“Katie, no.”
“Yes,” she said, looking up at him as she unfastened the fall of his breeches. “Let me take care of you tonight. Let me give you what you need.”
“Katie—”
His words cut off as she took him into her mouth. His hands went to her hair and then her shoulders. As she loved him, his body went rigid, and he cried out. Finally, he sank down beside her and leaned his head against the wall. When he opened his eyes and gazed at her, in his eyes, she saw something she’d never seen before. Something that scared her more than everything else combined.
She began to tremble.
Chapter Twenty-One
Henry wanted topull her into his arms, quiet her trembling, breathe in her scent. He had been a fool to leave her, a fool to think she couldn’t handle his fears when it was clear she had the very same ones. When it was clear that, of the two of them, she was the stronger.
He hadn’t wanted to love anyone or need anyone. Somehow, she had managed to breach his armor, step over his intricately laid traps, and she’d demand a place in his heart.
“I know you love me,” he whispered. “I’ve known it for weeks. But I didn’t think I deserved it.”
“You deserve it,” she said, taking his hand. “You deserve everything.”
“I have everything,” he said. “I have you. I love you, Katie. I have since the day I married you.” Even if he hadn’t been willing to admit it to himself, he’d known he loved her when he was faced with the prospect of losing her. The fear he’d felt was like nothing he’d encountered before.
She trembled harder, and he gathered her against him. “I was so afraid to lose you that day. I would have given your father anything.”
“You would have never lost me.” She looked up at him. “Say it again.”
He smiled. “I love you, Katherine Lewis, Duchess of Carlisle.”
Her smile sent a ray of sunlight straight through him. He felt as though he could do anything when she looked at him that way. He moved to kiss her again, to take her to bed, properly now, but she put a hand on his chest.
“When did you last eat?”
“I don’t know.” He kissed her neck. “I don’t care.”
“We’re sending for a tray of food and warm water.”
Henry had to admit that he could do with some food.
“And after we’ve eaten, we can take off these wet clothes, hang them to dry, and crawl, naked, under the bedclothes.”
“And then?” Henry watched as she rose and tugged the bellpull.
“And then you can show me just how much you love me.”
Henry let Katie take charge. She ordered dinner, cleaned his wound again, and then, after they’d eaten, she built up the fire and undressed him. She hung up his clothes, then her own, by the fire and walked, naked, to join him in bed. She walked with a confidence he hadn’t seen before, like a seductress—her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back, her hips swaying, her eyes locked on him. Henry’s mouth went dry. How had he ever thought a game of cards or dice was what he needed? What he really needed was right here.
She climbed in beside him, and he pulled her close, hissing as he felt her cold feet touch his leg. “I’d better warm you up before we both freeze.”
“That shouldn’t be hard.” She pulled him in for a kiss, and he allowed himself to give in to it, to lose himself. He ran his hands over her body, exploring the curves he loved, while he whispered how much he loved her over and over again.
He pushed her down, taking her nipple in his mouth and then sliding down to kiss the underside of her breast. But instead of giving in, she rose, pushing him down until he lay on his back. “What’s this?”
“Something I have been wanting to try.” She straddled him.
“It seems you’re full of ideas tonight,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Do you like them?”
“I like everything about you.” He cupped a breast as she rose and took him inside her. And then his head fell back as he fought against the pleasure that immediately took hold as she experimented with different angles and rhythms.
