Page 18 of The Swan Syndicate
How had he existed before her?
He knelt in front of her and pulled her up to him, running a hand over her cheek then down the length of her neck. She leaned her head back, giving him access to kiss the soft hollow at the base of her neck. He sighed at how well reality matched the vision.
She ran her fingertips up his arms and over his shoulders until she caressed the back of his neck.
He pushed her down to the blankets, his mouth moving to a breast. His moans of pleasure increased when she ran her hand through his hair, urging him on. He took his time until she cried out in frustration, and he couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction. It was her sign that she couldn’t take another moment before he took her, and if he didn’t, she’d take matters into her own hands. And there were many times when he let her. But not this night. Tonight was his.
When they joined, her passion ignited as she wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her, her body thrumming to match his own. Then, without warning, their legs tangled, and with a swift push, she rolled him until she was on top.
She stretched back, her hands on the floor as she rocked, and his breath caught. His auburn beauty. His wildest desire. He stroked her breasts until she shuddered with release. Then he rolled her onto her back and thrust until she screamed for more. And when his own pleasure peaked, she opened her eyes, sensing it.
He knew that look. He belonged to her, and she’d never let him go.
They napped for a short period before her fingers ran down his chest, then moved up until she pinched his chin. “Did you want wine?”
Beckworth lifted his head. “There’s wine?”
Her throaty chuckle stirred him. “Of course.” She crawled toward the sofa, where a tray sat on the floor. What a marvelous view of her backside. She returned with an opened bottle and two glasses. He sat up and took the proffered glass.
He sniffed it, tasted it, and grinned. “Barrington must have retrieved this from the cellar.”
“Libby might have had a hand in it.”
He pulled over a blanket and spread it across their laps. “You thought of everything.”
She grinned. “That also might have been Libby.”
“I’m deciding whether it had been a mistake to have Libby assigned to you or a moment of sheer genius.”
“We’re a perfect match—either way you look at it.”
“Did you have tea with Mary and Eleanor?”
She laughed. “Eleanor really hates that stuff.”
He grimaced. “She doesn’t seem to live in either world—not the aristocrats or the serving class. She wasn’t happy as a housemaid. I gave her a higher position to take some of the load off, but that wasn’t the problem.”
“She wasn’t used to service.”
He sipped the wine and shifted to lean against a chair, then waited for Stella to move beside him. “None of her family was. You know, she’s not too different than you.”
“Wanting her independence?”
He nodded. “I found a small cabin with a bit of property just down the road. Turned out she already had her eye on a place. She said it was both close and just far enough away.” He shook his head.
“You bought the property?”
“She insisted on a loan.”
Stella turned and rubbed his arm. Her touch sent a shot of warmth up his spine. “She still owes you money?”
“You know how stubborn she is.” He pushed a hand through his hair as he considered his friend. “But no, not anymore.”
She leaned back, staring into the fire. “Good.”
He watched her, gauging what her reaction would be. “It was paid off with a portion of the coins from Gemini’s trunk.” Gemini had kept a small trunk filled with all types of coins. After her death, Stella had asked Barrington to hide it from the magistrate, preferring Beckworth find a good use of them.
“How had she been paying you back?” Stella liked Eleanor from the first time they’d met. They’d been on the run, but when they showed up on Eleanor’s doorstep, Stella had rolled up her sleeves and helped with dinner.
