Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
He stopped at the door to their room. “Winnie is inside and will help you prepare for bed.”
“Is your mother very angry with you?”
“Are you worried about me? You of all people should be thrilled for me to face her wrath.”
“Perhaps I am,” she said with a shrug. “But if you need to cry about it afterward, I’ll be here.”
He laughed. Teasing from her was definitely better than shouting, or running away from him. “Goodnight, Christina.”
His mother sat at one end of the sofa with a cup of some kind of tea.
“I’m here for my dressing-down.”
She held up her cup. “Peppermint. Would you like some? It helps me relax so I can sleep better.”
“No, thank you.”
She patted the top of her thigh, inviting him to lie down. “I’m not a young boy anymore, Mother.”
“Indulge me.”
With a sigh, he removed his shoes, laid himself down on his side, and curled his feet up onto the sofa, his head resting on her leg. She combed her fingers through his hair. He’d forgotten how comforting that was.
“You’ll miss this one day, when I’m gone.”
“Don’t say that. You’re never going to be gone.”
“Tell me what happened, Son.”
“Didn’t Christina already tell you everything? I thought that’s why you sent me to my room.”
“I sent you there so you could sleep. You’ve not been taking care of yourself. And as for Christina, she looked me right in the eye and told me it was none of my business.”
The image his mind conjured made him laugh, and it eased his soul. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“You may have fallen arse over elbow into this marriage, but you snagged yourself a good wife in the process.”
He sat up so he could see her face. “I think she probably is. I don’t really know her yet, but I am finally trying. In the meantime, I need a second room to stay in.”
“No.” His mother shook her head. “You’re married. You’ll not be staying in separate rooms under my roof.”
“It’s not that kind of marriage. Not yet, at least.”
“Do you need advice on how to seduce her?”
“Mother!” Warmth crept up his neck and into his cheeks and ears. “That is not a conversation I’m having with you.”
“Well someone needs to. She’s beautiful, and she’s your wife.”
He let out a sigh and rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes. “I’ve treated her abysmally. I don’t see how she’ll ever forgive me for it. But that needs to happen before any sort of seduction.”
“She already has forgiven you, or at the very least, she wants to.”
“You said she didn’t tell you anything. How could you possibly know that?”
“Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to? Of course she told me things.”
“Even still. It’s not time yet. You have a dozen other rooms in this house.”
She shook her head. “She’s your wife, Giles. It’s your job to make sure she’s taken care of in every way.”
With a groan, he picked up his shoes and got to his feet.
“Have you been with a virgin before?”
“Will you never cease embarrassing me?”
She merely raised her brow.
“No, of course I haven’t.”
“Go slowly, and be sure she’s… eager.”
He covered his face with his empty hand. How was this a conversation he was having with his mother?
She tapped a finger against her cheek, as if this was all perfectly normal. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“No sleeping in the chair,” she called as he walked from the room.
He stopped outside the door to his room, listening. He didn’t want to walk in if she was undressed, but he also didn’t want to knock and wake her if she was asleep.
Slowly, he eased the door open. It was dark, except for the light spilling in from the hall. His eyes hadn’t adjusted, but he could barely make out her form on the bed. Quietly, he closed the door. She didn’t speak, so she must be asleep.
He sat down on the floor and placed his shoes beside him, leaning back against the side of the bed with a long sigh.
His mother hadn’t said anything about not sleeping on the floor.
There was rustling of blankets and a moment later, light sprang forth from the lamp beside the bed.
It shined through her nightgown, outlining her body in shadow before she sat down beside him.
Lust whispered through him at the sight.
It had been too long since a woman last warmed his bed, so it didn’t take much.
“Did she give you the thrashing you were worried about?”
“Worse.” He breathed a tortured laugh.
“What could be worse than a thrashing?”
He closed his eyes, wishing he could erase the embarrassing conversation. “She asked me if I need advice on how to seduce you.”
Christina gasped. “She did not.”
Giles laughed. “She did.”
For a moment she was quiet, probably shocked into silence. But eventually she spoke. “Well, do you?”
He whipped his head to face her. “Not you too.” Her smile was taunting.
“I assure you I am perfectly capable. But I’ve yet to make adequate amends to start down that path.
Unless…” He studied her face to watch her reaction.
“Is that something you want? Am I depriving you of it by trying to be honorable?”
Pink filled her cheeks and she looked down at her lap. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. Slowly, she raised her eyes back to meet his. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to another kiss.”
Those words stoked his whisper of lust into something much more insistent. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that either.” He hooked his finger under her chin. “You have the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen. Do you know that? Pink, plump, and perfect.”
“All the Ps?”
He nodded. “All the Ps.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
Gently, he pressed his lips to hers. He hadn’t lied. They were perfect. Supple and receptive as he moved over them with soft, nipping kisses. He teased them with the tip of his tongue, and she whimpered.
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” Her voice was slightly breathy.
“If you want me to stop, you will tell me, right?”
“I’m not a shrinking violet, Giles.”
He breathed a laugh. “I’ve noticed.”
“Then kiss me.”
As his lips pressed to hers again, a wave of something new washed through Christina's body. A sensation she’d never felt before.
Something needy and desperate. He pulled her bottom lip gently between his, and a moan escaped her.
Please don’t stop. It was all she could think as his tongue traced the seam of her lips.
She opened for him, and he teased the tip of her tongue with his own.
She pulled herself away, startled by her body’s response to him. Barely a day ago, she’d despised him, but suddenly, she had urges. The urge to be close to him. The urge to climb into his lap and wrap her arms around him. He watched her but didn’t speak.
“I think we could have had a much better start if you had simply kissed me instead of shouting. Your lips have rendered me quite incapable of being angry with you.”
His slow smile sent her pulse racing. “I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.”
She wanted more from him, but she wasn’t sure how to ask for it, so she just continued to stare at him.
“Have you had enough kissing for the night?”
“No.” She paused to gather her courage. “I think I want you to seduce me.”
He shook his head, and it irked her. “You’re not ready for that.”
“Of course. I’m just a woman, and I don’t know my own mind.
Only you could possibly know what’s best for me.
You’re just like every other—” His lips cut her off, mid-sentence as they claimed hers.
His fingers speared into her hair, stopping her from pulling away.
But she didn’t want to anyway. She wanted this.
She pushed up onto her knees to get closer.
But then she realized what he’d just done and she laughed.
“Hoisted on my own petard.”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead but didn’t let her go.
“I don’t think any of that, Christina. You made very clear that you know your own mind the moment you walked into my sitting room, valise in hand, intent on eloping with me.
But this.” He slid his tongue over her bottom lip, drawing out a whimper as some strange desire pooled in her belly.
“This requires trust. Trust that I haven’t earned.
” His kisses were hot and enticing as he moved along her jaw to her ear, making her breathing heavy.
“Would you really be comfortable baring yourself for me?” He stopped her from retreating, but the image his words created was both alluring and terrifying.
“Would you?” she asked.
He pulled back to look into her eyes, a wolfish grin growing on his lips. “I would gladly have us both naked before you could blink.”
His fingers still gripped her hair, not allowing her to look away from him in embarrassment.
“Are you ready for that?”
A part of her wanted what he offered. Desperately. And his firm hold on her hair only made her want it more. But he was right. She wasn’t ready for that. “No.”
The grip on her hair loosened and he soothed her scalp with his fingertips.
“Does that mean we have to stop kissing?”
His gaze passed over her lips. “I could kiss those lips all night long.”
The caress of his lips sent a fresh whirl of desire through her. She held onto his lapels as sensations overwhelmed her.
Feeling bold, she slipped her tongue between his lips, and he groaned. Why did the sound make her want more?
Struggling for breath, she pulled herself away. She could see her desire mirrored in his eyes as they looked into hers.
“I think I need to stop.” It was hard for her to say that because she was thoroughly enjoying it.
But if she didn’t, she just might pull her nightgown over her head and beg him to seduce her.
Her stomach fluttered at the thought. But the reality of being naked as he looked at her body was terrifying.
It would be, even if she didn’t have the large red birthmark that covered most of her left breast.
What would he think if he saw that? It was ugly.
“Hey.” He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her eyebrow. “Where did you just go?”
“What do you mean?”
“As you disappeared into your thoughts, I watched the happiness drain out of you.”
She’d have to tell him about the mark eventually, but she wasn’t ready. “Does kissing make you want other things?”
“Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean we have to do those other things. They can happen when you’re ready.”
Letting go of his lapels, she sat back on her heels. “Why did you change after I ran away? What made you suddenly become so kind and patient with me?”
He let out a long sigh and leaned back against the bed.
“The truth is, this is who I am, most of the time. I know I treated you horribly. I hate that I did that. But I was already set on coming back to you and groveling. You just disappeared before I got the chance. Although, I should have just kissed you in the first place, like you said. It certainly would have been more enjoyable than being an utter cad.”
She laughed, but a yawn surprised her.
“You should get back in bed.”
She was tired. She stood up with a nod and folded back the blankets before climbing onto the mattress. But he didn’t follow her. Instead, he pulled the covers over her and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek.
“Sleeping in the chair again?”
“No. My mother has forbidden it.” Dimples appeared in his cheeks as his smile grew. “I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”
“Don’t be silly.” She threw the blankets back and scooted to the far side of the mattress. “Your mother will be thrilled if you tell her we shared the bed.”
His smile deepened. “Are you sure?”
“You’ve had plenty of opportunities to ravish me, Giles. I hardly think sleeping in the bed rather than on the floor is going to make you suddenly lose all control.” She patted the mattress beside her.
“Don’t you think I should at least don pajamas first?”
“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.