“Here, drink this,” he coaxed, returning to her. “It will help.” He watched as she took a cautious sip of the strong spirits and smiled when she shuddered in distaste. With a finger beneath the glass, he urged it back to her lips again. “All of it, my love.”
Lierin obeyed, reluctantly downing the fiery liquid in small gulps until only a few drops remained. With a last convulsive shiver, she returned the glass, already feeling the brandy’s warmth spread through her. Ashton took her hand and led her to the settee where he leaned back in the corner and gathered her close. Lierin’s emotions unfurled as she relaxed against him, and with a trembling sigh she snuggled closer, needing the tenderness he so freely bestowed upon her. It seemed natural to curl against him and rest her hand upon his chest.
A long and silently blissful time passed between them as the frolicking flames flared up and slowly died. The room began to take on a chill before Ashton reluctantly left her to throw several more pieces of wood on the fire. When he came back, he sat on his haunches before her and laid a hand upon her thigh, casually caressing it as he asked, “Are you going to be all right?”
“I think so.” She was struck by the intimacy of his touch and, finding no cause to remove herself from it, accepted the tender feelings of contentment. Beneath his silent regard her cheeks grew steadily warm, and she turned her gaze toward the hearth to ease her confusion.
“There’s another bedroom adjoining my quarters,” he stated and waited to continue until her gaze came back to rest on him in wondering silence. “I’d like you to move in there tonight.” A lazy smile accompanied his words. “I know the temptation will be greater for me, but it’s what I’d prefer…at least for the time being.” His lips widened into a teasing grin. “I think it’s clear by now what I really want. And it’s not separate rooms.”
Her eyes delved deeply into his as she whispered, “Have a care for me, Ashton.” Her smile turned wistful. “You have such a way about you…I’m not sure I can resist you.”
His brows came up in surprise. It amazed him that she would make such an admission when she knew how anxious he was to test the full measure of her resistance. “Madam, do you know what you’re putting into my hands?”
Lierin feigned sweet innocence. “Trust?”
His forehead twisted in an annoyed frown as the single word seemed to squelch his hopes. “Mmm.” He rose and offered a hand to her. “Come, madam. I’ll escort you to your new chamber before I ravish you here and now.”
“But I thought you said that trust is important in marriage,” she pointed out as he pulled her to her feet.
Ashton responded with a doubtful stare. “That word is coming up much too often for my comfort, madam. I shall dispense with your idea of trust by taking you back to New Orleans. It that fails, there’s no doubt I’ll perish from wanting you.”
She was unable to read his expression. “Are you serious? I mean, about taking me to New Orleans.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” he stated as the idea took deeper root.
“But you just came back from New Orleans.”
“This trip will be solely for our pleasure, madam,” he assured her warmly.
Lierin regarded him with an air of skepticism. “And of course you intend to complete this seduction of yours.”
“Aye, madam, and the sooner, the better.”
He bent and lifted her in his arms, dropping a kiss against her throat as she settled contentedly against him. He was fascinated with the way the gown gapped from her bosom while her arms were about his neck. It was a most tempting sight and one he repeatedly reviewed as he carried her to his bedroom door. He turned the knob and, with a shoulder, nudged it open to bear her across the threshold. They passed through the suite of rooms and paused in the bathing room where he stood her to her feet.
“You’ll probably want to undress in here. The bedroom may be a bit cool yet.” Ashton inclined his head toward a small chest where a neatly folded stack of clothing lay. “I had Willabelle bring in a few things while we dined.”
Lierin recognized the garments as her own green robe and batiste nightgown and realized that the invitation to move her into a bedchamber near his own had not been a spontaneous offer at all. Not only had he given prior thought to the matter, but he had made arrangements, assuming she would agree. She regarded him with some amazement. “I think I underestimated you.”
Ashton returned a lopsided grin to her dubious gaze. “I didn’t think you’d object.”
“Are you always so sure of yourself?” she queried, conscious of how deftly she had been maneuvered.
“It’s a matter of logic, madam. The accommodations are more comfortable here….”
“And handier to you.”
“Yes, that, too,” he admitted with rakish aplomb. Doffing his coat, vest, and cravat, he hung them on a wooden clothes tree near the door, then took her hands and brought them to his lips while his eyes played with hers. “I’ll stir up the fire while you get undressed.”
The door closed behind him, allowing Lierin a few private moments to settle back to earth. She was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that whenever she was with him, she gave little thought to resistance. He was like a strong magnet that drew her progressively nearer. He was totally a man, and having all the cravings of a woman, she found herself very susceptible. Despite her attempts at logic and restraint, she was beginning to relish the idea of being married to him. Whether it was reasonable or not, she desired the intimacy and the familiarity of a husband-and-wife relationship.
His robe hung with his other garments on the clothes tree, and beneath the stroke of her hand a clean, masculine scent drifted from the velvet garment, filling her whole being with soft yearnings. She drew in her breath, surprised at her wayward will, and deliberately set her mind to the matter of getting undressed. The nightgown slid with silken softness over her naked body, and distantly she wondered what it would be like to have Ashton make love to her, if she would find the moment pleasurable, or if the anticipation was far more entertaining than the actuality.
She stared dreamily across the small space of the room, doubting the possibility of such a thing happening. The man exuded an unceasing current of virility, which could not be denied. Though she could imagine the hazel eyes growing cold with rage, there was a fire that burned in the man which could be effective in thawing the resistance of almost any woman.
Lierin shook her head angrily. Once again her thoughts took her into reckless meanderings. Rather than rein in her wayward musings, she was letting her mind run far afield. It was illogical to think of coupling with the man when he was still very much a stranger to her. Why did she persist in these frivolous ponderings when she knew the wisest choice would be to keep her distance?
Belting the green velvet robe about her slender waist, she entered the adjoining bedroom and moved on bare feet across the luxurious carpet while she admired the fine furnishings and soft colors. The boudoir dwarfed the memory of the guest room in her mind, for it was everything a woman could wish for. Indeed, if she had viewed the accommodations first, she would have been reluctant to question Ashton’s sincerity.
He had turned from the fireplace to watch her approach, and she stepped near, slipping her arm through his and giving him her answer with a soft smile. “It’s beautiful, Ashton, and you were right. I could not have rejected it.”
Lierin raised on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek, but he turned his face to meet her lips with his. She had no desire to withdraw and leisurely savored the rising warmth of his response. His mouth opened and snatched hungrily at hers, drawing and compelling her to answer. The hesitant intrusion of her tongue encouraged him, and he faced her, bringing her full against him. His embrace tightened, and the kiss intensified for a long, blissful moment. Torn between yielding and denial, she trembled in his arms, aware that he was becoming increasingly aroused. It came to her that if she did not immediately halt this whirligig world, she would not find the strength to deny him.