Bride for a Night(157)

Not that she had protested. Their ready warmth and displays of affection had made her feel as if she were coming home. A feeling that she would never have dreamed possible only a few short months ago.

So, ignoring her humble instincts, she’d allowed the women to feed her their favorite seedcake and drink their cider while the children had crawled into her lap and the men had hovered in the background with wide grins on their weathered faces.

At last Gabriel had declared that it was time to return to the manor house. He had turned a deaf ear to her protests that she was not at all weary, and loaded her into the carriage.

He had continued to insist upon her need for rest once they had returned to the house and had even caused the servants to twitter in shock as he had swept her off her feet and carried her up the polished oak staircase to the master bedchamber.

Once alone, however, he’d seemed to forget his insistence that she enjoy a nice nap as he had laid her on the massive four poster bed that consumed a large amount of the peach-and-silver room.

Talia had attempted to chastise him, but she had soon forgotten why she should be annoyed with him as his mouth had crushed her lips in a hungry kiss and his hands had tugged at her clothing with a satisfying haste.

In truth, she had reveled in his obvious passion.

It was perhaps ridiculous, but she had harbored a relentless fear that once they returned to England, Gabriel would return to the cold, condemning man whom she had first wed.

There was something deeply reassuring in the heat of his kisses and his groans of pleasure as he had at last entered her with a slow, exquisite thrust.

At last regaining command of her breath, Talia turned her head to cast a glance toward the ormolu clock set on the mantel. She heaved a rueful sigh as she forced herself to sit up, realizing that she would have to hurry if she were to be presentable before they were to meet Hugo in the library.

“And where do you think you are going?” he demanded.

She glanced over her shoulder, excitement fluttering through her stomach at the sight of Gabriel’s naked body sprawled over the sheets. In the firelight his hair shimmered like the finest gold while his eyes had darkened to a mysterious smoke.

He surely must be descended from Greek gods. No mere mortal should be so beautiful.

Resisting the urge to smooth her hands over his broad chest in an effort to prove he was flesh and blood and not some figment of her imagination, Talia nodded toward the clock.

“We must get dressed for dinner if we are not to be late.”

Gabriel made no effort to postpone his exploration of her naked curves, his hand running a path down her hip and over her thigh in a blatant invitation.

“Why bother?” he murmured. “We can request a tray be sent from the kitchens.”

“Really, Gabriel, you are a dreadful host,” she chastised even as she shivered in delight. “We cannot abandon Lord Rothwell. He will be expecting us to join him.”

His fingers drew aimless patterns on her sensitive skin as he leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lower back.

“Actually Hugo left earlier today for London.”

She stilled, caught off guard by the casual announcement. Despite Hugo’s initial animosity, she had been certain that they had become friends during their dangerous journey together. The thought he would simply disappear was oddly hurtful.

“He left without saying goodbye?”

“It was a sudden decision.” Gabriel leaned back to meet her wounded gaze. “He left a message stating that he recalled urgent business in town that he could not delay.”

“And he could not wait until we returned to tell us of this urgent business?”