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He loved her

He wanted her

He needed her

And he needed her now

He’d spent his life being a perfect gentleue He hated being the center of attention, but by God, he wanted to be the center of her attention He wanted to do the wrong thing, the bad thing He wanted to pull her into his arms and carry her to her bed He wanted to peel every last inch of her clothing from her body, and then he wanted to worship her He wanted to show her all the things he wasn’t sure he kne to say

"Honoria," he said, because he could at least say her name And maybe she’d hear what he felt in his voice

"II" She touched his cheek, her eyes ly across his face Her lips were parted, just enough so that he could see the pink tip of her tongue darting out to moisten theain He needed to hold her, to feel her body pressed against his If she’d said no, if she’d shaken her head or made any indication that she didn’t want this, he would have turned and walked out of the room

But she didn’t She just stared at him, her eyes wide and full of wonder, and so he pulled her forward, wrapped his ar hio of the last thread of restraint he’d been holding so tightly

He pulled her against hi in the curves and hollows of her body She let out a little moan – of pleasure? of desire? – and it set the fla frantically along her back, down to the delicious curve of her bottoentle softness of her belly against his arousal She let out a little gasp of surprise at the contact, but he didn’t have it in him to pull away and explain She was an innocent, he knew that, and she probably had no idea what it o h this, but he couldn’t There were limits to a man’s control, and he had passed his the moment she’d reached out and touched his cheek

She was soft and pliant in his e his kisses, and he swept her up into his ar her swiftly to the bed He laid her doith as e, and then, still fully clothed, he ca at the sensation of her body beneath his

Her gown had those little puffed sleeves that ladies seeainst her skin rather loosely when she was lying down His fingers found the edge and slid underneath, baring one of her ed breath he drew back and looked down at her "Honoria," he said, and if he hadn’t been wound so tightly, he hed Her name was the only sound he seemed to be able to make

Maybe it was the only word that mattered