Chapter Twenty
J osephine fidgeted with the beads on her reticule while she waited for Gyles outside of his parents’ carriage. He put his arm on the frame as he spoke to the duke and duchess.
“No need to wait,” Gyles stated. “I’ll see Josephine inside and walk home from here. You best get Father home. I can see for myself that he’s tired.”
“Don’t be long,” his mother warned.
Gyles closed the carriage door, and they watched the conveyance disappear around the corner.
“Will your father be alright?” Josephine asked as she took his arm and they began making their way up the walk to Simon’s house.”
“He’s been overdoing things trying to keep up with my mother, but he’ll be fine with some rest.”
“I have to also ask… when we saw your friend Lord Rowley this evening after the play, the lady he was with seemed ill at ease. Did I say something to offend her or is she just one of the ton who will never accept me?”
A grunt left Gyles. “Lady Maribel is a friend of someone whose name has been paired with mine by some people as of late. I suspect that is the cause rather than anything you’ve said or done, Josephine.”
That gave her something to think about as silence descended between them. Finally, he opened the door for her, and they stepped into the foyer. She was alone. With Gyles. Her heart raced with the possibilities that were floating through her mind. She wondered if he would be offended if she asked him to join her for a late-night drink of brandy. Of course, this might lead to other possibilities that she was more than open to if their kiss at the theater was any indication how she felt about this man.
It wasn’t as though she were a virgin having to worry over losing her maidenhead. A brief memory of pain with her husband and that horrible experience briefly flashed inside her head but she put the experience behind her. She shouldn’t let Raphe’s roughness in their bed cloud her judgement on how Gyles might perform. Adrian had proved that a lover could be gentle. She knew in her heart Gyles would never hurt her. Her hand being raised to Gyles’s lips brought her out of her sudden melancholy mood.
“You’re frowning, Josephine. I’m so sorry about being caught by the Duchess of Winshire in my eagerness to steal a kiss from you,” Gyles proclaimed while he continued to hold her hand. “I can only pray I didn’t cause the Duchess to change her mind.”
She shook her head. “Since she still wants to meet with us for tea tomorrow, it seems clear she will still support me. I wasn’t thinking about her.”
“Then what has upset you? Not afraid to be alone with me, are you?”
She gave him a small smile. “I was just allowing my past to catch up with me. Bad memories best left forgotten,” she answered pulling her glove from her hand. She reached over to cup his warm cheek, rubbing her thumb over the bit of stubble that had formed as the day and night had progressed since he last shaved.
“I would wipe those memories away if I could, dearest Josephine.” His tone was husky and so sincere that Josephine’s hearted melted even more for the man next to her. He took her hand and placed a kiss on the inside of her palm. She gave a contented sigh.
“You already have, Gyles. Even if this doesn’t work out between us, I have cherished the time we have been able to spend together,” she whispered trying not to think of losing Gyles for a second time in her life.
“No talk of this ending, Josephine. Not when we are just beginning this journey together, you and I,” he said before leaning forward and sealing his promise with a kiss.
How many times had she envisioned his lips pressed to hers in her wildest dreams? But this was certainly no dream, not when a moan of what could only be termed pleasure rumbled in Gyles’s chest. He took hungry possession of her mouth with deep sweeping strokes of his tongue leaving Josephine to follow his lead. This kiss was far superior to the one at the theater because this time they were alone. It was late enough in the household that the servants were asleep. Josephine put all of her love into returning Gyles’s kiss.
She reluctantly pulled back from his embrace while he traced her faced with one of his long warm fingers.
“You amaze me, mon amour ,” Gyles said before placing a quick kiss upon her lips again.
A gasp left her at his words. My love ? Did he really use those words in French or had that been a figment of her imagination?
“You love me?” She marveled at the implication that perhaps all her dreams really could come true.
“I must sharpen up my kissing skills if the one I just gave you left any doubt in your mind, ma cherie ,” Gyles said chuckling before he continued. “But alas, I have safely delivered you home and I must let you go… for now.”
“Gyles…”
“Yes? ”
“I have always loved you, too,” she murmured with an open heart knowing she could trust Gyles completely. “Ever since I was a little girl, you were the only man I ever dreamed of, even when I thought you were someone I could never have.”
“That has all changed now, Josephine. My fondest wish is for us to eventually marry. That is if you’ll have me once the time is right.”
“Are you making me a promise that you’ll be asking me to become your wife?” she questioned him. Her heart was beating so loud she swore the whole world would be able to hear it. She tried to detect his features in the dimly lit entryway while she waited for his answer.
“Yes, my dearest love, that is exactly what I am promising you.”
A soft squeal of delight escaped her mouth, and she quickly covered her lips with her hand. Gyles’s laughter erupted until they were both softly laughing. Josephine suddenly became serious and she took his hand in hers.
“Stay for a drink,” she offered with a shy smile.
“Josephine…”
She shook her head as though to ward off his reservations of what she was offering. She had his promise and his trust. She had never wanted a man in her bed so much in her life and she wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
“I know what you’re going to say, Gyles, and certainly you might remind me about your intentions of being honorable. It’s only a drink—”
“—that would lead to other things between us—”
“—that is something we have obviously both been dreaming about our entire lives. Why not finally make it a reality? Stay, Gyles,” she said hoping to finish the debate between them.
“Into a house where your companion is just upstairs ready to have me thrown from the place for even thinking of entering your bedroom,” Gyles reminded her.
“Mrs. Crompton is away for the next two nights. Her sister took ill and she went to help with her niece and nephew. Do you have any further objections to what I am freely offering?”
“What about your brother, then? He certainly will object to me being here with you,” he said frowning.
“Let me worry about my brother,” Josephine replied trying to reassure him that they wouldn’t be found out.
“You tempt me to take you up on your offer, dearest Josephine, but if I stay here with you, I cannot vouch that I will keep my hands from you. I am, after all, just a man and not a saint.”
Another smile lit her face before she leaned forward until her lips were close to his. Their heavy breathing mingled together into one breath. “Stay with me, my love,” Josephine whispered placing a kiss upon his mouth. She then turned to place her hand on the banister of the stairway. “It’s not polite to keep a lady waiting.”
A heavy sigh left him, but he still followed her up the stairs to her bedroom. Josephine went to a sideboard where she poured them both a drink.
“I won’t be able to spend the whole night. It might ruin everything we are attempting to accomplish. I can’t be seen leaving here come the morning, my love,” Gyles stated.
“I know,” she said giving him a smile of understanding.
She made her way across the room where Gyles still hovered near the door before he finally closed it. She handed him one of the crystal glasses. They clinked their cups together and took a sip and she gave him a look of what she hoped was seductive. She never knew because she honestly didn’t have a lot of practice trying to be alluring for a man. It wasn’t like she had taken several lovers to hone the art of lovemaking.
“I have to admit I’ve never been very good at… this ,” she stated waving her glass between the two of them. Josephine then made her way to her vanity where she set her cup down and began removing the pins from her hair. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a look of longing while she shook her hair and it fell free in a cascade of black curls.
“Trust me when I say that you’re better at it then you might think, Josephine,” he said making his way to her. “Are you sure you want to do this? I’ll understand if you want to change your mind.”
Uncertainty suddenly hit her as though Raphe’s words from the grave echoed in her head. How many times had he told her she was a disappointment in their bed? Too many times to count. She closed her eyes against the memories determined to make new ones with the man she loved.
“Josephine?”
She focused her gaze upon the man before her and not the one from her past. “I haven’t changed my mind, my love. I only hope I will not disappoint you as I so often disappointed my husband.” She turned her head away until he took her chin and raised her face to meet his eyes.
“Your husband was a fool.”
She shrugged. “Yes, he was.” She was quickly brought up against Gyles’s muscled chest. She felt every inch of him including the bulge in his trousers. Obviously she must be doing something right if she had aroused Gyles when they had barely touched.
“You will never disappoint me and after tonight you belong to me,” he said in a husky baritone that was her undoing.
She wound her arms around his neck before his mouth swooped down to claim her lips again. Her fingers tangled themselves in his tawny-colored hair before they moved down to fumble with untying his cravat. She broke off their kiss giving Gyles a shy smile and concentrated on the complicated knot at his neck. Once untied, his shirt came next until she was able to finally skim her palms over his furred muscled chest. He was magnificent and far more handsome than anything she had ever dreamed about. She bit her lip not knowing if she dared to work on the buttons of his fall. Gyles took that option from her when he turned her around and began working on the ribbons of her dress.
The silk floated to the floor around her feet, and she tried to calm her nerves for what would happen shortly. When the strings of her corset were at last freed, she shivered not only from the cold air as it touched her skin but in anticipation of what would follow. His mouth hovered at her shoulder, and she could feel the uneven breathing as his air left his lips. And then those warm lips began making a trail up her neck to her ear. Her corset was quickly removed and her undergarments followed her dress to the floor until she kicked them away and stood completely naked. He pulled her back into his chest and held her tight.
“I love you, Josephine,” he whispered.
She gazed up over her shoulder and saw how his tawny hair fell rakishly over his brow. “I love you, too, Gyles,” she replied turning in his arms. She pushed back the soft curls that had fallen rakishly over his brow.
The rest became so dreamlike that Josephine surely must have been in a dream. How else could Gyles be about to make love to her in her bed? He kicked off his shoes and took off his trousers before he threw back the covers. My God! He was just magnificent standing there in all his naked glory and she tried to memorize every inch of him until they laid down. Then there was no time to think about anything else than the pleasure they gave to one another.
Minutes seemed like hours and when Gyles finally took her, she swore she had been made just for him. She quickly met his pace and when she felt as though she could hardly hold off on her release, she shattered into a million pieces as they called each other’s name. She swore if she died that very minute, she would have gone to heaven happy. Their lovemaking had been that perfect.
In the aftermath, Gyles held her until she had almost fallen asleep but his sudden movement on the bed told her much. He had to leave and she could already feel his loss. He kissed her forehead after he had dressed.
“I will see you this afternoon. Dream of us,” he whispered softly.
“You know I will,” Josephine declared holding his hand until she had to let go as he left her room.
She gave a contented sigh. She’d never been this happy in her entire life and she would relish the memory of every moment of this night until they made another memory to replace this one. It would be hard to improve on, since things couldn’t have gone more perfectly!