Dauntless (Gentlemen of the Order 1)

She might have protested, attempted to wriggle free, but the feel of being held so close to his hard body proved divine. Love, and an insatiable longing, saw her thread her arms around his neck as he carried her to his bedchamber.

The heavy blue curtains were drawn, blocking out the early morning rays. The smell of Noah’s teasing cologne clung to the air, and she inhaled the potent scent.

“Now, let us deal with the real problem,” he said, lowering her down onto his plush mattress. He crossed the room and locked the door. “Just in case you attempt to escape.”

That wasn’t the reason he held her captive.

He was going to make love to her.

He was going to make it impossible for her to walk away.

Noah returned to stand at the foot of the bed. “I almost lost you tonight. My world collapsed around me as I anticipated you falling down the stairs.” He shrugged out of his coat, and it fell to the floor. “I watched that devil press a pistol to your head. The sheer terror in your eyes will haunt me for the rest of my days.”

“I know,” she whispered, tears welling as she imagined every tragic outcome. “You wanted him to shoot you, but I would give my life to save yours.”

Noah finished unbuttoning his waistcoat, and that hit the floor, too. “Then what makes you think I would let you walk out of my life without protest?”

“You’re a man who takes responsibility seriously,” she countered, though she couldn’t concentrate knowing he was about to discard his cravat, that his shirt would soon follow. “That’s the reason I chose you to take my case.”

A sinful smile played on his lips. “You still maintain that’s the reason you picked me?”

When he drew his shirt over his head, she inhaled a sharp breath. Merciful heaven. The need to press her lips to his bronzed skin danced like a devil inside.

“Your strength of character was evident the first moment we met,” she said, the burning heat between her thighs distracting her, too.

“No, there was more to our first meeting than that.” He unbuttoned the band on his breeches. “Think.”

For a woman who had suffered at the hands of Lord Benham and her publisher, stepping into a room occupied by four powerful men had been unnerving. But the second she locked gazes with Noah Ashwood, she had instinctively known all would be well.

“There was a familiarity, an awareness, a deep sense of comfort in my chest the moment we met. I found you interesting.” Her heart raced the second he tugged off his boots. “I thought you were the most handsome man I had ever seen. I fell in love with you so quickly I’m still struggling to catch my breath.”

His smile widened. “You fascinated me from the beginning, too. It became impossible to deny my need for you, and I knew then this was more than a fleeting infatuation. I knew I’d fall madly in love with you.”

“Noah,” she breathed as he pushed his breeches past his lean hips to reveal his erection.

Oh, her body was aflame.

He palmed the solid length, hummed with pleasure while his emerald eyes held her captive on the bed.

Why did he not touch her?

“You’re trying to seduce me into believing a title doesn’t matter,” she said, desperate to have him spread her wide and push deep into her body.

“No, love, I’m about to show you how good we are together.” He came forward, placed his hands on her knees and pushed her skirts up to her waist. “Marry me. Love me. Bear my children. Become the next Lady Hawkridge if that is our destiny. But whatever fate has in store, I need you.”

Were she not already intoxicated with desire, his words would have left her giddy.

“But I work for a living and cannot deny my creative passions.”

He crawled onto the bed and settled between her thighs. “I work, too, and intend to continue serving the Order.” He pushed into her body. “You’re so wet, Eva.”

The moist sound of their joining heightened her pleasure. “But there’ll be no time—”

“We will manage somehow. We will manage together.”

“Oh, Noah.” She wrapped her thighs around his hips and vowed never to let go.

“Marry me,” he repeated, withdrawing to the point she felt empty without him. “Let me love you.”