exactly what she needed. Georgina cried out as the explosion hit her, erupting in wave after uncontrollable wave. He kept going, taking her with him, until she felt the intensity building again, felt her entire insides opening to his thrusts, felt him in the very center of her—where he gave a triumphant cry and took his release, filling her with the liquid of his loins.
Perhaps, in some male way, he had won that war. Daniel knew what he was doing, and she didn't. He had the power to control her body, to take her to heights she hadn't known existed, to fill her with the life-giving seed that would one day make them one. And he had the power to deprive her of the same. But in some quiet, female sense, Georgina knew she had won another kind of war. They were no longer separate people leading separate lives. His need was for her as much as hers was for him.
They lay tangled in the wreckage of their clothing, catching their breaths, clinging to the warmth between them where they still remained attached. It was a very odd sensation, having this male body inside hers. Perhaps she ought to be ashamed, but she wasn't. She liked it too much, and she didn't think Daniel was objecting too strongly.
Georgina wanted to ask him if she could stay now, but she was afraid to say anything that might disturb this temporary peace. Daniel shifted his weight to one side and pulled her with him, and she snuggled contentedly into the curve of his arm. She would sleep like this if she had to.
He pulled the pins from her hair until he had loosened a curl. Then he wrapped it around his finger and used it to caress her throat. The touch was soft and arousing. She opened her eyes and met his.
"You can't stay," he whispered, the agony clear in his eyes.
"I won't leave," she answered calmly, too calmly. Her heart was beating furiously, and the effort to maintain control was taking its toll.
It was a draw of sorts, Daniel realized. He couldn't carry her to the hotel over his shoulder, particularly not in her current half-dressed condition. And he couldn't allow her to run away to the office to sleep unattended. He could insist. He could get up from here right now and refuse to be a part of her foolishness. But even if he won the argument, he would lose what he wanted most.
"Georgina." Daniel slid the rest of her bodice off her shoulder, focusing on the creamy skin that had been his undoing that first time she had revealed it.
"I want to be a real wife," she whispered against him.
It was almost a plea. He didn't want his carefree Miss Merry to be reduced to begging. He wanted her just as he had found her, full of life and love and all the good things she deserved. Daniel's lips curved as his hand drifted down between them to cover her bare stomach. Those good things could include his babe by now. So much for protecting her.
"You're more wife than I deserve, Miss Merry." Gently, Daniel untied the tapes of her gown and pulled the sleeves down until she could wriggle out of them. Then he pulled the whole thing off and threw it over the side of the bed.
He took the time to admire her rounded legs still encased in garters and stockings. It wasn't often he got to admire a lady in her undergarments. He thought he might get used to the idea very quickly. He returned his gaze with interest to the casing of her corset and the spill of her breasts through the open chemise at the top. Twin pink peaks stared back at him, and he couldn't resist.
Georgina squealed when he touched his tongue to temptation, but she didn't make any other maidenly protests. Daniel had a vague notion that they were supposed to be doing this in the dark with nightgowns and nightshirts encumbering them, but he had never been one to bow to convention. If he had his way, he'd do this in the middle of the day with bright sunlight pouring through the windows. Had they any windows.
That thought stopped him. Glaring up at the boards that gave evidence of the precariousness of their privacy, Daniel pulled himself to a sitting position. Georgina hastily pulled her chemise together and stared up at him.
"They're likely to come after the press tonight, Georgie. I