A Gentleman's Vow (Saints and Sinners 2)

“I blushed quite a bit,” she admitted. Jessica took his hand and placed it on her breast. “And now my skin heats whenever you are near.”

He moved his hand until his thumb brushed over her nipple. Jessica gasped but did not pull away. “Hmm, I begin to suspect your instruction was a bit more explicit than strictly necessary.”

Jessica laughed and hugged him. “At least I know enough not to be afraid. I actually look forward to certain aspects; being naked with you is one.”

He drew her closer. Jessica continually surprised him with her willingness to explore the desire growing between them. It made him a little crazed, imagining all the things he could do to her in his bed with her permission. He lowered his head a little more and pressed his lips to the skin of her neck. A ragged sigh left her lips, and she turned her head to give him better access.

“I want to be with you,” she whispered.

He debated refusing her, but being alone with her was what he wanted, too. “All right.”

He scooped her up into his arms and began walking.

Her arms tightened about his neck. “Where are we going?”

“My bed.”

Jessica cuddled against him and fell silent as Gideon carried her home. His house was dark, his servants long since gone to bed, he suspected. They encountered no one as they went inside.

Gideon was a little puffed by the time he reached his bedchamber, though he tried not to show any fatigue. He eased Jessica down onto her own feet so he could shut and lock the door quietly behind them.

While he shrugged off his coat, Jessica drifted away, moving through his room, studying his possessions in the poor light. He caught her expression when she passed the window—she was smiling as she looked at everything that mattered to him. She stopped near the bed, where the robe she’d had made for him rested. She turned around and leaned against the foot of his bed. “Well?”

He drew near, looking for signs of doubt. He should have known better though. She had chosen—him.

Jessica lifted her hands to his cravat as soon as he was close enough and concentrated on untying the knot.

Gideon let her attempt it, and then finished the job when she proved unequal to the task. He pulled the long length from his neck and stood to wait for what Jessica would do next.

She unbuttoned him from his waistcoat and started on his shirt sleeves. “I’ve never wanted to undress a man before.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” Gideon lifted a hand to her hair. “How many pins should I look for?”

“A dozen.”

He searched for them, pulling them out gently. His breath caught when Jessica’s dark hair hung loosely about her shoulders. He’d expected it to be longer. “Did you have your hair trimmed?”

“While I was away.” She touched her head self-consciously. “It’s not too short, is it?”

He ran his fingers through the soft, silky strands. “I was only surprised, not disappointed that you’d cut it.”

“It’s lighter, easier to pin up now.”

“You always look lovely.”

She tugged his shirt up without bothering to unbutton his breeches, and Gideon reached over his shoulder to pull the garment over his head. Jessica splayed her fingers over his bare chest before he’d even managed to toss it aside.

“Oh my,” she whispered. “Your skin is so warm.”

Her hands on his body were torture but sweet. She poked him, squeezed his biceps and made him feel more manly than he’d ever felt before. He turned away to sit and remove his footwear, taking his time in case Jessica decided to leave.

Instead, she removed her slippers and set them neatly under the bed, as if his bed was already hers.

When he stood again, she came forward, and her fingers went to the waistband of his breeches. He sucked in a breath as she figured out how to unbutton those, innocently brushing her fingertips against his erection. When his breeches began to slip from his hips, he caught Jessica against him and made a meal of her willing mouth.

He kicked off his breeches and left them on the floor.

But knowing he couldn’t avoid his unveiling much longer, he eased back a little and waited for Jessica’s reaction to his nakedness.