that she felt for him—tenderness and understanding, desire and love. And he answered with a truth of his own, his mouth moving against her, kissing her with all that she had offered and more.
In his kiss, the barrier to all that he hid—passion and fire, gentleness and love—came crashing down. He kissed her with a strength of emotion that, now unleashed, towered above her. He kissed her mouth, the pulse-point in her neck. Kissed the length of each collarbone, and the hollow of her throat. His breath teased hot against the bare skin of her shoulders, making her skin tingle and shiver with longing for his lips. His hands slid around her waist, holding her to him, binding them together, as if she could ever want to be anywhere else. Their bodies had been made to fit together, breast to chest, thigh to thigh. He kissed her and everything of worry and responsibility and duty melted away. And with his lips upon hers she knew the truth—that for her there was only Linwood, that there had only ever been Linwood.
One hand slid to capture her breast, and she felt her body respond as if there were no layers of cloth to separate them, as if they were already naked and together. The other hand moved low, over her hips, caressing her, guiding her in this journey she knew now they had always been destined to make. He deepened the kiss, offering what only he could give, touching her, tasting her in a prelude of what was to come. And in the sharing of their mouths, and beneath the touch of his hands, she felt the flame of desire that had always burned between them flare and rage to a mighty inferno.
He unfastened her dress, freeing her breasts from her bodice, taking them in his mouth, kissing them, tasting them, working each hard-tipped nipple with his tongue until her legs were melting and weak and she was clutching his head to her and arching against him, needing this and more, needing him, only him.
But Linwood pulled back, and his breath was as hard and fast as her own, his eyes dark and burning with a depth of desire and emotion she had never seen in any man’s eyes before. He dispensed with his jacket, slipped off his waistcoat.
She reached out and pulled at his cravat, freeing him of it, her fingers sliding against the fine cotton of his shirt, needing to feel the skin beneath. He peeled it off over his head and let it drop away. The flicker of the candlelight danced upon the smooth sculpted muscle of his chest, down over the ribs of hard muscle that banded his abdomen. In reality his body was more magnificent than her imagination had ever dreamed. She reached out and ran her hands over him, stroking him, marvelling at how dark and golden his skin was beneath the whiteness of her fingers.
And then she was in his arms again and he was kissing her, their naked chests together, his fingers freeing her hair from its pins to thread within its lengths. Kissing her, touching her, teasing her. She could feel the press of his aroused manhood through his breeches, through her skirts. Their mouths clung as he backed her into his bedchamber.
His hands were gentle as they slid the rest of her clothing from her body, gentle as they laid her within his bed.
She watched him complete his undress in the candlelight, her eyes moving over the long hard length of him, knowing what was going to happen between them. And between her legs, so slick and heated, was an ache for him. Her eyes held his as the bed dipped and he finally covered her body with hers.
‘Yes,’ she whispered, just like in the dream. ‘Yes.’ And she opened her legs to welcome him in.
* * *
There was a calmness to the morning following the rain of the night before. The pavements were still damp, but the air touched a freshness against her cheeks and a sweetness to her nose. The dawn was only just creeping across from behind St James’s church spire, the sky streaking washed-out shades of night to blue beneath a golden light. She breathed in deep, feeling a sense of gladness and wonder at the new day that she had not felt before, and within her chest her heart swelled with joy.
The surrounding houses still slept, blinds and curtains still closed over windows like eyes shuttered within