“What?” He’d give her anything she wanted.
“The blanket.”
“Of course.” Aware that he was tempting the beast inside him and no longer sane enough to care, he crossed the yard of space between them. He let the blanket fall open and settled it over her shoulders. He was too close now. Far too close.
His conscience tumbled over the edge of reason and disappeared from sight.
Lancaster cupped her jaw and looked into her happy eyes. “You are so beautiful.”
Those eyes went wide and the happiness blanked to shock. “What?”
“You’re beautiful, Cyn.” He trailed his fingers along her jaw, all the way to the tender skin just below her ear, watching the contrast of his hand against her fine texture. His body swelled to an ache. So did his heart.
She covered his hand with her own. “Nick?”
“I’m sorry,” he breathed and pressed his mouth to hers. She still smelled faintly of rain, as if she were the purest thing in the world. Another reminder that he should leave her be.
Lancaster slid his hand down her neck and lower still. Cynthia didn’t move. She didn’t even seem to breathe. But when he curved his hand under her breast, she gasped. She was a heavy weight against his palm. He dragged his thumb over her nipple, amazed at the contrast of hard against soft.
Cynthia whimpered.
“You like that?”
She nodded, eyes closed, as he pulled back to look at her.
“You’re amazing.” Greedy for more, he tugged her chemise low enough to expose her nipple. He traced the deep pink areola with his blunt fingertip and watched it tighten even further, drawing itself up.
“Nick,” she whispered.
He traced one more circle, then reached for the gathered neckline of her chemise and pulled it the rest of the way off.
Her nude body yanked his breath from his lungs in a brutal theft.
Yes, her breasts were full, and they only looked larger against the contrast of her slim waist. In perfect balance, her hips flared out, rounding down to the soft curve of her thighs.
Lancaster’s mouth watered.
As he watched, her hand moved to cover the dark hair between her legs. He followed the movement, slipping his hand over hers to press her fingers tight to her own body.
“Don’t hide,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful.”
Her mouth opened as her breath came harder.
Lancaster tucked his thumb under her fingers and eased her hand away. The sight of her dark curls twisted his heart into a knot.
And suddenly being with Cynthia didn’t feel like a mistake at all.
Chapter 13
The way he watched so closely filled Cynthia with the need to cover herself again. No man had ever seen her nude before. Not Richmond and not even James. She had no idea how she should look, so she didn’t know what Nick might see.
His fingers trailed down her hip, singing along her skin, and Nick lifted his eyes to her and smiled. Not a charming smile or a jaunty grin, but a genuine joy that reached his eyes.
Sweetness swelled into her blood. This was what she wanted. Peace with him, even if it was momentary.
He’d called her beautiful, so maybe she was. Still, her skin was tingling from the intensity of the exposure, so she finally gave up and pulled him along toward the bed.
She yanked back the covers and slipped beneath them. “Now you,” she said once she was covered.