night. He took them and hastily shut himself in her lavatory, stripping out of his clothes. He used a washcloth to clean himself and then slipped the boxers on. He placed his hands on opposites of the sink and stared into the little gilt-edged mirror.
His hair was mussed, his muscles tense, and he didn’t recognize the odd expression on his face, as though he were half lost in a dream. A dream of pleasure and anticipation, and there was a hint of tenderness when he thought of Kat. His sweet little Kat.
Tristan understood her demand that they go beyond sex, at least enough for them to learn about one another. It made everything so much more…intense in bed. Knowing why she loved books, how he’d shared his obsession for maps, they’d opened up to each other. How much more intense could the sex be if they kept…sharing those secret parts of themselves?
He scraped a hand over his jaw, then gave his reflection a nod.
Give it a try .
Maybe learning more about a woman than her favorite style of lingerie and preferred sexual position was worth it.
This time. With this girl.
He exited the bathroom and froze when he saw Kat sitting on the edge of her bed, legs tucked up, chin resting on her knees as she watched him with wide eyes. Her long, luscious hair was a mess of wild waves about her shoulders. She looked like a tempting Siren, ready to lure him to his doom. All she was lacking were a pair of opalescent shells to cup her breasts and a shimmery tail with water beading on the delicate scales.
And just like that…he was hard again. What was it about this woman that made him lose himself so easily? The arousal was slow to fade, especially when he walked to the bed and cupped her cheeks in his hands. Those dark lashes of hers fanned up, followed by those lovely gray eyes. He’d never given much thought to the color, but hers was almost electric, like liquid mercury, sucking him in.
“Move over, darling. I’ll take this side of the bed.”
When she finally moved, he saw the lines of tension bracketing her mouth soften. So she thought he would just leave after what had happened? Not bloody likely. After she’d scooted over beneath the covers, he climbed in and clicked off the lamp on the nightstand. Without a second thought, he pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly tucked against his body.
“I want to know everything about you,” he murmured into her ear. “Your favorite color, your favorite ice cream, what makes your heart beat fast. Everything .” He kissed the soft shell of her ear.
She shivered. “Will you share the same with me?”
He chuckled. “Let’s see. Navy blue, rocky road, you.”
He waited for her to figure out what he’d just said.
“Wait, I make your heart beat fast?” Kat rolled onto her side to stare at him in the darkness. He could just barely make out her features. He took one of her hands and laid her palm flat on his chest above his heart.
“Feel that?” As he spoke his heartbeat sped up. “That’s for you.”
She nodded, looking away. She was still shy, after everything they’d done together? He rarely seduced women who were bashful, but something about Kat fascinated him. She raised her head. The moonlight, although faint, pooled in her eyes liked polished silver coins.
Kat shifted against him, her hand still on his chest. Her fingertips drew small circles on his skin, and he repressed a delicious shiver. He loved that she was brave enough to keep touching him.
I’m winning her over . A grin twisted his lips before he could stop himself, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Tristan, when we were at the Pickerel Inn you said stained glass made you cry. Why is that?”
Tristan debated a long moment on how to describe it. “The colors are so rich, they seem to burn right through the glass. And the faces of the people—their expressions are so clear, so sharp. Sometimes I feel like I can read the people in the glass better than I can read the people around me.” Could he explain the other part, about how it’d helped him be strong as a lad? He’d never revealed that to anyone, but could he do that with her? He had a feeling he could…just the way she’d talked about the butterflies with him. Some things were too personal, but with her, he wanted to