The Marquess Who Loved Me - By Sara Ramsey Page 0,102
other wrist. The mingling of music and regret was discordant. These bells called for joy, not penance.
“Shut up, Nick,” she said fiercely. “Stop talking and kiss me.”
Nick heard the certainty in her voice. He reveled in it — he’d rather let her feel his heart than try to say the words he somehow couldn’t get out.
He was already hard for her again, his heart pounding so fast that surely the beat alone would make her bells ring for him. This time, though, he was slower, more patient, more thorough — the way he’d wanted to be the first time, before his cock had overruled him.
The peak, when it came, was briefer than before, but no less intense. He spent himself inside her again — and, again, pretended it was an accident rather than a choice.
Not that Ellie seemed to mind. When he could think again — after a longer interval than the previous time — he tipped his head toward her. She held her wrist above her, staring up at the bells as she turned them this way and that to catch the firelight. Her smile, as dark and mysterious as any goddess’s, was supremely satisfied.
She must have sensed his movement, because she dropped her wrist and turned her head. They were inches apart, and her smile, when directed at him, was bright enough to overwhelm him.
“You were more than worth the wait,” she said.
He wanted her again — but another time would kill him. Despite his earlier words, he wasn’t ready to die, not when he had this moment to savor. So he contented himself with pulling her into his arms and learning how she felt as she fell asleep against him, the little sounds she made as she dreamed. The fire slowly died, and the crackling embers mingled with her bells to lure him closer to sleep.
In the morning, he would settle with Norbury. And then….
And then he didn’t know, exactly, what would happen. But winning wasn’t good enough anymore.
All he wanted was Ellie. And he would do whatever it took to stay by her side.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ellie awoke to the smell of ham and the sound of a beverage being poured. She was sprawled on her stomach and had slept more deeply than she had in days — but food never failed to awaken her.
“How late is it, Lucia?” she mumbled into her pillow, not turning over.
“It’s just after nine.”
Nick. She flipped herself upright, pushed her hair out of her face — and heard the soft chime of bells all around her as she realized she was still in his bed. “What are you doing?”
“Do you care for toast? I will toast it for you.”
He was sitting in his armchair, fully dressed, in a suit that was a better match for a London rake than a sleepy country lord. But there was nothing sleepy about him today. His eyes were sharp, and they missed nothing as they looked her over. She winced. Her hair would look like a nest of brambles. She pulled the sheets up around herself, covering everything she should cover — but still, she felt suddenly shy.
Nick had never seen her wake up in the morning. No one had, save Lucia and her other maids.
She tried to contain her hair, but she couldn’t without dropping the sheets. Nick coughed. “Toast?” he asked again.
He held a toasting fork. It was so odd to see him doing something domestic that she laughed. “Trying to keep me well-fed, my lord?”
He grinned. “Unless you prefer to be put through your paces first.”
She did, but she was too curious about why he was there to distract him. “Toast first, if you please.”
He nodded. But before he put the bread on the toasting fork, he stood and brought her a cup. “I thought this would awaken you.”
He had brought her chocolate. She took it from his hand, letting her fingers graze on his as she reached for the handle. “Is Lucia feeling better? You don’t have…bad news about her, do you?”
“She will be fine, but Marcus ordered her to take at least a fortnight off. You can ring for another maid later. We need to talk, Ellie.”
She didn’t like the tone of his voice. It was too serious, as though he dreaded whatever he needed to say. She sipped her chocolate, pretending she’d heard nothing to warn her. When she thought she could sound innocent, she said, “What do we need to talk about?”