
He cleared his throat. “Miss Halperston,” he said, looking serious. “Forgive me, but circumstances made it regrettably necessary for me to compromise you last night, and now we must marry with all due haste.”
Caroline frowned at him. “Regrettably necessary?” she repeated. This was not playing out at all the way she had thought it would.
“I’m afraid so.” He looked so sincere, Caroline felt faintly outraged.
She sat up. “No, this won’t do,” she said firmly and started climbing out of the bed. “You are spectacularly bad at asking people to marry you!”
“Caroline—” he said in a panicked voice, leaning over and catching hold of her nightgown as her feet hit the floor. “Where are you going?”
“I am waking first,” she said, yanking her borrowed nightgown free from his grip.
“But this time, I do not feel the aftereffects of a crushing migraine. Instead, I am in full possession of my faculties as you are about to find out to your detriment!” He looked nonplused.
She held up an admonishing finger. “I woke first,” she insisted and stalked around to the foot of the bed.
He settled back against the headboard and nodded his assent. “Continue.”
“Sir!” she addressed him, flinging back her head.
“You are a scoundrel of the worst order! You took advantage of me when I was at my lowest ebb and have now ruined me in the eyes of polite society. I demand reparation! I demand that you take me forthwith to a parson and make an honest woman out of me.”
Gervaise rolled his eyes upward, seemingly considering her proposal. “I don’t know that our situation really warrants such drastic measures, madam,” he prevaricated. “We slept all night with a bolster between us, and we both know you leave this bed as blameless as you entered it.”
“Oh?” Caroline said, folding her arms and sticking her foot out so she could tap it against the rug. “And what of our good host and hostess who I am sure would testify on my behalf?”
“Are you sure though? Really sure?” he countered, drawing up his knees and resting his elbows on them. “Witnesses are not always as dependable as they should be, especially when money is involved.”
She gave an indignant gasp. “You dare to speak to me of bribery, my lord? You are bold indeed!”
“Oh, I am very bold,” he agreed, a gleam in his eyes. “If you come a little closer, you’ll find out just how bold I can be.”
“I am not afraid of you,” she said, marching around to his side of the bed. “Perhaps you should show me this alleged bolster, for I see no sign of it—”
Abruptly, Caroline found herself caught up under her arms and hauled onto the bed. She lay on her back beneath him, blinking up at him. “How dare you, sir?” she said breathlessly. In truth, she did not sound as irate as she ought.
“I am afraid you have made a grave miscalculation, my dear Miss Halperston,” he said, lowering his face to hers.
“How so?”
“You look so pretty when you’re outraged,” he said huskily. “And I find I like an imperious woman.”
Unable to resist, she reached up to stroke his cheek. “Is that so?” she murmured, her eyes roaming over his face. “You’re very handsome too, despite your caddish ways. I always thought so. Even the first time I ever saw you at the Farises’ Christmas party.”
“I’m thinking of reforming,” he said in a low voice. “The right woman could likely bring me to heel.”
“Is that so?”
“Think you’re the equal to such a task?”
“I don’t know…” she prevaricated.
“Tell me to kiss you,” he growled. “Order me to.”
“Kiss me, Gervaise,” she muttered, her hand sliding into his hair. “I want you to.”
No sooner had she spoken than his mouth was on hers, warm and wet and teasing. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in close. Their kiss deepened until he drew back panting.
“My God, I’m mad about you,” he groaned. “Tell me it’s mutual.”
Caroline gazed up at him. “Yes, I like you too,” she sighed.
“Like?” he yelped. Apparently, it was his turn to sound indignant.
She squinted up at him. Why had he stopped kissing her? “Well, we scarcely knew each other at this point…” she started to remind him, but he made a sound of disagreement in his throat.
“I know you well enough to be seriously considering marriage, madam. The least you can do is assure me of your affection.”
“Considering marriage?” she repeated in a severe fashion. After all, he liked her to be commanding. “I have told you, my lord, that you are marrying me with all due haste. If not, I will not hesitate to bring a civil action against you.”
“Is that so?”
“Neither of us know it yet,” she added loftily, “but I do actually have a solicitor.”
He looked amused for all of thirty seconds, then lowered his head to her ear. “Tell me to please you, Caroline,” he said, his hands bunching up the nightgown at her hips.
“Yes, Gervaise,” she breathed and hooked an exposed leg over his hip. “Show me what a good husband you will make me.”
His eyes flashed, and he whisked her nightgown up to her waist, resettling against her. “Lift up your arms.” She did so, and he drew the nightgown up and over her head, flinging it over the side of the bed.
Finally, they lay naked in one another’s arms. “You do realize once we do this that your fate is truly sealed, and you are mine?” Gervaise enquired silkily.
Was that what he thought? Caroline wondered. Maybe that was why they had never taken this final step before. He stilled, his eyes searching her face. “Tell me what’s on your mind, Caroline,” he said softly.
“It’s just…I suddenly wondered if that was why we never did this before.”
“Why do you think?”
“Because we weren’t married.”
He smiled faintly. “Clever girl.”
“You wanted us to wait?”
“I did. I wanted us to belong together first. It seems at the end of the day I am a conventional creature after all.”
She smiled. “Well, we are married,” she reminded him, placing her left hand on his chest so he could see the rings she wore on her third finger. His eyes fastened on them at once with satisfaction.
“Yes,” he agreed on an exhale, looking relieved they had dropped the pretense.
“So…we can now proceed with perfect propriety,” she prompted him, giving a little wriggle.
He drew in a sharp breath. “Whoever would have thought propriety could be so exciting,” he murmured throatily. “I want to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“The last time we lay together…”
“Yes?”
“I was trying to shock you and failed spectacularly.”
“Why were you trying to do that?” she asked in surprise.
“Because I am a fool in love,” he groaned, kissing down the side of her neck. “And I wanted to inspire a hankering for respectability in you. Instead, you utterly took me apart.”
“To be fair,” she said dreamily, “you succeeded in a way.”
“How so?” he asked, sucking her nipple into his mouth.
Caroline arched her back. “Oh! Well,” she panted. “I did not like that all the new barmaids heard you that time…in the throes of passion,” she admitted. “That sort of thing should be for my ears only.”
Gervaise lifted his head. “Is that so?” he asked. “I think I like the idea of being jealously guarded by my wife,” he said before turning his attention to her other breast.
“This time you must be quieter,” she decided, sinking her fingers into his glossy hair. “Only I should have the privilege of hearing your pleasure.”
This time when he looked up, his gaze was heated. She waited for him to tell her that there was not the smallest chance of their being overheard here, that no one was in the rooms either side of them. Instead, he asked carefully, “You want me to be quiet?” She nodded. “That might be…difficult.”
“You must try very hard, Gervaise,” she answered, tugging lightly at his hair. “If you want to please me.” His eyes turned unfocussed and he gave a short nod and returned to nuzzling her breasts. Good lord, he really did like it when she was authoritative, she thought with gratification.
His increased hardness against her belly was unmistakable, that and the raggedness in his breathing. He liked her to be demanding here too in the bedroom, she realized and filed this away for future consideration. Right now, she had more immediate things on her mind.
His enthusiastic mouthing of her breasts was not enough, even with the added suggestion of teeth.
She needed more. Caroline shifted restlessly beneath him, making him hiss.
Currently his cock was trapped against her belly.
She wanted it lower, significantly lower, where she ached.
Could she ask him for that? On second thought maybe it would be better to demand it.
At this point he suddenly shifted down the bed, making her whine with disappointment. Immediately, she missed his weight on top of her. “Gervaise…” she protested, then felt him resettle, his arms wrapped around her thighs, his warm, wet mouth between her legs. “Oh!”