Page 95 of An Ill-Made Match

“Little swine has gone to Oswald’s tonight. Making himself scarce.”

“Anyone else?”

“Attley and Bev.”

“Oh dear,” said Eden. “I don’t think your friends approve of me.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” said Roland, his thumb circling her hip. “It seems they had my measure from the start. I like you in this dress,” he said. “But I still want to take it off you. Can I?” Eden wanted to ask what his friends had said for him to get that impression, but Roland was kissing her again, and demanding her whole-hearted participation. When she wound her arms around his neck, he gave a deep growl of appreciation. Eden drew back in alarm. “No, you don’t,” he said, tightening his arms about her. “Not after tormenting me like that this afternoon.”

“Tormenting you?” she asked uncertainly.

“Telling me you wanted me to kiss you, when I couldn’t.”

“Oh,” she smiled at him. “But I did not say that to torment you. I thought you would be pleased.” Noticing his expectant air, she reviewed his last few sentences in her head. “Yes, you can. Take my dress off me, I mean.”

She had no sooner uttered the words than he swung her up in his arms. “Stay!” he said firmly to the dogs who had jumped to their feet. They both dropped back down by the fire and Parnell rolled onto his side.

“I expect they are missing the others,” observed Eden ruminatively. Roland said nothing, just shouldered the door open. He carried her inside and Eden looked around with interest. “I miss our box-bed,” she sighed.

“Did I tell you I ordered another?” Roland asked, setting her on her feet and spinning her round so he could start unfastening her laces.

Eden looked back over her shoulder at him. “For here?” she asked with surprise.

“No, for Vawdrey Keep. It’s a lot bigger and grander, with carving and lots of shelves for books and sconces for candles and things.”

“Sounds nice,” said Eden.

“I ordered us new bedding too. With our initials.” He tugged at her bodice and then maneuvered it down to her waist. “I should get one for here too, though,” he reflected. “That’s a good idea.” With a few more short pulls, her skirts dropped to the floor and Eden stepped out of them.

“This bed looks fine though,” Eden said, walking toward it as Roland started hurriedly divesting himself of his own clothing. She had only just slipped under the covers, when he bounded in beside her and started pulling her shift up over her head. Once they were both naked, he pulled her into his arms and they lay still a moment.

“Naked as babes,” Roland murmured.

“Pardon?”

“I’ve heard that phrase several times today.”

“In what context?” puzzled Eden. Then she exclaimed. “About us?”

He laughed against her neck, tickling her. “Yes,” he admitted. “This reminds me of when I first woke up on that morning. Though it’s not entirely right.” His tone was teasing and he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. Then with one hand he palmed her breast, the other coming to rest with great familiarly against her bottom. “It was more like this.”

For the smallest moment, Eden considered telling him they had both been drugged that night. But then she realized it would completely ruin his playful mood. Suddenly she realized, he would be angry on her behalf. “I remember, your hair smelled nice.” He sniffed it now. “Your skin smelled nice,” he buried his nose in her neck and breathed in there with every sign of pleasure. “And you sure as hells felt nice,” he carried on, giving her a good squeeze. “But the strangest thing was, when I realized it was you…”

“Yes?” Eden prompted tensely.

“I had the strangest feeling in my chest,” he mused. “At the time I couldn’t identify what it was.”

“A sort of sick feeling?” suggested Eden in muffled tones against his shoulder.

He gave a short laugh. “No, not a sick feeling.”

“What then?”

He cleared his throat. “It felt like a sort of burgeoning sense of well-being. Like… a huge weight had been lifted from there. Somehow it felt like everything had come right with my world. I was glad.”

Eden felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. She lay a moment like a stunned fish, before trailing her hand to rest over his chest a moment. “Here?” she asked.

He shifted her hand to the left so it lay over his heart. “More like… here.”