Page 32 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
“Better enough. Thank you for saving me,” she answered in a soft yet steady voice.
“Nonsense. I saw you holding the pistol. If I had not shown up, I’m sure you would have taken care of the ruffian.”
More white nightgown fabric emerged from under the counterpane. She shrugged her shoulders. “Perhaps.”
Charlotte pushed herself up and propped her back against the headboard. As she maneuvered herself, the counterpane slipped from her shoulders to her waist.
Good Lord, the ruffled neck was deceiving. The fabric was completely translucent. James should not have been surprised—she borrowed the nightgown from a courtesan, after all.
Before he could divert his eyes, James caught a glimpse of two darkened circles on her chest beckoning for attention. His member twitched at their sight, so he quickly focused on Lady Charlotte’s face. James swallowed, realizing she had no idea how much of her he had just seen. More importantly, she did not know what just a glance of her delectable body did to him.
He cleared his throat. “We can talk more after you have rested. I’ll come back to wake you early to leave for your aunt’s house so that she is none the wiser. I wouldn’t want you to suffer a scandal.”
Charlotte worried her lower lip before responding, “Thank you.”
He could not get the fleeting image of her breasts from his mind. It was a tantalizing tease that made him want to explore more of what the transparent nightgown was barely concealing. James chided himself. She had just been through a traumatic experience that was largely his fault. He was an absolute bounder for thinking of what it would be like to tear the barely-there fabric from her body, worship every inch of her, and then sink his cock to the hilt inside her cunny.
He shook his head, trying to vanquish the desire from his mind and his body.
“Are you quite alright?” Cornflower-blue eyes stared back at him with concern, and she thankfully pulled the counterpane to her shoulders unassumingly.
“I was just clearing my head.” Heat rushed up James’s neck in embarrassment. “I bid you goodnight, Charlotte.” He abruptly turned from the bed and walked briskly toward the door.
His hand reached for the doorknob, but Charlotte’s voice floated through the air, “Wait.”
He paused and closed his eyes. He rested his forehead against the door and willed control over his body. “Yes?”
“Stay with me.” A pleading note laced her voice. James took a deep breath and turned away from the door. She looked fragile and vulnerable buried in the massive bed. Gone was the bold woman he had come to admire. James knew the honorable course of action would be to leave the room, but how could he say no to her distraught face?
“Of course. I’ll sit by the bed.”
He walked toward the fireplace and lifted one of the wing chairs with ease. After his time in the Royal Navy, he could sleep in any situation and in any position, including sitting up. Before he could reach the bed, Charlotte’s voice carried across the room once more.
“Can you hold me?” Her voice was now desperate. “Please?”
James paused and looked toward her again, truly appreciating her youth and innocence as her wide eyes begged him to comfort her. Her wittiness and bravado always made James think of her as much older, but there she was, scared and alone, battling demons he did not understand. He placed the chair down in the middle of the room and walked to the bed.
“I’ll hold you, but I’m staying above the counterpane.” He wished there was an ocean between them. Hell, he would even take a moat, just anything to keep his baser urges at bay. Instead, a piece of fabric would have to do.
This is a terrible idea.
He removed his dirty boots before climbing onto the bed. Charlotte moved her pillow around and scooted herself closer to him then positioned herself on her side. He extinguished the bedside candle and curled behind her, before he draped his arm over her. Even though the counterpane separated their bodies, her hair remained unbound and flowed over the pillow. The scent of honeysuckle and jasmine invaded his senses, bringinghim back to their first dance. A protectiveness surged through him, and he became lost in her scent, tugging her close to him. James heard a sigh escape from her as the tension in her body eased. After a few minutes, she breathed more slowly, and James allowed himself to relax. Before he knew it, he fell into a deep slumber.
James awoke abruptly to screams and a thrashing body. He jerked himself upright, ready to smother the danger that was beside him. Luckily, the glow of the fireplace illuminated the source of the disruption, and he stopped himself from attacking.
“No! No!” Charlotte clutched her neck and screamed while kicking her legs and punching into the air. “Don’t kill me!”
James’s heart rioted at her suffering. He wanted to wake her but knew from his experiences with his sailors that it could make it even worse.
He watched helplessly as Charlotte thrashed. After what felt like hours but was only minutes, her movements slowed. She opened her eyes with a panicked look on her face.
“Charlotte, it’s James. You’re safe.”
“James?” she questioned, staring at him.
“You were having a nightmare.”
Her gaze dropped, and she nodded. “I know,” she whispered.
