Page 41 of Broken

With a sigh, he brushed her hair back and placed the plate in her lap. “Eat something more and then rest. You will be better for it.” He squeezed her arm, then walked to the writing desk again with stiff movements and returned to his papers.

* * *

A short time later, Lilly stirred. Giles heard her feet hit the floor with a thud. Instead of turning immediately, he hesitated. He knew what he would see.

Everything he wanted. More than she should give to a man like him. He didn’t want to turn around and catch another glimpse of her breasts through the thin silk, but he also couldn’t stand not to watch over her.

Desperately Giles wished he had found a robe in his sister’s wardrobe before today, but he had never remembered to locate one. He would send Mrs. Osprey to hunt for one today or, if he could bear to leave Lilly alone again, he would find one himself.

Bracing himself, Giles turned. Lilly was still holding on to the bed and exposed a great length of leg to his hungry eyes. Fighting the urge to hurry, Giles stood slowly and went to her, threading his arm around Lilly’s waist as naturally as if he had done it a hundred times before.

She resisted initially, but soon gave up when his viselike grip on her waist refused to yield. It was either that or allow his hand to roam where it wanted.

Without a word, Giles led her across the room to the screened corner, and then stepped out into the hall, giving her privacy and him time to control his rampant erection. He flung open the door to his sister’s overstuffed bedchamber and searched for a robe. He found one in the third drawer and snatched it up, hurrying to return to Lilly.

At the doorway, Giles swayed back. That chemise was too damn thin. The light streaming in behind Lilly had turned it transparent. His breathing hitched as he made out the swell of her breasts beneath the silk, the curve of her tiny waist, the flare of her hips, and the near-invisible pale curls between her legs. His body’s response, which had not died away, roared out of his control and tented the front of his trousers in a very obvious way.

Giles drew the robe in front of his groin.

Teeth gritted, he crossed to Lilly’s side, moving his traitorous body behind her and out of her line of sight. He’d always heard virgins were devilishly prickly about the sight of an erection at close range. He did not want to do anything else to lower her opinion of him.

Sliding the pink silk around Lilly’s shoulders, he waited while her arms found the sleeves. Then he gathered the sides to cross them over her body before tying the sash and flattened his hands over her belly.

Lilly stiffened as he pulled her into his embrace, letting her touch arouse him further. His cock ached as he brushed against her tiny body. He couldn’t hide his desire.

Standing this close together, he could rest his chin on the top of her head, but instead angled it so he could press his lips against her hair. He swayed, drawing Lilly with him, unwilling to ignore the curious sensation of winding himself around her without either one of them moving.

They stayed like that a while and Giles wondered what she thought of him holding her. Lilly had not said a word and he was loath to be the first to pull back. He loved this too much, her warmth, her smell, her trust in him.

A touch as light as the wind brushed against his fingers and let him know that she was not appalled at his behavior. “This is like dancing, isn’t it?” Her voice wavered as she snuggled into him, tempting his desire higher than he wished.

“Yes, almost,” he returned, but that was another lie. He’d never suffered an erection while dancing with any lady of the ton. Not in all his years of wicked decadence.

“I used to like to dance, but it has been so long I’ve probably forgotten all the steps. The waltz looks divine. Do you know how to dance it?”

“I have tried it a time or two, yes,” he assured her, moving his hips against her bottom without meaning to.

“Would you teach me someday, Giles?” Lilly shook her head, brushing her blonde hair against his skin. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked that.”

Her head dipped away and she looked down at the floor. Her fingers burrowed under his, trying to get free, but Giles was having none of that. Yesterday had been a mistake, and he fully intended to make it up to Lilly as quickly as he could.

He lowered his mouth to her ear. “I will teach you now. How about that?”

Despite his self-recriminations that he was moving too fast, he brushed his erection against her backside one last time and stepped back. Erection still outstanding, he turned Lilly to face him and she looked up. Her eyes were bright with confusion and pleasure, each warring for dominance.

Giles took her hands, placed one against his shoulder and took the other in his. He wrapped his arm around her back so it rested high between her shoulder blades and away from the temptation of her rear.

“This is the correct posture for dancing the waltz. The proper distance must be maintained at all times, or the woman will be censured by her peers and the man applauded by his fellows. Be sure to be the one to maintain the distance and do not rely on the man to do so, all right?”

Giles started them moving, slowly at first until Lilly got the hang of the steps. He knew the exact moment Lilly acknowledge his aroused state. Her hand flexed in his, gripping tightly, but she still watched downward. He tried not to become more aroused than he was.

A foolish wish.

He twirled her around slowly, conscious that too much spinning would not be good for her head but determined not to disappoint her. Giles persistently drew her closer, making Lilly enforce the distance between them until he gave up trying and just enjoyed dancing with her.

A knock on the door separated them. Giles gave Lilly a moment to scamper back into bed before he acknowledged the knock. Dithers opened the door, peering at him and Lilly, then opened the door wide.

A maid entered, Maisie or Daisy—he could never tell them apart—bearing linen, and then the rest of his staff followed, carrying tableware and a dinner designed to please two.