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I nearly laughed. Judging by the straining package in my hand, he could come in more ways than one.
“Of course you can.” I slid my hand again.
He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “I shouldn’t.”
That’s what he said. But his grip went from stopping my hand to guiding it. I grinned, following his lead, moving slowly up and down.
“Poor little monk needs some relief,” I teased.
“Big monk,” he grumbled.
I chuckled, letting my lips brush his ear. “You want this. I want this.”
“I want a lot of things, but…”
Somewhere down the hall, something scuffed, and we froze. Then we relaxed. Just a cat — and not the extra-large one I wanted in my bed.
“Marian,” he started in a Try to be reasonable tone he was probably more used to hearing than using. “I’m already bound for hell. But you…”
I laughed. “Arthur Richardson helped me get over that hurdle when I was seventeen.”
“Arthur who?” he growled in a completely different tone.
My laugh carried down the dark hall. “Arthur Richardson, the blacksmith’s son. Big hands, big body…” I smiled at the sweet memories. “He was just as clueless as I was back then, but we learned fast. Then there was George, the carpenter’s boy. Lovely lad, and when it came to using his tools—”
Tuck groaned and thumped his head against the wall. “Too much information.”
I laughed. “Sorry to tease, but you see my point?”
He grimaced. “About big hands and tools?”
I shook my head. “That was just fun and games, but even then, I knew something that feels so good can’t be bad. And being with you… It’s like we were meant to be together. How can that be wrong?”
“It is good,” he murmured, holding me close. “Like a dream. But—”
I cut him off, shaking my head. “Tonight, no buts. Tonight, we get to do anything we want. We can be anyone we want.” I smiled, touching his lips. “Like a brave knight getting his just reward from a lady whose eye he caught.”
His eyes sparkled, and he glanced down at his groin. “More like, she caught me.”
I laughed too loudly, then pulled him into my room. “See? Another reason to come in. Noise.”
And, whoosh — the fire in his eyes flared.
“Noise, huh?”
I nodded, tugging him toward the bed. “Noise control, plus, this candle is going to be a fire hazard if I’m not careful. And I have no plans to be careful tonight.”
“Are you saying this is all part of a dastardly plan?”
Ha. I was making this up as I went along, but it was nice that he thought me capable of engineering an escape, rallying loyal allies, and laying plans for a steamy night, all at the same time.
“I’m good at multitasking,” I bluffed. “Now, don’t move, unless it’s to take off that robe. I need a moment.”
With that, I lit the candles on the near side of the bed, then circled around to do the same on the far side. Each caught with a faint sizzle, then glowed restlessly, much like me. Placing the candlestick among them, I locked eyes with Tuck. Between us was the bed, the last physical obstacle other than our clothes.
I raised my hands to my collar and started unlacing my dress.
Across the bed, Tuck’s breath hitched. Slowly, he moved his hands to his belt.
