Chapter 2 #2
Why in the hell hadn’t Peter told him everything?
He still wouldn’t have known if she’d not been forced to seek medical help.
If he had known the truth, Theo would have been tracking her movements like a wolf hunting its prey.
She might never have been hurt, because he would have been there to prevent it.
God help him. If anything happened to her—just the thought of it pushed him to the edge of a dark place, and it scared the hell out of him.
Closing his eyes, Theo crushed the thought. He didn’t know how, but he’d find a way to keep Genevieve safe. The sudden scent of orange blossoms filled his nostrils as she moved to face him, but he didn’t open his eyes.
“It’s only a small cut, Theo. I’m going to be fine,” she said softly, almost coaxingly, in an obvious effort to reassure him. “Even Peter would tell you that if he were here.”
“But he’s not here, is he?”
His voice was hoarse as Genevieve’s words sliced through him, and grief made his throat close. Peter had always managed to make Genevieve see reason, and at the moment, Theo couldn’t think straight, let alone try to convince her of the danger she was in every time she entered the East End alone.
Theo opened his eyes to stare down at her. If only his friend were here, Genevieve wouldn’t be half-undressed and standing so close to him that his entire body ached painfully for her. She met his gaze steadily, and the grief in her beautiful eyes changed to an elusive emotion he didn’t recognize.
“Please don’t be angry, Theo. I truly will be all right.”
Her hands cupped his face, and Theo jerked hard at her gentle touch. She frowned with puzzlement for a brief moment before he saw awareness darkening her gaze. All too aware of the dangerous ground he was standing on, Theo grasped her arms, intent on putting space between them.
The instant his fingers dug into her soft flesh, he lost all reason.
With a hard tug, he pulled her into his chest and kissed her hard.
Genevieve stiffened before her mouth softened beneath his.
In that split-second, Theo realized his mistake.
Jerking his head up, he tried to push her away.
She resisted, and their gazes locked for a long moment.
Desire flared in her eyes, and his heart slammed into his chest. Christ Jesus, he needed to walk away from her, now, or he would kiss her again. It was as if both of them were standing on the edge of a cliff, each of them waiting for the other to jump.
“Please don’t push me away, Theo. I need you.”
“Genevieve, neither of us is thinking straight,” he choked out.
“All I know is that you’re the only one who understands what I’m feeling,” she whispered. “I need your strength right now. We need each other.”
“I don’t—”
Before he could finish his objection, Genevieve tugged his head down and kissed him. The instant the fiery heat of her mouth pressed against his, he froze. Hunger and need vibrated off her lips against his. Reason flitted out of his head as he was drawn even closer to the edge of the precipice.
Her kiss was a silent, desperate cry for a physical connection between them. He’d dreamed about this moment for a long time, and yet he knew it was a mistake. Theo knew she had no clear understanding of where this madness might lead them if they didn’t stop. And it was madness.
Two parts of him waged war against each other in his head as he tried to control his body’s response to her.
Logic began to give way as she molded her body into his.
Lost in her soft curves and intoxicating scent, coherent thought vanished, and he pulled her tight against him, taking control of their kiss.
She surrendered without hesitation, and his tongue ran across the seam of her lips until she parted them and gave him access to the heat of her mouth.
God almighty, she tasted wonderful, and she was fearless in her response to him.
Her palms pressed into his chest for a brief moment, then her fingers were swiftly unbuttoning his riding coat before roughly pushing it off his shoulders.
As he shrugged out of the garment, she was already undoing his waistcoat.
Their mouths clinging together, he groaned as the heat of her warmed his body.
With a feverish impatience, her fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt, and a second later it fell to the floor, where it landed on his coat and vest.
The instant her fingers brushed across his skin, a tight, invisible vise constricted around his chest. He wanted to shout with exhilaration at the light caress, and his heart pounded like a runaway train as the desire she aroused in him made every muscle in his body harden.
Before he could stop her, she broke away from their kiss to run her mouth down the side of his throat, then to his chest.
Another groan rolled out of him as her hand guided his to her breast. He shuddered as he cupped her, then rubbed his thumb over a hard, rigid peak beneath her soft, linen chemise.
A soft sound echoed out of her. In obvious retaliation, her mouth latched onto his nipple, her teeth scraping across it before gently biting down on him.
His cock jumped at the sensation it aroused in him, and he uttered a low growl of need.
He’d barely had time to recover from her bite before he realized her riding skirt was on the floor, and the only thing between him and her warm, supple flesh was her thin chemise.
A second later, her hand reached through the opening in his trousers to wrap her fingers around him. He jerked at her fiery touch.
Their breathing was harsh and fast, while her tongue mated with his again.
With frenzied movements, they tore off the remainder of their clothing.
The moment the heat of her warm skin met his, his hands explored her soft curves, committing her body to memory.
She was even more exquisitely formed that he had imagined.
With a small hop, her legs wrapped around his waist, and his palms cradled the plump, luscious flesh of her buttocks.
She wiggled against him until the tip of his cock was pressing against her womanly heat.
Capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss, he carried her to the small bed in one corner of the room.
When he set her down on the straw mattress, she unwrapped her legs from around him, then reclined back on the bed.
Every inch of her was bared to him, and he stared down at her, enraptured and incapable of moving.
He’d never seen a more beautiful work of art in his life.
She was perfection. Desire darkened her green eyes, while her skin glowed with arousal.
Sanity tried to force its way into his head, and he drew in a harsh breath.
Christ Jesus, had he lost his mind? This was a mistake.
He couldn’t take her like this. As he hesitated, a quiet murmur escaped her.
As if she sensed his sudden reluctance to bed her, she shot upright and curled her arms around his neck. With a hard tug, she dragged him down with her as she fell back onto the mattress. The moment he was on top of her, the alarm bells going off in his head grew louder.