To Bed a Beauty (Courtship Wars 2)

“I don’t want you to stop.”

His gaze arrested. “Do you know what you are saying?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “I know. I want you to make love to me.”

He glanced back at the doors leading to the library. “Not here. Not with my mother in the house.”

“Then where?” she asked.

“The cottage,” he said after a moment. “The gamekeeper’s cottage I showed you today. Will you come there with me?”

Roslyn nodded. “Yes,” she replied simply.

He felt his heart turn over with elation, felt his loins tighten at the thought of being with her again. This was his chance, Drew reflected, pulling in an uneven breath. Tonight he would make Roslyn feel overwhelming passion for him. The kind of ardent passion he had begun to feel for her.

Stepping closer, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Give me ten minutes. I’ll need to saddle a horse…and I must fetch something from my room first. Wait for me here, will you?”

Roslyn nodded again silently.

“Are you sure, sweeting?” Drew repeated.

“Yes, I am sure.”

Hearing no hesitation in her voice, he gave her fingers one last lingering kiss. “Ten minutes, then.”

Roslyn’s nerves were taut with anticipation by the time Drew returned. Without speaking, he laced his fingers with hers and led her through the library and down a corridor to a side door, where he had a horse waiting. Lifting her up, he mounted behind her and drew her back against him.

They rode across the grounds in silence. The summer night was beautiful and serene, the darkness awash with silver moonlight, but the ride seemed to last forever. Eagerness strummed inside Roslyn, beating an urgent rhythm in time with her heart. She could feel Drew’s warmth at her back, feel the hard muscles of his chest and enveloping arms arousing her senses.

When finally they arrived, Roslyn spoke for the first time. “Your gamekeeper won’t mind if we use his cottage?”

“He no longer lives here. I provided him a larger home and kept this for my own because I was fond of it. One of the privileges of having a fortune-being able to indulge my sentimental whims.”

She doubted Drew had many sentimental whims, so she was glad he could indulge this one.

Dismounting, he helped her down and preceded her inside. He didn’t light a candle but pulled aside the curtains on the front windows instead, letting the moonlight stream in.

This cottage was significantly larger than the one where they had first made love, Roslyn realized at a glance, and much better furnished.

“The bedchambers are upstairs,” he said, taking her hand again.

He mounted the wooden stairs with her and guided her to a room that boasted a large, high bed. When Drew opened those curtains as well, moonlight flooded in-bright enough that she could see the wryness in his smile as he turned back to her.

“It’s fortunate you decided to put an end to my misery, sweeting. I didn’t know how much longer I could endure not making love to you.”

Roslyn smiled. “Please don’t endure any longer.”

He stepped closer and took her face in his hands. For a long moment he simply gazed at her. “I have missed this…just touching you.”

“I have missed it, too,” Roslyn replied softly.

She raised her face to his, already anticipating the heat of his kisses, but Drew surprised her by reaching into his pocket and drawing out a pouch, which contained several small sponges and a vial of liquid.

“You said you wanted to take precautions against conceiving, so I brought this. Sponges soaked in vinegar should prevent my seed from taking root.”

It warmed her that he’d remembered her concern and taken the trouble to alleviate it. “Thank you,” Roslyn murmured sincerely.

He laid the pouch on the bedside table, then turned down the covers.