Page 86 of Enticing the Devil

“So, this is what you’ve been doing each night? Waiting until I’m asleep so you can sneak in and then sneak back out again before I awake in the morning?”

He paused in the process of loosening the neck of his shirt before he gave a huff and dragged the garment up over his head.

“I didn’t want to disturb you,” he muttered.

As his bared torso was revealed in the faint glow from the hearth, Anne’s breath stilled and her mind went momentarily blank. She suddenly wished she’d kept the fire going longer so its light might illuminate her husband’s strong form more clearly. Even so, what she could see of his muscled body sent tingling thrills along her nerves.

Then he stood and walked around to the far side of the bed, and without another word, he pulled the covers back and lay down, still wearing his breeches.

Anne remained in the chair for a few long minutes as she considered the situation.

He was clearly intent upon ignoring her. She wouldn’t put it past him to pretend to fall asleep in the next few minutes just to avoid further discussion. Did he really think he could just continue sleeping beside her without any acknowledgement? Was she supposed to just lie down and accept the boundaries he’d set in their marriage?

It had been too long since she’d last challenged his decisions. Decisions that affected her as much as him.

She’d decided on seduction.

No better time than the present to start.

Rising swiftly to her feet, she let the blanket fall to the chair as she strode purposefully to her side of the bed. Drawing back the covers, she slipped between the sheets. Lying on her back, she could hear the even rise and fall of his breath, but beyond that, he remained intensely still.

Rolling to her side to face him, she tucked one hand beneath her cheek and studied his profile. His eyes were closed. The covers were draped low across his body and one of his hands rested over his abdomen. His hand nearest to her was propped beneath his head.

She lay there for a long time—watching the rise and fall of his chest, breathing in his scent, soaking up the warmth of his nearness—while a myriad of emotions swirled through her. There was a breathless sort of anticipation tightening her chest and a tingling in her belly that extended to her fingers and toes. The desire to be daring and bold overwhelmed her, but a stubborn thread of fear held her back.

What if she reached across the few inches that separated them and he rejected her touch?

If he’d wanted her, surely, he’d have come to her.

She thought of the kisses they’d shared. The tenderness and the fire in his embrace. She recalled the passion and desperation in his eyes when he’d laid claim to her body—when she’d readily surrendered to the desire between them.

She wanted to feel that again.

Her hand trembled as she slid it across the smooth surface of the mattress. There was a chance he’d shrink from her touch and devastate the uncertain hope welling in her heart.

But what if he didn’t?

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