lie?”
“I don’t know, but I am certain Brice is in no way in love with me, therefore the rest of your story is questionable.”
Dorian lifted her. She could not have been too angry, as she was more than capable of removing his arms from around her. She did not, and he carried her to a patch of soft grass and placed her on her back.
Her body arched toward his. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We can never be more than what we are here and now. You are a gentleman. One day you will find a lady to give you children and spend your life with. I ask only for pleasure in this moment. Pleasure to chase away the demons.”
Sorrow tightened his chest. “The demons we face do not disappear through distraction.”
“For a few moments, they do. In my mind.” Her arms wrapped around his neck, and strong fingers caressed his back.
He was uncomfortably hard, but this was not going how he’d imagined it. She wanted a quick tumble. He was nothing more than a distraction from the pain of the world. If she had been any other woman, he might have liked something quick and meaningless. But this was Lillian, a woman he had coveted from afar for years.
Sitting back on his heels, he took one more look at her beauty, only accentuated by the soaked shift. I can’t believe what I’m about to do. “Forgive me, Lilly. You ask for more than I can give you at this time. I will forgo the delights of your body until we can come to an understanding.”
Her stunning lips formed a rather large O, before she pushed up to her elbows. “You do not wish to lay with me? I am willing and enthusiastic. Those were your requirements, Dorian.”
He got up, walked back to the pond, splashed cool water on his face and rubbed the grime from his skin. “I know and while I very much wish it were, for some reason, it is not enough.”
“What kind of understanding do you believe we can come to?”
Telling her he wanted more than one tryst beside that pond served no purpose. She had ideas about him, which he had to disprove through deed. If he took her now, he’d never win her. And if it was possible, he wanted to have this magnificent woman for his own.
She would be the death of him. He dove into the pond. The cool water did little to quell his desire, but it was enough, so when he broke the water’s surface he could contain his longing.
* * * *
He swam to the far end of the pond. All Lillian could do was stare at his retreating form. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended. It was likely he thought she was a whore and didn’t want to sully himself with her kind. It had been a risk to offer herself to Dorian, but she wanted him, and more than that, she wanted to get him out of her system.
It had worked years ago with Reece, and they had gone on to become the closest of friends. If Dorian was to be her new partner, even for a short time, they both needed to focus on their tasks and get their attraction under control. Yet the idea of being intimate with Dorian excited her more than was comfortable. She flushed with giddiness at the idea. The pravus had almost poisoned him. She shivered with the memory. He’d risked himself to protect those children. She’d been angry, and yet that was when her attraction had blossomed.
His arms ripped through the water’s surface, and she couldn’t help imagining his muscles wrapping around her and holding her.
She shook her head and walked to the carriage. She found a pat of soap, took off her chemise, and went to the water’s edge. Never taking her attention away from him, she soaped and rinsed off before putting on a clean chemise and spreading a blanket on the grass.
She’d left the soap near the edge with a clean cloth and watched as Dorian cleaned himself. He turned and caught her, and she met his gaze. His cock responded even if he would not follow his desire. Was it just a male reaction to a woman watching him wash or was it her? Did it matter? Yes, it mattered quite a lot. Damn .
He
“I don’t know, but I am certain Brice is in no way in love with me, therefore the rest of your story is questionable.”
Dorian lifted her. She could not have been too angry, as she was more than capable of removing his arms from around her. She did not, and he carried her to a patch of soft grass and placed her on her back.
Her body arched toward his. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We can never be more than what we are here and now. You are a gentleman. One day you will find a lady to give you children and spend your life with. I ask only for pleasure in this moment. Pleasure to chase away the demons.”
Sorrow tightened his chest. “The demons we face do not disappear through distraction.”
“For a few moments, they do. In my mind.” Her arms wrapped around his neck, and strong fingers caressed his back.
He was uncomfortably hard, but this was not going how he’d imagined it. She wanted a quick tumble. He was nothing more than a distraction from the pain of the world. If she had been any other woman, he might have liked something quick and meaningless. But this was Lillian, a woman he had coveted from afar for years.
Sitting back on his heels, he took one more look at her beauty, only accentuated by the soaked shift. I can’t believe what I’m about to do. “Forgive me, Lilly. You ask for more than I can give you at this time. I will forgo the delights of your body until we can come to an understanding.”
Her stunning lips formed a rather large O, before she pushed up to her elbows. “You do not wish to lay with me? I am willing and enthusiastic. Those were your requirements, Dorian.”
He got up, walked back to the pond, splashed cool water on his face and rubbed the grime from his skin. “I know and while I very much wish it were, for some reason, it is not enough.”
“What kind of understanding do you believe we can come to?”
Telling her he wanted more than one tryst beside that pond served no purpose. She had ideas about him, which he had to disprove through deed. If he took her now, he’d never win her. And if it was possible, he wanted to have this magnificent woman for his own.
She would be the death of him. He dove into the pond. The cool water did little to quell his desire, but it was enough, so when he broke the water’s surface he could contain his longing.
* * * *
He swam to the far end of the pond. All Lillian could do was stare at his retreating form. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended. It was likely he thought she was a whore and didn’t want to sully himself with her kind. It had been a risk to offer herself to Dorian, but she wanted him, and more than that, she wanted to get him out of her system.
It had worked years ago with Reece, and they had gone on to become the closest of friends. If Dorian was to be her new partner, even for a short time, they both needed to focus on their tasks and get their attraction under control. Yet the idea of being intimate with Dorian excited her more than was comfortable. She flushed with giddiness at the idea. The pravus had almost poisoned him. She shivered with the memory. He’d risked himself to protect those children. She’d been angry, and yet that was when her attraction had blossomed.
His arms ripped through the water’s surface, and she couldn’t help imagining his muscles wrapping around her and holding her.
She shook her head and walked to the carriage. She found a pat of soap, took off her chemise, and went to the water’s edge. Never taking her attention away from him, she soaped and rinsed off before putting on a clean chemise and spreading a blanket on the grass.
She’d left the soap near the edge with a clean cloth and watched as Dorian cleaned himself. He turned and caught her, and she met his gaze. His cock responded even if he would not follow his desire. Was it just a male reaction to a woman watching him wash or was it her? Did it matter? Yes, it mattered quite a lot. Damn .
He
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