“I will not have you catching cold.”
He had to clear his throat; his voice seemed to have lowered with his heightened arousal. He left her by the fire and opened the door. Wringing out the shirt, he stood there, hoping the chilly wind would cool his rising passions. It was still black as night outdoors; the sky flashed periodically with lightning.
“You might as well take off your skirts. You’re soaked right through.”
“I’ll be fine.”
If she wasn’t in danger of becoming ill from all the dampness, he’d have left her to her own devices. For God’s sake, he was her husband. She needn’t be modest in his presence.
“The weather isn’t letting up any. Stop being stubborn, Emma, and take off your damned clothes.”
Her mouth dropped open with his demand. Had she expected him to continue begging for something that was for her well-being?
With a sigh, he sat on the edge of the cot and pulled his boots off, then untucked his shirt. He didn’t plan to wear all his clothes for much longer. He’d like to strip his shirt off, too, but he wasn’t about to show his wife the raw wound on his side or the erection straining against his smalls. He released the ties on his trousers and had to peel them from his skin.
She’d given him her back as soon as he started removing articles of clothing. Bitterness made him want to laugh.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, her pale fingers curled over each shoulder. The scoop at the back of the white chemise revealed pale skin. He wanted to push the scrap of linen off her shoulders and see what lay hidden beneath.
“The door is locked, and I’ve a craving to be filled from last night.”
Her fingers clutched tighter to her shoulders, the tips turning white with the pressure. He could see the outline of her sharp shoulder blades and was tempted to lick the droplet of water sliding down her spine. He found the ties at the back of her skirt that held the material around her waist. He worked them loose and let the heavy mass of pleated material fall to the floor. The ties for the second layer were easier to loosen, and that, too, fell to the floor.
When she didn’t respond or step out of the mess, he boldly suggested, “Take off your corset.”
If she obeyed, he knew he’d not be able to keep his hands off her. What did it matter? They were alone and he did not like to be denied by the one woman who belonged to him.
Table of Contents
TITLE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
PART TWO
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EPILOGUE
THE SEDUCTION OF HIS WIFE