‘So do you.’ She dipped her head lower, until her mouth was on Adam’s. They moved together, kissing each other slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
‘You taste good, too.’
‘Mmhmm.’
Then he lifted her off him and onto the mattress, moving down the bed until his lips were pressed against her stomach. He didn’t want to talk any more, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t use his mouth if he wanted to.
By the sound of her sighs, she wanted pretty much the same thing.
The cabin was surprisingly warm for a building made of little more than timber and sheer grit. Kitty nestled into the pillows, their softness undulating beneath her cheek, as Adam whispered something in his sleep before reaching out for her.
He’d held her all night. By early morning she was burning up, enough to make her wriggle out of his grasp. Lying there in the darkness, she’d tucked her hand under her cheek and closed her eyes, trying to remember every line of his face.
She was falling for him. Not in the way she’d been attracted to men before, in that chemical sizzle of lust and excitement. No, this was more soul shaking than that. A connection of hearts and minds that seemed to hum inside her. A need to protect as much as be protected.
It was too early to feel that way, and yet she couldn’t help herself. The way he’d decorated that hollow in the woods, just for her, had been enough to crack open whatever remained of her defences. Not that she’d had that many to begin with.
Somehow she needed to guard her freshly exposed heart. An impossible task when he’d already stolen it clean from her chest. The way he’d looked last night with that little-boy-lost stare as he’d told her his story, was enough to make her want to give it to him all over again.
Damn, she was so bad at this. All the Shakespeare sisters were. Not one of them was able to separate their hearts from their minds. A need for love seemed to run through their veins along with their warm, English blood.
‘Come here.’ Adam wrapped his arms around her, until Kitty’s head was tucked into his chest. They were still naked from their night-time exertions, and she could feel his muscles flexing beneath her cheek. She could hear his heartbeat, too. Strong and steady, it beat out a tattoo that emulated her own. A rhythm as reassuring as a maternal pulse, it made her eyes heavy and her breath slow.
Two hours later she awoke with a start. This time the cabin was bathed in the half light, the West Virginian sun slowly making its morning appearance. Kitty sat up, disoriented, having to blink a few times before the room came into focus. That’s when she realised she wasn’t asleep in the attic room. And that the big house was more than a few footsteps away.
She’d spent her first night with Adam, and it had been pretty much perfect. Why did it have to end?
‘I need to get back.’ She wasn’t sure if she was talking to Adam or herself. ‘Jonas will be waking up.’
‘It’s still early, there’s plenty of time. Lie down, let me hold you.’
There was something so tempting about his offer that she nearly took him up on it. Spending a morning lying in his arms would have been a pretty good way to while away the hours. But she had things to do, a job to perform, not to mention a walk of shame to navigate. The last thing she needed was for her arrival back at the big house to have an audience.
No, best to leave right now before the house stirred. When they woke up they wouldn’t even realise she’d left. She could simply run up to the attic bedroom and pretend she’d been in there all night. A shower and some clothes and it would be a morning like any other.
‘I can’t stay,’ she whispered. ‘They’ll notice I’ve gone.’
‘You come down here every day. You can tell them you just got here a little early.’
She felt torn between her need for him and her natural dedication to her job. ‘I can’t,’ she repeated. ‘It’s so close to Christmas, we can’t let them suspect anything.’
‘You’re right.’ Adam sat up, the covers falling to his waist. His bare chest seemed to glisten in the morning light. He really was a good-looking guy. ‘Give me ten minutes, I’ll get the Skidoo out.’
She shook her head. ‘They’ll hear the engine. It might even wake them up. I’m better off walking.’
Kitty noticed he didn’t protest about that. Maybe he was as afraid as she was about being discovered.
Of course he wouldn’t want his family finding out. Why would he? It would only complicate things.
‘I’ll walk you, then.’
She put her arm on his bicep, feeling the warmth of his skin leaching into hers. ‘It’s OK, I know the way. If anybody’s up in the house it’ll be easier to explain if I arrive alone.’
He stared at her intently, as if he was looking for something behind her words. ‘I can stop at the treeline. Nobody will see me there.’
Kitty rolled her lip between her teeth, considering his offer. Part of her wanted to stretch their time together for as long as possible. She wanted to stay with him in this little bubble, in the protection of his arms. She was afraid that when she walked away the spell would break.
The other part, though, needed the space to think things through. As soon as she was back in the big house she’d be drawn into the mayhem of the day. Getting Jonas ready, helping Annie with breakfast, not to mention the last-minute preparations for Christmas. With less than twenty-four hours until Christmas Eve they really were running out of time.