“Are you certain?” he said through gritted teeth. It was taking all his willpower not to drive into her and find his own pleasure. “In a day or so your memory might come back, and you might regret all of this. You’ll remember how much you despise me and hate me for taking advantage of you.”
Her legs dropped, and she pushed him back and sat. “You think you’re taking advantage of me?”
“Marjorie, you must know by now that I’ve been half in love with you for years. You’ve never shown any indication that you felt the same. Now suddenly you seem to want me as much as I want you. I don’t know if either of us should trust your feelings when you’re not fully... you.”
She nodded and looked down at her bare leg for a long moment. “You’re a good man, Simon,” she said. “If I truly didn’t like you, I was an idiot. I am not an idiot now, and in this moment, I want your hands on me more than I want to take the next breath.” Her amber-brown eyes lifted and met his. At her words, his heart all but stopped in his chest. He put a hand to his sternum, afraid it might not begin beating again.
“The only thing I will regret is not having you inside me.” She rose on her knees and kissed him, then pushed him back and crawled over him. Her hands explored his body, while her lips nipped at his mouth, his jaw, and she suckled at his neck. He couldn’t manage a deep breath, and when she straddled him, and he looked up at the glorious sight of her naked, he thought he had died and entered Paradise.
And then she took him inside her.
Seven
He was hard and thick, and when she sheathed him, she groaned with pleasure. She leaned back, savoring the feel of him, never wanting this to end. Somehow she knew how to move, how to angle her hips to give herself the most pleasure. Judging by the way his head was thrown back, he was enjoying this as well. She didn’t deserve this man—not based on what he’d told her of her behavior before she’d been hit on the head. But she could spend as long as he’d allow her making up for that bad behavior. Not that it was any punishment. He was undeniably handsome, and she enjoyed running her hands over his broad chest and the hard muscles of his abdomen.
And the way he looked at her.
She loved how, when his eyes swept over her, they darkened with appreciation. Her entire body warmed at the obvious desire in his gaze. What woman didn’t want to be gazed at like that?
She’d already climaxed once, but she could feel the pleasure rising again. She undulated faster, racing to meet it, and Simon’s hands took hold of her hips as though she was his last grip on sanity. She certainly felt mad in this moment, and then she felt drunk, elated, and ready to take flight as the orgasm crashed through her. She cried out, clenching her legs around his hips, and collapsing on top of him. She hardly knew what happened when he rolled her over and added to her pleasure by thrusting inside her several more times before pulling out and groaning as he spilled his seed on the coverlet.
Now Barbara would have to wash it again.
He collapsed beside her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her temple, her hair, and the top of her head. She wrapped one leg about him, feeling safe in his embrace. His heart thundered against her ear then slowed gradually, but she dozed off before the beating returned to normal.
When she woke, the room was dark. Simon had closed the drapes and built up the fire. He’d also covered her with the crocheted blanket from the sitting room. She pushed her hair out of her face and sat, spotting him standing near her portmanteau, using a small mirror on the wall to tie his cravat.
“Why are you dressed?” she asked.
He turned, and his gaze dropped to her naked breasts. She hadn’t bothered to pull the blanket up to cover her nudity. That would defeat the point. “Come back to bed,” she said.
“You have no idea how much I’d like that, but we have company arriving soon.”
“Who? Barbara can come back later.”
He grabbed his coat from where it hung on the screen and pulled it on, no small feat considering how form-fitting the tailor had made it. Simon Burrows was a bit of a dandy, no doubt. “Not Barbara,” he said. “The smugglers.”
She sighed. “They’re coming for the rendezvous point.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve remembered it.”
She shook her head. “Still nothing.”
“I’ll tell them to come back before the morning tide then. Nothing else to do.”
“And if I don’t remember by morning?”
“I have no idea. Melbourne didn’t prepare me for that eventuality. I’ll have to write to him and ask. He’ll want the arms back. Perhaps another attempt can be made to re-supply the soldiers in a few weeks.”
Marjorie tossed the blanket aside and climbed out of bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ll dress and join your meeting with the smugglers.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise.”
She tossed a look over her shoulder, and he held both hands up in surrender. “Never mind. Might I offer one word of advice?”
