asked hopefully. He scratched his head, considering.
“ Paris, eh? Well, I guess we could go there, though I’m not exactly sure why you’d want to. It wasn't a very nice place, that.”
“ Why I’d want to? Because Paris is the romance capital of the world! Nôtre Dame, La Musée du Louvre, L’Arc de Triomphe, Les Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower. I mean, what’s not to love?”
He furrowed his brow in confusion. “I’m aware of Nôtre Dame and Le Grand Louvre , but I am unfamiliar with the others.”
I realized some of the Parisian sites I’d read about might not have been around back in the early 1700s. “Oh. Well, they must have been built later.” I waved a hand in dismissal. “Can we go, please?” I implored, giving him my most pathetic puppy dog eyes.
“ All right, but only because I know you cannot get hurt in my memory,” he said in a warning tone. I hugged him and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re a foolish wee lass, but God help me, I can’t deny you anything when you look at me like that.”
I gave him a flirty smile and jumped off the bed. “What should I wear? Another dress, I suppose. Women didn’t get to wear pants then, did they?” I wrinkled my nose in irritation. Aiden shrugged in mock disinterest, though I could see the playfulness in his eyes.
“ Aye, that’s true. Women in Paris during my day didn’t wear breeks. You’re free to wear whatever you like though, if you’d prefer to wear the trousers. I don’t think I’d look quite so lovely as you in my gown, though.”
I shrieked in outrage and threw myself onto the bed, flinging the pillow at his head. He rolled backward, laughing, and easily dodged the blow, then gathered me into his arms.
“ You brat!” I glared at him and he raised his eyebrows innocently as if to say “Who, me? What did I do?” I struggled to get free of his grasp and his arms tightened around me like a vise, his fingers tickling my ribs. I jerked and squealed in protest, giggling and kicking, while he laughed at my vain attempts to free myself.
In one fluid motion, he flipped me onto my back and laid on top of me, his body pressing mine deep into the feather mattress. My giggles abruptly stopped and I grabbed him by the hair, pulling his mouth to mine. He responded with a sigh of satisfaction and ran one hand over my shoulder, down my side.
A fire ignited within me and my body twitched with pleasure at his touch. He pressed his hips against me and I arched my back as his kisses moved down my neck, suckling my jaw and earlobe. My nightgown fell away as I raised my leg against his body and he caressed my naked thigh.
“ Oh, God in heaven, have mercy,” he breathed in my ear, his voice trembling. Then he made a painful groan and stopped moving entirely. My hopes sank as he lay there holding me, breathing hard, his head on my shoulder.
“ Don’t stop, Aiden, please.” My blood was on fire and my body felt like a rubber band pulled taut and ready to snap. I was on the edge of something, but I wasn't quite sure what. I just knew I needed him to keep going.
He lifted his head and looked down at me with intense longing, yet I could see he was held back by a deeper conviction he did not explain.
“ Ah, my love. You’ve already convinced me of one thing today against my better judgment. We’d best not make it two.”
My shoulders slumped in disappointment and I turned my head away so he couldn’t see the emotional turmoil there. He sighed and rolled off me, then moved across the room. I lay there quivering and stared up at the ceiling, trying to choke back the tears. I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling suddenly cold and rejected.
Don’t you want me?
He growled in frustration and crossed the room in quick strides, then grabbed me by the shoulders. “How can you even think that? Gracious, woman, it takes every ounce of strength I have not to take you right now in this bed. The touch of your hair, your soft breasts, your
“ Paris, eh? Well, I guess we could go there, though I’m not exactly sure why you’d want to. It wasn't a very nice place, that.”
“ Why I’d want to? Because Paris is the romance capital of the world! Nôtre Dame, La Musée du Louvre, L’Arc de Triomphe, Les Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower. I mean, what’s not to love?”
He furrowed his brow in confusion. “I’m aware of Nôtre Dame and Le Grand Louvre , but I am unfamiliar with the others.”
I realized some of the Parisian sites I’d read about might not have been around back in the early 1700s. “Oh. Well, they must have been built later.” I waved a hand in dismissal. “Can we go, please?” I implored, giving him my most pathetic puppy dog eyes.
“ All right, but only because I know you cannot get hurt in my memory,” he said in a warning tone. I hugged him and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re a foolish wee lass, but God help me, I can’t deny you anything when you look at me like that.”
I gave him a flirty smile and jumped off the bed. “What should I wear? Another dress, I suppose. Women didn’t get to wear pants then, did they?” I wrinkled my nose in irritation. Aiden shrugged in mock disinterest, though I could see the playfulness in his eyes.
“ Aye, that’s true. Women in Paris during my day didn’t wear breeks. You’re free to wear whatever you like though, if you’d prefer to wear the trousers. I don’t think I’d look quite so lovely as you in my gown, though.”
I shrieked in outrage and threw myself onto the bed, flinging the pillow at his head. He rolled backward, laughing, and easily dodged the blow, then gathered me into his arms.
“ You brat!” I glared at him and he raised his eyebrows innocently as if to say “Who, me? What did I do?” I struggled to get free of his grasp and his arms tightened around me like a vise, his fingers tickling my ribs. I jerked and squealed in protest, giggling and kicking, while he laughed at my vain attempts to free myself.
In one fluid motion, he flipped me onto my back and laid on top of me, his body pressing mine deep into the feather mattress. My giggles abruptly stopped and I grabbed him by the hair, pulling his mouth to mine. He responded with a sigh of satisfaction and ran one hand over my shoulder, down my side.
A fire ignited within me and my body twitched with pleasure at his touch. He pressed his hips against me and I arched my back as his kisses moved down my neck, suckling my jaw and earlobe. My nightgown fell away as I raised my leg against his body and he caressed my naked thigh.
“ Oh, God in heaven, have mercy,” he breathed in my ear, his voice trembling. Then he made a painful groan and stopped moving entirely. My hopes sank as he lay there holding me, breathing hard, his head on my shoulder.
“ Don’t stop, Aiden, please.” My blood was on fire and my body felt like a rubber band pulled taut and ready to snap. I was on the edge of something, but I wasn't quite sure what. I just knew I needed him to keep going.
He lifted his head and looked down at me with intense longing, yet I could see he was held back by a deeper conviction he did not explain.
“ Ah, my love. You’ve already convinced me of one thing today against my better judgment. We’d best not make it two.”
My shoulders slumped in disappointment and I turned my head away so he couldn’t see the emotional turmoil there. He sighed and rolled off me, then moved across the room. I lay there quivering and stared up at the ceiling, trying to choke back the tears. I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling suddenly cold and rejected.
Don’t you want me?
He growled in frustration and crossed the room in quick strides, then grabbed me by the shoulders. “How can you even think that? Gracious, woman, it takes every ounce of strength I have not to take you right now in this bed. The touch of your hair, your soft breasts, your
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