“No, unlike you, Ainsley is a gentleman.” How did she manage to get those words out when driving her to madness with his thumb?
“Pity that,” he said before moving his lips down her neck. His tongue skimmed against her collarbone.
She twisted slightly, rubbing against the hard bulge at her belly. Hearing his moan, she stilled her movements, not wanting to encourage his scandalous behavior. He moved back to her lips, pressing hot kisses until she couldn’t help but return them. When his tongue slashed against hers, her belly clenched, and moisture dampened her folds. She couldn’t want him. She could not.
His large hand slipped between the robe and the fine linen of her night rail. Now she could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric, which caused her to tremble with need as he tweaked her breast. With the slight pulling sensation on her nipple, she arched her back, desperate for more, even knowing she shouldn’t want him.
The darkness surrounding them seemed to amplify the sensation of his hand on her breast, his lips trailing hot kisses down her neck. He split open the folds of her robe, and his tongue brushed against her taut nipple until she moaned.
“Kingsley,” she cried as he brought her linen-covered nub into the warm moist recesses of his mouth.
He groaned and pressed himself against her. In a sudden movement, he moved away from her. Cool air rushed over her heated body as he left her.
“Go to bed, Emma,” he rasped. “Now.”
Fearing the urgency she heard in his voice, she reached around for the door handle, struggling to find it. Once she had it, she raced from the room, desperate to get away from the wicked sensations she felt when he was near. Once she reached her bedchamber, she locked the door behind her, frightened that he might attempt to come in, and even more terrified, she would let him.
Chapter 12
Simon sipped his coffee in the breakfast room, still furious with himself for almost seducing Emma in his brother’s library last evening. He felt unclean, which after years of doing whatever he had to in order to survive in this world, was a strange sentiment indeed. Nothing about his attraction to her made any sense to him. The last thing he wanted or needed was a wife. And she wanted a title, something he would never have...or want.
He rose from his chair with the decision to go riding before his brother or Radley elected to join him. Some peace, quiet, and time alone to solve his dilemma appeared in order. Walking toward the stairs, he heard voices near the entrance, which made him pause.
“Are you certain you must leave?” Harry asked someone.
“Yes, I am dreadfully sorry, but Mamma’s note was urgent.”
Emma? Simon scowled. She was leaving, and apparently, this very moment. He should feel relieved that she decided to depart and would no longer be an enticement for him.
“Please wait until Louisa comes down,” Harry implored her.
“Would you mind fetching her so I may be off?”
Simon crept closer to watch the scene unfold. He felt like a voyeur, but something about this wasn’t right.
“Do you think Louisa and I should follow behind you?”
She shook her head. “You still have guests. You know how Mamma overreacts to even a simple cold. I’m certain whatever her impediment, there is nothing seriously wrong. If she is truly as ill as she says in her letter, I will send an express to you both.”
Harry smiled down at her. “Thank you. I shall fetch Louisa.”
Simon waited until his brother reached the top step before moving forward. “Running away?”
She gasped, turning toward him. “Not at all. My mother has taken ill, and I must return to care for her.”
“Because Mrs. Raynerson is unable to care for your mother?” He leaned against the balustrade of the lower
steps.
“Tessa is busy with her daughter and, based on her last note, may be with child again.”
He nodded at her with a slight smirk to let her know that he didn’t believe a word she said. “Of course, and it is the usual practice that the spinster daughter attends to her ill mother.”
Her blue eyes narrowed on him. “I am not a spinster just yet, Mr. Kingsley.”
Hearing a door shut upstairs, he bowed. “Excuse me. I must go change before I ride.”
“You’re not returning to town yet, are you?”