“I can undress myself,” he said dryly.
“But you have no valet present, and I don’t mind. Besides, I would like you to reciprocate. It is not easy untying a corset by myself.”
He allowed her to take his coat and waistcoat. While she hung the garments on a wall peg, he removed his boots and cravat.
Drawn by his irresistible allure, Skye couldn’t help watching him. His well-tailored shirt and breeches clung to his body, accenting his lean, muscular grace. His shirt followed, revealing the powerful play of the sleek muscles of his chest and shoulders and arms. Her pulse quickened as he stripped down to his drawers. He was so beautiful he took her breath away.
Then he crossed to the bed to turn down the covers, giving her his ravaged back, reminding her once again of his tragic past.
Feeling less steady at the sight of his burn scars, Skye started to undress herself. She managed her gown and half boots and stockings easily, but when it came time to untie her corset, she presented her own back to him.
“Why do I get the feeling you are working your female wiles on me?” Hawkhurst asked as he loosened the strings.
“Perhaps because I am. How else am I to deal with so irritable a grouch as you?”
“I am not such a grouch. I displayed admirable forbearance for not tossing you out on your ear when you snuck into my carriage.”
“So you did. You have been much more pleasant these past few days. My influence must be wearing off on you.”
The slight huff he gave was part scoff, part chuckle. Skye glanced back over her shoulder at him. “Can you blame me for making use of my feminine wiles? I am not ashamed that I have a knack for dealing with men. As Aunt Isabella says, we women don’t have the advantages you men have, so we must rely on whatever talents we possess.”
Hawkhurst’s eyes flickered with amusement again. “I won’t let you run roughshod over me, sweet wretch.”
“Of course you won’t,” she agreed congenially, but inside she was debating with herself. She well knew she couldn’t have her way as easily with Hawkhurst as with other men. But she intended to try.
When he had loosened her corset, Skye removed it, leaving her wearing only her shift. She meant to sleep that way rather than change into her nightgown. Disappointingly, he seemed impartial to her scant attire, for his gaze barely skimmed over her. Instead, he went around the room, putting out the lamps while she climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her arms.
Hawkhurst paused another moment before joining her. Rather than move closer, however, he lay on his back, not touching her.
His honor was taking control again, Skye decided. To her, however, it did not seem at all dishonorable for them to share a bed. Not now that she was beginning to think of him as her future husband. Nor would it be shameful if they were to go even further. Yet convincing him of that would be difficult.
But what if she were to resort to more direct measures? Seduction might be her only hope in getting Hawkhurst to consider her as his potential bride, and more crucially, to fall in love with her.
Her aunt strongly believed that physical passion could lead to love. It was one of many kernels of wisdom Isabella had imparted to her. Skye very much wanted to make love to Hawkhurst, not only for the pleasure, but to force him to recognize the bond that already existed between them: a powerful, potent bond that made her body yearn at the same time it soothed her soul. She had never felt this sweet mixture of desire and comfort before—this delicious arousal warring with tender contentment.
Letting her eyes fall shut, Skye willed herself to relax. This was not the right moment, but when morning came, she would be prepared to take the next step.
Hawk remained awake for much longer. He should have known better than to stay the night with Skye, but the truth was, he could sleep peacefully with her beside him.
Or, he should have been more peaceful. At the moment it was pure torment, with his cock throbbing and ready to burst, his body aching to ease over hers and fill her with his flesh.
The bald reality was, Lady Skye Wilde fired his blood whether she was awake or sleeping. And having made love to her once made resisting her much, much harder. He wanted her more than any woman he could remember, including his late wife.
A disloyal thought, Hawk acknowledged. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel guilt, not when it had been so long since Elizabeth’s passing.
Moreover, his desire for Skye stemmed from more than mere physical lust. He was actually startled by his enjoyment of their journey thus far.
Of course, it wasn’t surprising that this was the first time in months that he’d felt mentally challenged. Her quest to find her uncle’s lover had given him an intriguing problem to focus on. Worthy challenges were much less frequent now that the decades-long war with Napoléon was over; the Guardians were not needed nearly as much as in past years.
And Skye herself kept his wits sharp. He liked that about her, but her ability to always put him at ease unsettled him. Her tone was often warm and teasing, as if she’d known him intimately for years. Every time she used that provocative, affectionate tone, Hawk instinctively stiffened. Bantering—even flirting—was not his style.
The trouble was, he found her impossible to shut out. Since she’d appeared on his doorstep a mere nine days ago, she’d caused long-dormant emotions and desires to surge to life within him—almost as if he were actually living a normal existence again.
Her liveliness was a vivid contrast to his own bleakness, Hawk knew. That mischievous light dancing in her blue eyes was utterly delightful. And her smile … Each time she flashed that enchanting smile, something inside of him stirred, responding as naturally, as inevitably, as breathing.
She invited too much vulnerability, though. He needed to set strict limits on how close he would let her come. With her enticing power over him, she would constantly test his strength of will.
Intellectually, he understood her success: Lady Skye Wilde might be calculating and manipulative, but her manner was so charming, she made a man want to succumb. She used flattery and praise and reason to bend males to her will effortlessly.