Chapter Twenty-Two
Lia stared down at her bodice, then looked at Jack, who was practically doubled over with mirth. Sighing, she fumbled for her kerchief and wiped the baby’s chin. Dom now seemed as happy as a robin in springtime, despite his little mishap. He chortled as she cleaned him up, waving his fists with glee.
“I don’t know why you find this so amusing,” she said to Jack in a grumpy tone. “Babies throw up all the time. It’s what they do.”
“Yes, I know,” he said, trying to contain himself. “It’s just that I finally had the chance to woo you in an appropriately romantic fashion, only to have young Dominic decide to interrupt us so emphatically. It’s rather ridiculous, you must admit.”
She grimaced as she dabbed at her bodice. Lia had only worn the lovely primrose gown twice and suspected it would never be the same, even after a thorough cleaning.
“I think it’s very mean of you to laugh at my predicament,” she said, trying to maintain her dignity. It was a challenge because Dom now had grabbed her hair and was yanking with a fair degree of enthusiasm.
“You’re right,” Jack said. “But I can’t help wondering how many courtesans find themselves in this sort of position. It would be rather off-putting to the average lover, you have to admit.”
Lia was beginning to wonder if she did have the necessary skills or even the luck to become a successful courtesan. So far, she’d been an utter failure, and this silly incident seemed to underscore that point.
“Now, darling, don’t pull my hair,” she said in coaxing voice to Dom. She tried to ease a lock away from him, but he had a tenacious grip for one so small. “You don’t want to—ouch!”
The baby yanked so hard it made her eyes water. Or so Lia told herself. Truthfully, though, she was close to succumbing to an inconvenient bout of tears. She rarely cried, but the stresses of the last several weeks were finally catching up to her, and at the worst possible moment. It would make Jack even more convinced she was completely inept and that he needed to take care of her.
“Here, pass me the little imp before he hurts you,” he said, reaching for the baby.
“He’s a complete mess. He’ll ruin your coat.”
“He’s not as messy as you are.” He gently pried the baby’s fingers apart. “You’re a disaster.”
Even though he was joking, tears pricked her eyes. It wasn’t just her dress that was a disaster—it was her entire life.
“Come here, scamp,” he said, lifting the baby into his arms. Dom went happily enough, transferring his interest from Lia’s coiffure to Jack’s cravat.
“I told you,” she said dolefully as she watched the baby demolish the neckcloth’s crisp folds.
Jack gave her an assessing glance. “It’s just a cravat, love. Now, sit down and rest for a moment.”
“I should go up and get changed.”
“Sit,” he said in a stern voice.
And she did, likely because she didn’t have the strength to argue.
Jack carried Dom out to the hall. She heard him talking to Smithwell, and then he returned without the baby, locking the door behind him. If she’d had her wits in any kind of order she’d no doubt be alarmed by that particular action, but all her energy was currently focused on not covering her face with a pillow and sobbing hysterically.
“You gave the baby to Smithwell?” she asked as he joined her.
“He was appropriately appalled by Dom’s unfortunate state, but I have every confidence he’ll be able to handle the situation. Besides, there’s a houseful of staff to assist him.”
“You should have let me take him up. I have to change anyway.” She lifted her lace collar and tentatively sniffed. “I smell ghastly and this dress is ruined. It’s one of my favorites, too.” Her voice wobbled.
He gently arranged her so that her back was facing him. “I’ll buy you a new one just like it,” he said as he started to unbutton her dress.
“Jack, wh-what are you doing?”
“I’m getting you out of this. You’re the one who said you smell ghastly.”
“You cannot undress me in Aunt Chloe’s drawing room. You should just go.”
“One, I have no intention of leaving, not until we finish our discussion.”
She felt a tear slip down her cheek. “Must we?”
“I’m afraid so,” he said, not sounding the least bit regretful. He reached around and pulled her sleeves down her arms, enveloping her in his warmth. Lia had to fight the urge to lean against his broad chest, seeking refuge.
“What’s two?” she whispered, as he pulled the dress down to her hips. He urged her up a bit and whisked it from under her. She shivered slightly, more from nerves than from the air hitting her exposed skin.
“Hmm?” he asked as he rolled up the garment and placed it on the floor.
“You already told me number one. What’s number two?”
He turned her to face him, his big hands curling around her shoulders. She looked up into his beloved, handsome face. His expression was both amused and tender and she wanted him so much that her entire soul ached with yearning.
“Ah. Number two is that I’m definitely going to undress you in the drawing room. You needn’t worry, love. No one will interrupt us.”
“It’s not that,” she said miserably. “I just don’t think—”
“Why are you crying, sweet girl?” he murmured, tracing a gentle finger across her damp cheek. “I’ve told you everything will be fine.”
She shrugged. The fact that she truly didn’t know Jack’s mind made her feel both self-conscious and vulnerable. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d laid his heart at her feet or made ardent declarations. Mostly, he delivered well-meaning but irritating lectures, which he seemed to think was enough to settle matters between them.
It wasn’t.
“I don’t know,” she hedged. “I suppose I’m just tired.”
He smoothed a hand down her neck and let it rest across the top of her chest, solid and comforting. “And perhaps a bit worried?”
She managed a choking sort of laugh. “A bit? Everything’s an absolute fright and you know it.”
His slow smile tilted up a corner of his mouth. “Shall I kiss it and make it all better?”
Lia rubbed her cheek as another tear fell. “You can’t. It’s simply not possible.”
“That sounds like a challenge to me, and you know I can never refuse a challenge.”
“Jack—”
He swooped down, his mouth devouring the protests that had been about to fall from her lips. She clutched at his shoulders as he took her with a passion she could no longer resist. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sank into the heat and strength of his embrace. It was like coming home after a very long time away and her heart longed to surrender.
Jack explored her mouth with a thoroughness that pulled a whimper from deep in her throat. Desire swept aside every argument, every fear, every barrier she’d erected against him. When he sucked her tongue into his mouth, she finally succumbed, ravished by the wet, delicious slide. It was a dominating kiss, one that said he would take what he wanted, when he wanted—and damn anyone who stood in his way.
But when one of his hands slipped down to her breast, a wisp of sanity penetrated her dazed brain. Her eyes popped open and she jerked back.
Jack’s gaze displayed equal parts heat and irritation. “What’s wrong now?” His husky growl was laced with masculine ire.
If she weren’t feeling breathless, Lia might have laughed at his surly response. As it was, his low, rasping tone sent a dart of sensation between her thighs.
“I . . . I don’t think you’ve thought this through, Jack.”
He snorted and went to work on her stays. “Lia, I’ve been thinking of little else since that day you kissed me in Stonefell’s library.”
When she tried to bat his hands away, he ignored her ineffectual efforts. “Jack Easton, you cannot make love to me in the drawing room.”
“Why not?” he asked as he deftly unlaced her.
“Because . . . because it’s reckless and scandalous and . . . and completely inappropriate for a man of your position.”
He regarded her with disbelief. “Says the woman who was sauntering about at a Cyprians’ ball.”
“I was not sauntering about,” she said as she fumbled to hold up her sagging stays.
He again pushed her hands aside. “I don’t know what else you’d call it.”
“A complete failure, actually,” she said with a sigh.
“Not a complete failure.” He eased her stays down to her hips, then stroked the tip of his finger over one of her nipples. It hardened into a little peak, pushing against the soft linen of her chemise. “In fact, I recall that parts of it were very successful.” His voice had taken on the low, rumbling quality that made her insides quiver.
“Jack . . .”
“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he gently rubbed his palm across the sensitized tip of her breast.
Lia felt as if she was teetering on the edge of the most wonderful experience of her life—or the most miserable, if she had to walk away from him.
When he pushed down the strap of her chemise, exposing one of her breasts, she had to swallow hard to get words out of her throat. “I think this is a mistake. A very large, very dangerous mistake.”
His fingers closed possessively around her breast, searing her with heat and sensation. If she hadn’t been sitting down, she would have instantly collapsed because it felt so wonderful. It took every ounce of willpower not to lean into him.
“This is the opposite of a mistake,” he said. “This is perfect. You’re everything I want, Lia. Don’t doubt that.”
“I must doubt it.” Weeks of pent-up emotion forced out the words. “I would bring so little to a marriage between us. I have absolutely nothing to give you.”
For a moment he looked genuinely shocked. Then his gaze took on an expression of such tenderness that it made her want to weep. He cupped her cheek. “You have your own sweet self, love.”
She gnawed on her lip, buffeted by conflicting emotions and a desire as strong as a fierce summer storm. When he swooped in, nipping her lower lip before kissing her, Lia shuddered and her body went soft and wet in response.
“Shall I show you all the wealth you would bring to our marriage?” he murmured against her lips.
Lia was too muzzy-headed to fully grasp what he meant. But she managed a jerky nod.
His eyes sparkled with both lust and amusement as he straightened up. “Very well, madam. Let’s get started.” He surprised her by standing and pulling her up. Her loosened stays fell to the floor.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings, so I’m going to enumerate your good points, one by one.”
“That sounds embarrassing and silly,” she grumbled as he pulled the pins from her hair and tossed them onto a side table. Then he struggled out of his coat and casually dropped it on the floor.
“You’re the one who insists on a strict accounting,” he said as he shook out her hair. “You were always better at numbers and keeping accounts than I was, now that I think about it.”
“That part is true,” she admitted. “As your estate manager will tell you.”
“Excellent. Then you can handle the books from now on, which is an added bonus for me.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is becoming more ridiculous by the minute.”
“Patience, love.” He turned her to face the chaise. Then he sat down, leaving her standing before him, as if ready for inspection.
“Don’t I get to sit down?” she protested.
“No. You’re going to stand there like a good girl and let me illustrate the many assets you will bring to our marriage.”
Lia blushed, feeling too exposed and yet excited by the heat in his gaze as it roamed over her body.
“Starting with your hair.” Jack drew the thick locks over her shoulders. Lia’s hair was longer than the current fashion and it tumbled in a silky fall over her breasts. “I love your hair,” he said as he stroked it. “It’s like satin, and when the sun hits it, it glows like polished amber. I’ve had many a fantasy about you lying naked in my arms, covered only by your glorious hair.”
“Really?” she whispered.
His sensual smile sent butterflies wheeling through her stomach. “I’m happy to say that particular fantasy is about to come to life.”
He tugged her closer, positioning her between his spread thighs. Lia couldn’t help glancing down to inspect the healthy bulge that pressed against the fall of his trousers.
“So, we have amber, to begin with,” he said, combing his fingers through her hair. “The first precious jewel in the box of riches that is Lia Kincaid. Shall we go on to the next set of gemstones?”
She tried to stifle a laugh. “You’re talking nonsense.”
He gently kneaded her hips through the thin material of her chemise. “No, I’m keeping an accounting of all the riches you will bring to our marriage.”
“But—”
He cut her off with another kiss that quickly turned damp and heated, and Lia could do nothing but sigh with pleasure. When he finally drew back, Jack’s eyes were gleaming. “May I now continue with the accounting?”
Lia could hardly breathe, much less articulate sensible arguments to the contrary. “If you insist.”
“I do.” Gently, he traced a fingertip along her eyebrow. “Your eyes are next and they are infinitely precious. They’re sparkling sapphires, Lia, full of brilliance and light.”
It took a few seconds for Lia to answer. “Dear me, Lord Lendale, I had no idea you could wax so poetic.”
He smiled. “I find the subject matter very inspiring.”
“Very well, what’s next?” she said gruffly, trying to exert some control over her emotions. He’d barely touched her and she was ready to dissolve into a puddle and give him everything he wanted.
“Your skin.” He trailed a hand down her neck before skimming slightly rough fingertips along the top of her chest. It was so light a touch and yet it left delicious fire in its wake.
“Not a gemstone, obviously,” he said, “but exceedingly like the most precious porcelain. Chinese, I think, so smooth and delicate.” He inched the other strap off her shoulder, then kissed the hollow above her collarbone. “And so pure,” he murmured against her skin.
When he took a little nip, a lightning bolt arced to the very center of her core. Her knees wobbled, forcing her to grab his shoulders for balance.
“I’m hardly what anyone would call delicate,” she said breathlessly. A sturdy country girl was how people saw her. “Or pure,” she added as an afterthought.
Jack had been licking her collarbone, but his head reared up. “You are pure, Lia. It’s ridiculous of you to think otherwise.”
She grimaced, hating that she’d ruined the moment, but there was little point in mincing words. “Aside from my scandalous background, you’re forgetting what happened between us at that ball. That was hardly an innocent encounter.”
“I’ve not forgotten one second of that encounter,” he said, “but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what?”
He placed his palm flat over her heart. “I’m talking about what’s in here. It doesn’t matter to me what your background is, or even what you’ve done with me or anyone else. This is what is pure, Lia—your heart. It always was and I know it always will be.”
At the moment that particular organ was pounding so hard she could have sworn it was reverberating against his hand. “That’s . . . that’s incredibly kind of you to say.”
“I’m simply being truthful. Now, may I continue?”
She smiled and briefly pressed her hand on top of his. “As you wish, my lord.”
“Good. Next up, your lips. That one is easy, of course. They’re rubies, precious and delightfully red. But unlike gemstones, they’re delicious to taste.”
He captured her mouth in a kiss that made her head reel. It went from teasing to possessive in an instant, so hot, wet, and stimulating it made Lia squirm and softly moan. When he eased back, she could barely remain upright.
Jack was rather short of breath, too. His sharp cheekbones had flushed under his tan and his eyes glittered with barely leashed desire.
“I must say I do like rubies,” she managed.
He laughed softly. “As do I, love. So much so that I want more of them.”
Jack lifted her arms, then bunched up the hem of her chemise and whisked it over her head. Lia emerged from the garment clad only in her garters, stockings, and shoes. A fiery blush swept from the crown of her head to her toes. Her dazzled brain put up a brief, incoherent debate as to which part of herself she should attempt to cover first. In a halfhearted compromise, she clamped her thighs together and crossed her arms tightly over her breasts.
“Are you quite certain the door is locked?” she blurted out, casting a nervous look over her shoulder.
“Positive.” Gently, he pulled her arms down to her sides. “Besides, Smithwell knows I would murder him if he let anyone in here.”
Lia winced. That meant Smithwell knew exactly what they were doing.
“That’s embarrassing,” she said, jerking a hand over to shield her mound.
He covered her fingers with his hand, pressing down and sending a jolt of delicious sensation right into the nub of her sex. He rubbed gently and slipped through her fingers to her soft folds. Lia could feel herself growing hotter and ever more damp.
“He knows we’re having a serious discussion,” Jack said. He slid a blunt fingertip right to the entrance of her body. “Very serious.”
Lia grabbed on to his shoulders, swaying a bit as she met his intent gaze. Jack was right. This was one of the most serious moments of her life. Nothing had ever felt as important as what was happening between them.
“Are you ready to find out what comes next?” he whispered as he continued to tease her. When he pushed two fingers just inside her, she whimpered and went up on her toes.
“Um, what?” She’d entirely lost the thread of the conversation.
“The next set of jewels in your jewel box.”
Lia forced herself to concentrate. It seemed impossible because his every touch was a beautiful devastation.
“More rubies, you said,” she gasped.
“Correct. These rubies, to be precise.”
He withdrew his fingers and reached up to touch a nipple, now flushed as red as a berry. His fingers were slick, and when he rubbed the stiff point, Lia almost fainted from a bolt of lust that turned her knees to water.
“Jack, what are you doing?” she squeaked.
“I’m going to taste you.”
Jack sucked her nipple into his mouth, drawing hard. Lia practically had to bite her tongue to keep from shrieking. She felt the tug all through her body, especially low in her belly. A hard shudder racked her, and his hand clamped onto her bottom, holding her firmly.
He went from one breast to the other, licking and teasing. Her nipples burned in a delicious fire that made her squirm. Deep inside, the first tiny contractions were building into a luxurious ache.
Lia pushed her fingers through his thick hair, holding him to her body. To stand before him like this—every part of her exposed to his demanding mouth and his roving hands—was outside the realm of anything she’d ever experienced.
“Jack,” she finally moaned when he’d tormented her to unbearable heights of pleasure. “Stop. Please stop.”
He gave one last nuzzle, then glanced up with an almost comical grimace. “I’ll do so, if you wish, but I’m dead certain it’ll kill me.”
She choked out a laugh as she stroked his hair back from his damp forehead. “I didn’t mean stop completely. Just stop doing that particular thing.”
“Did I hurt you?”
“No, it felt wonderful,” she confessed. “But it made me want . . . other things.”
His tense mouth relaxed into a teasing smile. “Other things? Could you be more specific?”
“No, I cannot. Besides, I’m sure you know exactly what to do next.”
“It would be helpful if you could articulate your expectations.”
Lia waved a vague hand. “You know. I want you to . . . to touch me.”
He wrapped his fingertips around her nipples and gently tugged. “You mean here?”
She whimpered. “Um, no.”
When he pinched the stiff tips, she grabbed his arms. “Stop teasing me, Jack Easton,” she gasped. “You know very well what I mean.”
He raised a sardonic eyebrow that nonetheless managed to look lascivious.
Lia pointed downward. “Down there, you brute.”
He huffed out a soft laugh as he softly cupped her mound. Lia had to resist the impulse to push into his hand, seeking immediate relief from the sensual ache at her core.
“Yes, I am a brute,” he said, sounding smug. “But I simply assumed a woman of your vast experience would be more precise in expressing her needs.”
When Lia grumpily crossed her arms under her breasts, unconsciously pushing them up, she couldn’t fail to notice the flare of lust in his eyes. And even though he was being annoying, his teasing made her feel very naughty.
“We both know I’m a complete failure as a courtesan,” she said tartly.
“And thank God for that because I want you all to myself.”
“Then because you now have me all to yourself, I propose you get on it with.” She was all but twitching with frustrated desire. “I believe you were cataloging my, er . . .”
“Ah, yes. I’ve been saving the best for last.”
Finally, finally, he rubbed her sex, slicking his fingers over her tight knot. Lia moaned and leaned into him, closing her eyes and letting herself drift on the tide of exquisite sensations. Jack massaged and teased, murmuring heady, erotic words of praise that drove her need to a white-hot pitch.
When he slowly pushed two fingers deep inside her, Lia choked out a soft cry. Wide-eyed, she stared down into Jack’s flushed face. His features were tight with lust and his fierce, dark gaze pierced her soul.
But need lurked behind the lust in his blazing eyes, and she also saw a vulnerability that matched her own. Jack was willing to risk everything for her, even the relationships he held most dear. He’d laid himself open for her, and at great cost to himself.
How could she not love him with every fiber of her being?
He leaned forward and nuzzled her breast as he slowly pumped his fingers inside her. “You are riches beyond compare, Lia. More than any man could ask for.”
She heard it in his voice—he wasn’t playing anymore. He meant every word he said.
For a few torturous, wonderful minutes, they played with each other. Lia stroked and caressed his face and neck, leaning in for languorous kisses that drove them both mad. Jack kept his other hand clamped firmly on her backside, kneading her as she pushed against him.
“And this,” he growled, shaping her bottom. “I love this too—your plump, gorgeous arse. And this.” He slowly inched his fingers even deeper, making her gasp. “I can’t wait to feel my cock inside your wet heat.”
His bawdy language thrilled her. Lia moaned, clenching in a desperate effort to hold back her climax.
“All right, you’ve convinced me,” she managed, grabbing the edges of his waistcoat. “I’m the bloody crown jewels of England. Now please do something before I go insane.” “What do you want?” he demanded in a harsh voice. “Tell me.”
She shook him. “I want you deep inside me. Now.”
“God, yes.” He ripped at the fall of his breeches to free himself. His shaft was thick and long and so aroused that it sprang tight against his belly. Unable to help herself, Lia reached out to caress the broad, flushed crown, slipping her fingers through the moisture that had collected at the tip.
Jack pulled her hand away.
“You got to play with me,” she protested.
“I’ll spend if you keep touching me like that. Climb up, darling,” he said as he urged her onto the chaise. He lifted her and arranged her body so that her thighs were spread wide and her knees snug against his lean hips.
Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she stared down at him, wide-eyed. “We’re going to do it like this?”
His fingers played with the edges of her stockings, slipping up the inside of her thighs. “I think you’ll find it easier for your first time. And this way I get to see all of you, too. All of you.”
She flushed, which she wouldn’t have thought possible given the scandalous activities they’d already engaged in. “But you’re fully clothed, except for down there.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “How naughty of us. It’s like I’m the pasha and you’re my little harem girl.”
Her snort expressed what she thought of that comparison. Still, she found it unbearably exciting to be perched naked on top of him, while only that one vital part of him was exposed.
She glanced down. Very vital.
“Now what?” she whispered.
“Now this,” he whispered back.
He eased her onto the head of his shaft, then curled his hands around her hips and began to guide her as he slowly pushed up. She was so wet she thought he’d slip right inside, but he was large and thick and she was tight. Lia winced and closed her eyes as he forged into her in a steady, determined slide.
“Look at me, darling,” Jack said in a rasping voice.
Sucking in a deep breath, she dragged open her eyelids and met his gaze. His eyes were obsidian black and he looked drugged with pleasure.
He was so handsome and so hers that Lia’s heart throbbed with a joy that felt almost like grief. It was too beautiful, too impossible to last in the real world.
Jack pressed a tender kiss on her lips. “Ready?” he murmured.
She frowned. “Aren’t we already doing it?”
“Almost. Right after . . .” He gave one firm thrust and Lia felt a stabbing pain, her maidenhead finally and fully breeched.
“. . . this,” Jack growled.
She grimaced. “Good Lord. That part was not particularly pleasant.”
He leaned his forehead against hers, his hands moving in soothing circles on her damp back. “I know, love. I’m truly sorry, but I have to admit I’ve never felt anything so good in my life. This is better than anything.”
She huffed out an amused breath. “Naturally, I’m so pleased for you.”
He leaned back and smiled, looking so carefree and happy that her heart filled with joy. For too long he’d been weighed down by worry.
“You are an imp, my girl,” he said, “but I promise it will get better.”
“I hope so, my lord, or I shall be most disappointed,” she said pertly. Who would have thought this would be a moment for teasing? But she was filled with an emotion as bubbly as champagne and it was all she could do not to laugh.
“No pressure there,” he said dryly.
She did laugh at that, but then he moved a hand between them, finding her tight bud again. Pleasure drowned out the fading sting, and she instinctively began to move.
She was tentative at first, with Jack’s hands guiding her as he whispered lascivious encouragement. Soon she found her rhythm, rocking on his shaft while his fingers stroked her. The shimmering, startling beauty once more glimmered within reach as she felt the first contractions deep in her womb. Jack thrust harder, one hand on her hip to steady her, the other teasing her sex.
All pain had been replaced by the most wonderful, utterly filled sensation. She draped her arms over his shoulders and let herself move in sensual, undulating waves. It was so wrong to be with him like this and so wildly scandalous, sitting on top of him, taking her wicked pleasure.
Lia loved every moment of it.
“That’s it, my love,” he said in a harsh voice.
He was now thrusting up in sharp strokes that touched an incredible spot deep inside her. His fingers flickered over her sex, driving her higher, making her reach for a sensation akin to an incandescent burst of light and warmth. Lia wrapped herself around him, letting him control the movement, relishing the slippery silk of his waistcoat rubbing over her tight nipples.
Jack growled and tipped her over his arm, leaning down to suck a nipple into his mouth. He gave a hard thrust and everything contracted in one last burst of need, suspending her on the edge. Then her need expanded and burst, flooding her trembling limbs with rapture. Her body clenched around him, inside and out, and she let out a few tight sobs of joy and relief.
They remained locked together for a few minutes, panting, their heated bodies slowly cooling. Jack smoothed a hand up and down her spine, gently pulling her back to sanity. Lia went along reluctantly, letting the perfect moment slide away with a gentle sigh of regret.
“All right, love?” he murmured against her ear.
She pushed up so she could see his face. He stroked her messy hair, regarding her with so much tenderness and concern.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you.”
He kissed her nose. “You’re welcome, although I do think I should be the one thanking you.”
“I suppose we can split the spoils, can we not? We can be mutually grateful.”
“Sensible as always, Miss Kincaid, which is another thing I love about you.”
Jack eased them around to rest against the arm of the chaise, arranging her on top of him before snatching his coat from the floor. After draping it over them, he cradled her snug in his arms. The delicate entrance to her sex felt sore and tingly, but a delicious lethargy filled the rest of her body. Part of her longed for a hot bath, but she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his comforting embrace.
“I am sorry it hurt,” he said. “I promise it won’t the next time.”
Next time?
That easy expectation on his part brought reality crashing back in. How could she have been so stupid as to let this happen? Their encounter—as spectacular as it was—didn’t solve any of their problems.
In fact, it simply created more problems.
Lia pushed up, bracing on his chest. He was sprawled casually, with his head propped on one muscular forearm. His hair was disheveled and his cheekbones were still flushed from passion. It took a mighty effort of will not to crawl further up his body and start kissing him all over again.
“Jack, despite what just happened, we do need to stop to think about this . . . about what happens next.”
“What happens next is that I’m going to get a special license so we can be married as soon as possible, either here or at Leverton House. I think a quiet wedding makes the most sense, don’t you?”
“We will do no—”
When he stroked a finger across her lips, she lost her voice. “I can’t wait to get you back to Stonefell,” he said. “Everyone will be so pleased to see you, especially your grandmother.”
For a moment she imagined them returning home as husband and wife. It made her heart ache with anticipation and longing.
“You know it won’t be as easy as you make it sound,” she said.
“Of course it will. Besides, who else but you can make a decision about those blasted hogs Lindsey keeps nattering on about? I haven’t a clue what to tell him, but you do.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about hogs.”
“I believe sex was the topic to avoid, but we seem finally to have put that issue to bed . . . as it were.”
It was a terrible joke, but she couldn’t help snickering. Lia told herself it was from nerves rather than from the fact that everything he said felt perfectly right. Stonefell was home. It was where she truly belonged. “Jack, are you sure about this? Really sure?”
He gently cupped the back of her head. “Lia, do you love me?”
“Of course I do, you booby. How can you even ask?”
He grinned. “I simply wanted to establish the point conclusively. And since that’s the case, I will assure you again that everything will be fine.”
She mulled that over for a few seconds. “And do you love me?”
He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Pet, no one in the world could care for you more than I do, of that you can be sure.”
Her heart sank; his words were too casually affectionate to evoke joy. So many obstacles loomed before them, starting with Lady John. Only a genuine, ardent love could hope to survive a mother who loathed her would-be daughter-in-law and her entire family. A mother who wished more than anything to see the Kincaids destroyed.
Lia wasn’t convinced that sort of love existed between her and Jack, or ever would.