Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways #1)(69)

"I've considered everything you said earlier. I've made a decision. But first I'd like to explain that it has nothing to do with your personal endowments, which are quite considerable. It's just that?

"My personal endowments?"

"Yes. Your intelligence. Your attractiveness."

"Oh."

Wondering why his voice sounded odd, Amelia darted a questioning glance at him. The amber eyes were bright with laughter. What had she said to amuse him? "Are you paying attention?"

"Believe me, when my personal endowments are being discussed, I always pay attention. Go on."

She frowned. "Mr. Rohan, although I consider your offer a great compliment, and present circumstances being what they?

"Let's get to the point, Amelia." His hands closed over her shoulders. "Are you going to marry me?"

"I can't," she said weakly. "I just can't. We don't suit. It's obvious we're not at all alike. You're impetuous. You make life-altering decisions in the blink of an eye. Whereas I choose one course and I don't stray from it."

"You strayed last night. And look how well it turned out." He grinned at her expression. "I'm not impetuous, love. It's just that I know when something is too important to be decided according to logic."

"And marriage is one of those things?"

"Of course." Cam settled a hand high on her chest, over the wild pounding of her heart. "You have to decide it in here"

Amelia's chest felt tight beneath the warmth of his hand. "I've only known you for a matter of days. We're still strangers. I can't entrust the future of my entire family to a man I don't even know."

"A couple can be married fifty years and never know each other. Besides, you know the important things about me already."

Amelia heard an annoying drumming sound, and she thought at first it was the wild percussion of her heart. But as Cam's leg intruded gently among the folds of her borrowed dress and touched hers, she realized she was doing her blasted foot-tapping again. With an effort, she went still.

Sliding one arm around her, Cam picked up her left hand, bringing it to his mouth. His lips brushed over the chafed red patch on her knuckle, where she had tried to pull the ring off.

"It's stuck," she grumbled. "It's too small."

"It's not too small. Just relax your hand and it will come off."

"My hand is relaxed."

"Gadjis" he said. "You're all as stiff as amaranth wood. It must be your corsets." His head bent, his mouth finding hers. He explored slowly, enticing her to open for him, hunting for the shy tip of her tongue. She stirred in dismay as she realized he was unfastening the back of her gown. The bodice loosened in front, sagging away from her neatly confined br**sts.

"Cam... no..."

"Shhh? The hot, exciting waft of his breath filled her mouth. "I'm helping you remove the ring. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Removing this ring has nothing to do with pulling my corset str—oh, no? The web of stays had split open to expose a lush display of flesh. "This isn't helping." She tried to pull up her disassembled clothing with the clumsiness of someone moving underwater.

"It's helping me quite a lot" Cam's hand slipped into the back of her drawers. She wriggled in violated modesty, her clothes dropping ever more rapidly toward the floor.

"I have to see you in daylight." His mouth chased lightly, hungrily over her throat and shoulder. "Monisha, you are the most beautiful woman, the most? His hands moved with increasing impatience, pulling hard at her clothes until a few stitches popped.

"Don't, this dress doesn't belong to me," Amelia said anxiously, fumbling to unfasten the borrowed garments herself rather than have them torn. She froze at the sound of footsteps coming along the hallway, passing the closed door without stopping. Most likely it was a servant. But what if someone had seen her entering Cam's room?... What if someone were searching for her at this very moment? "Cam, please, not now."

"I'll be gentle." He lifted her from the circle of discarded clothes. "I know it's soon after your first time."

She shook her head as he laid her on the bed. Clenching the fabric of her chemise with both hands to keep it in place, she whispered, "No, it's not that. Someone will find out. Someone will hear. Someone will?

"Let go, hummingbird, so I can take this off you." There was a flick of devil's fire in his eyes as he said mildly, "Let go, or I'll rip it."

"Cam, don't?

She was interrupted by the sound of rending linen. He had torn it completely down the front, the fragile material drooping on either side of her.

"You've ruined it," she said in disbelief. "How am I to explain this to the maid? And how am I to put my corset back on?"

Cam didn't look at all apologetic as he pulled the remnants of the chemise away from her body. "Take off your drawers. Or I'll have to rip those, too."

"Oh, God." Seeing no way to stop him, Amelia pulled the drawers down over her hips. "Lock the door," she whispered with a scarlet face. "Please, please lock it."

A quick smile passed over Cam's mouth. He left the bed and went to the door, stripping off his jerkin and shirt along the way. After turning the key in the lock, he took his time about returning to the bed, seeming to enjoy the sight of her burrowing beneath the bed linens.