Then James’s hand traveled down her belly to the juncture between her thighs and his finger slipped into the slick folds. He rubbed her there, enough to make her mad and wet with need. He slipped a finger—a single finger—inside of her and rubbed it in and out. Kate moaned. Her head moved back and forth fitfully on the pillows. He moved his finger up to the little nub between her legs and rubbed her there too, in perfect little circles. Kate arched her hips off the bed, clutching at his hand, moaning his name, begging him not to stop.

He brought her to the pinnacle, her hips were nearly bucking off the bed, and then he moved his hand away. “No,” she gasped.

He smiled against her neck. “It’s better this way,” he assured her, kissing her neck. “Trust me.”

She wanted to sob, but she nodded. “I trust you. But I want to do it to you, too.”

He opened his mouth to deny her, but she’d already rolled over and was busily moving down, down, down. Her perfect pink mouth hovered so near his hard throbbing cock he couldn’t breathe. Instead, he held his breath. Time stopped. Her pink tongue flicked out to touch his tip, and his eyes rolled back in his head. “Oh God. Kate.”

“Shh,” she whispered, torturing him with the same words he’d used to torture her earlier. “Trust me.”

He growled deep in his throat but let her do whatever she wanted with him. His hands clutched at the bed sheets on either side of his hips as Kate’s hot wet mouth slid down his cock. “Jesus Christ!”

Her mouth moved in a smile just before it descended again in a maddening rhythm that made him desperate for release. She was good. Too good. Going about this too well and too fast. And it had been too damn long. He would embarrass himself and spill his seed in her mouth—oh God, dream come true—if he allowed her to continue any longer.

No, he needed to regain control of this situation and he needed to do it now. He couldn’t wait a moment longer to make her his.

He pulled her up forcefully into his arms, kissed her passionately on the mouth again, and rolled over on top of her. He spread her legs with his knee wedged between hers and positioned himself in between her legs. “Kate,” he whispered, nudging her forehead with his so she’d look into his eyes. “Tell me you want me one more time.”

“Oh, James, I do want you. I want you. I want—”

He slid into her then, so hot and strong and hard. Kate’s words ended on a long moan. She couldn’t stop herself. And then he was moving inside of her, up and down. Owning her, possessing her, raining little kisses over her face, whispering words of desire and longing into her ear, making her his in every single way.

* * *

Kate had never felt such bliss. Having James inside her, filling her, kissing her, his hot chest rubbing against her breasts, the erotic friction of it making her wet all over again. She couldn’t stand it. He moved his hand down between them and found the nub of pleasure between her legs again, and he rubbed it, over and over in an unending, maddening pattern. He didn’t stop. Kate whimpered, her head moving from side to side on the pillow. She begged him, pleaded with him not to stop.

“I won’t stop, Kate,” he promised. “Come for me.”

His finger moved up and down, up and down, her hips were helpless to follow his rhythm, the sensuous pace he’d set for them. She followed him, and he took her there. She raised her hips from the mattress, convulsing, just before her world shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, and she screamed his name against his strong, burning-hot shoulder.

“Oh God, Kate,” he murmured, just before pumping into her again … again … and then one last time before he spilled himself inside her.

Kate surfaced slowly from the cloud of euphoria that encased her brain. James had rolled to his side to relieve his weight from her and he sat, running his fingertip along her hairline, kissing her nose, and tucking little strands of her hair behind her ear.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

“So are you,” she replied, smiling.

He rolled his eyes at that.

“What?” she asked. “You don’t believe me?”

“Hardly.”

She pulled the blanket underneath her arms and watched him from the corners of her eyes. “You know what I thought the first day I met you?”

The sheet was pulled up to his waist and he looked over at her, a surprised grin on his face. “In the Tower?”

She nodded and one of her red-gold curls bounced out from behind her ear, making her look absolutely adorable. “Yes.”

“What?” he asked, now more than a bit curious.

“I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen.”

“Now I know you’re just appealing to my vanity,” he replied.

She propped herself up on an elbow and looked at him. “No, James, I’m entirely serious. You have no idea how guilty I felt. I knew I had absolutely no business having such indecent thoughts about you while I was in gaol for murder … when my husband was dead. But I couldn’t help myself.” She bit her lip.

He rubbed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “If you were feeling guilty, I was feeling as if I were about to be smitten with a lightning bolt given the indecent nature of the thoughts I was having about you at the time.”

Her eyes widened like giant blue moons and she laughed. “James, you didn’t?”

“Oh yes. I did.”

She playfully slapped him on the shoulder. “You had indecent thoughts about me even though you thought I was a murderess?”

He shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself. Besides, I didn’t know for sure if you were guilty.”

“Is that why you brought me to your house?” She grinned at him.

“I brought you to my house because you were my responsibility. I wanted to keep you safe,” he replied. “I only prayed I could keep my hands off you.”

“You prayed?”

“Every single day.”

She giggled. “And you couldn’t? Keep your hands off me?”

He looked a bit chagrined. “Guilty. As you can see.”

“It’s all right, James. I couldn’t keep my hands off you either.”

“I tried my damnedest,” he said, reaching out and stroking the curl that lay on her shoulder, tempting him.

“I didn’t.” She laughed.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. And it was several minutes later before he pulled his mouth from hers.

He tapped her nose with his fingertip. “Now that we’ve been so scandalous, my lady, we really do need to talk.”

She curled up under his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Oh, not now, James. We can talk tomorrow, can’t we? Tonight I just want to fall asleep in your arms.

He wrapped his arms around her more tightly. “Merry Christmas, Kate,” he whispered into her sweet-smelling hair.

“Merry Christmas, James.”

She giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“You know what I want for a Christmas gift?” she asked with a sly smile on her face.

He leered at her. “What?”

She blushed beautifully and ducked her head under the sheet. “To do that again.”

He pulled up the sheet and followed her underneath. “That, my lady, can be easily arranged.”

* * *

When Kate awoke, the room was still dark. Thank goodness the maids weren’t up yet. The curtains were still drawn. None of the bright light from outdoors filtered into the room. She sat up and eyed James. His seamless brow, his smooth forehead, the straight line of his nose. He was so handsome. Handsome and noble and … he probably would make the perfect husband. He was perfect in all else, why not that? But the part she liked best was how his hair was mussed. She’d never seen him with mussed hair before. The man had always looked flawless. Apparently, even James wasn’t entirely perfect every minute. Though, she thought to herself with a small secret smile, last night had been. It had been exactly that. Perfect. In every way.

It wasn’t possible that she would forget it any time soon … or … ever. The things he’d done to her. Oh, she shuddered just thinking about them again. Some of them were indecent. Some of them were perhaps illegal. But all of them were immensely … fun. She giggled to herself. Good heavens. When was the last time she’d giggled?

Oh, this man, he brought out the most unexpected emotions in her. She searched his handsome sleeping face. One of them was … love. She sucked in her breath. Oh God, she loved him. She did. And it was because of that that she couldn’t allow him to throw away his life on her.

James stirred in his sleep. He opened one hazel eye. “Good morning.” He gave her a sensuous smile and her stomach flipped.

“Good morning,” she whispered back.

He sat up, pulled her into his arms, kissed her deeply, and Kate became aroused all over again by his expert touch.

He kissed her shoulder, her ear, the bend in her neck. Then he whispered into her hair. “We’ll be married as soon as I can procure a license.”

Kate’s heart stopped. She propped herself up on one elbow, holding the sheet to her chest. “What?”

He kissed her cheek. “It shouldn’t take longer than a day or two. I’ll go to London tomorrow. I’ll leave at first light.”

She shook her head and pushed herself away a little. “No.”

He looked up at her. His brow was furrowed. “No? Why? Is it because you’re still supposed to be in mourning?”

She shook her head. “What? No. I’ve caused such a scandal already, I don’t care about that. But we can’t marry, James.”

This time he sat up and his face wore a thunderous expression. “What do you mean? We just spent the night together, I thought that meant—”