All About Seduction(105)

“It’s going to bother me if I don’t,” she said.

He tilted his head back against the chair and looked heavenward. “The weight of the plaster just rubbed my foot raw.”

She should have checked on him earlier, but unlike the doctor, she didn’t have an injection to give him to ease the pain. “Would you like some laudanum?”

“No more laudanum,” he said in a resigned voice.

She slid off his lap. Putting his hands on the chair arms, he let her go. His lack of resistance left a bitter taste in her mouth. Kneeling in front of the chair, she pushed back the stained cotton under the plaster splint. With the sporadic loss of feeling he had in his foot, he might not have known how badly the plaster had dug into the top of his foot. Around the oozing sore, his flesh looked clean and smelled of soap. He must have washed it as best he could.

A sigh of relief left her as a strange tightening began low in her belly. Jack had been exhausted, yet he’d taken the time to clean before she came to his room. She couldn’t be certain the effort was for her, but most other men would have gone straight to bed.

Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her nightgown and twisted until she found a seam. Holding the two edges fast she ripped them apart and then with her teeth started a slit so she could tear off a strip all the way around.

As she started to wrap his foot, Jack leaned forward and caught her chin, tilting her head back. “Just so you know, this does hurt, but do what you need to do.”

She pressed her lips together and concentrated on pulling the wrapping tight as the doctor had done. “I cannot like that this happened to you, but I am glad it brought us . . .”

“Together,” Jack finished for her. “I had rather different plans to bring us together.”

Her heart beat faster. “Plans?”

Jack winced. “Yeah. I had lots of plans.”

Finished with wrapping his foot and stuffing material into the gap so the heavy cast wouldn’t cause further damage, she tentatively put her hands on his thighs. “Jack, what happened today?”

He shook his head, but the corners of his mouth turned down. He glanced toward the fire and then after a moment back toward her. Threading his fingers in her hair, he whispered, “You’re so beautiful.”

Her eyes were swollen and her nose was probably red. She lowered her gaze. “I’m not. Especially not now.”

The compliment was probably meant as a distraction. A vague disappointment crawled through her.

He leaned forward and slipped his thumb under her chin. He slid his fingers along her jawline then tilted up her face. His brown eyes searched hers. His breath whispered across her lips. Her pulse surged and her lips parted.

This time he would kiss her, and if he didn’t she thought she would die. Her lashes fluttered down, the intensity almost too much for her to bear, and then his lips brushed against hers.

“Caro,” he murmured. “I planned to go to London and make a fortune . . . so I could come back and be worthy of you.”

A whoosh of yearning poured through her. Her eyes popped open. She searched his face for sincerity.

He touched his forehead to hers. “You’ve always been inspiration for me to be the best man I can be.”

Her heart opened. How could she not love this man? Holding her gaze, he closed the distance between them and drew her into a kiss so gentle it made her ache. His tongue touched her upper lip. Her lips parted and their breath mingled. This was normally the time she wanted to turn her head or push away. Instead she strained toward him.

Jack deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers and coaxing hers into a sensual dance. Her lips tingled and her breath grew short. Her body felt liquid and soft, yet tightened with anticipation.

Jack pulled back.

Feeling bereft, she whimpered. She opened her eyes to find him watching her with his head tilted.

“Was that so horrible?” he asked.

She shook her head and looked away. No, it was wonderful. He was wonderful. Their situation was not wonderful.

She couldn’t love him, couldn’t be with him other than for the next few days. She was married to a man who would hunt them down if she and Jack ran away together. With his cast, Jack would be too distinctive to disappear into the world. Mr. Broadhurst would find them. He had unlimited funds to track them. She couldn’t even tell Jack the way she felt. It wouldn’t be fair to him and might give him hope for a relationship that could never be.

What she needed from him was a baby. To yearn for anything more would only break her heart and maybe his. She slid her hand up his thighs, feeling the muscles jump under her touch. Her thumbs brushed the male parts of him.