A Thin Line (23 page)

He had begun to doze, a combination of the warmth and the brandy when he heard a thud and a curse.
 
Startled awake, he jumped to his feet, the brandy spilling down his waistcoat.
 
He saw Kala and relaxed a bit until he saw that she wore her nightgown and dressing robe.

“What are you doing down here?” He asked her a bit harshly, tearing at the buttons of his waistcoat to remove the wet, sticky mess.

“I wanted to talk to you in private.
 
Judith helped me down the stairs.
 
I bumped into the table though,” she said, rubbing the top of her thigh.

“And she let you come down wearing that?”

“I’m decently covered.”

“What do you want?”
 

She heard him walk away from her and then the tinkling of glass.
 
“What are you doing?”

“Pouring myself another drink.”

“Another?”

“Don’t get all prudish.
 
Most of the last one is all over my waistcoat.”

“Oh,” she began to walk cautiously across the room, her hands well in front of her searching for a chair.

“Oh hell,” he muttered before grabbing her arm and leading her to a chair.
 
“Here, sit before you hurt yourself again.”

“May I have a drink?”

“Here,” he pushed his glass into her hands and noticed they trembled.
 
The events of this afternoon had really shaken her.

“Gabe, I just wanted you to know you don’t have to go through with this.”

“Of course I do.”

“No.
 
Your grandmother will say nothing and we do not have to tell your mother.
 
Besides she hates me and would find excuses for it not to happen anyway.”

“Mother hates everyone,” he muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”
 

“Your grandmother has promised me she will not say a word to anyone and the servants all know better.”

“What of Lord and Lady Lunsford?”

“Can’t we convince those left in town that they didn’t really see what they think they saw?”

“Kala, your bodice laid ripped open exposing your natural wonders for all to see.
 
I lay on top of you and we were kissing.
 
How do you suppose we convince them we were innocent?
 
Hell, I don’t know that I would believe it if I hadn’t been there and well and truly involved.”

“I will slip out of town and return to Mama and Papa.
 
Let the gossips talk.
 
I won’t be returning next year anyway.
 
I am done with all these supercilious people.
 
It will take the talk away from Lady Clarissa,” she threw back the brandy left in the glass.

“I don’t think so.”

She hunched her shoulders over, her sable hair covered her face from his view.
 
He thought he heard a snuffle, but couldn’t be sure.
 
“Mikala?”

“Damn you, Gabriel,” her face came up but her eyes were dry.
 
“Just let me go.
 
I will move to the country where I had originally planned.
 
Please.
 
Somewhere that nobody knows me.
 
If you will loan me a bit of money, I will see you repaid plus interest.
 
The more I think on it, the more I know I can’t return to Mama and Papa.
 
They would be so embarrassed.
 
Just let me go,” he watched in astonishment as tears began to cling to her sable lashes.
 
They were beginning to fill back in, and promised to be thicker than before.
 
What happened to the little termagant that he normally dealt with?
 
He didn’t quite know how to deal with this show of emotion.

He took a deep breath and a fortifying drink before beginning.
 
“Kala, this is the only way.
 
You have to trust me on this.”

“This marriage won’t work, Gabe.
 
We can’t even be in the same room together for five minutes without fighting.”
 
She pulled her lower lip through her teeth, worrying it.
 
Gabe shifted trying to relieve the tightness that had developed in his pants since he saw her in her negligee.

“We’ll have to manage.”

“Manage?
 
Dammit, Gabe.
 
Let me leave and forget that any of this ever happened.
 
There might be a little talk, but nothing you can’t weather.
 
You’re a duke, people will forget.
 
You can marry Clarissa and everything will be fine once more.”

Gabe stood, rapidly crossed the few steps to her and jerked her up in front of him.
 
His hands were clasped tightly on her upper arms, and she brought her hands up between them in a defensive manner.
 

“You listen closely, Mikala, and you listen well.
 
There is some sick man out there that wants to kill you.
 
He almost did it again today, plus more.
 
I am not letting you out of my sight until we find him.”

“We don’t have to marry for that.
 
We have chaperones in the house to...” her words were muffled by his mouth covering hers.
 
She tore her mouth away.
 
“Would you quit doing that?”

“I don’t think so,” he shifted one arm behind her back to hold her close while his other hand held her head in place.
 
She felt his firm lips tease hers.

“Gabe,” she attempted to say, but instead felt shock when his tongue slipped into her mouth.
 
She stiffened at the intrusion.
 
Southerby had kissed her, and then she had been mauled in the attack earlier, but neither could be compared to this.

“I’m sorry.
 
It is too soon after what happened to you.”

“No, I mean.
 
Well, could you help me make new memories?”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to forget about what that other man did.”

“Less than a minute ago you wanted me to let you disappear.”

“I’m sorry.
 
You’re right.
 
I am acting like a wanton.”
 
She wrapped her arms around her waist and turned her back to him, forcing his arms to drop away from her.
 
“Gabe, you really don’t have to marry me.
 
I planned on ending my season early even before I lost my sight.
 
I just don’t fit in.
 
There is a little cottage I made inquiries into.
 
Perhaps that would be the best for all.”

She heard a heavy sigh behind her before a pair of hands settled on her shoulders and turned her around.
 
She felt his lips softly brush the top of her head.
 
“Relax,” she heard him whisper in her ear.
 
Both of his hands moved up and cradled her face, his fingers speared into her hair.
 
She could feel his thumbs wiping at any remnants of tears that were on her cheeks.
 
“Kala,” he murmured before his lips began to tease hers.

“No,” she pulled away from him.
 
“Don’t do this.
 
You don’t want me.
 
Let me leave, please.”

“Dammit, Mikala Ann Simmons, quit fighting me.
 
There is no escaping this mess we’re in.”

“You know, you’re my brother’s best friend not my keeper.
 
You don’t have to ruin your life because of me.
 
Don’t do this because you are being nice.”
 

“Believe, me, right now I feel anything but nice,” he growled before capturing her lips and cutting off any more arguments she might have given.

Not being able to see, she could focus solely on the feel, smell and taste of him.
 
She could taste the brandy he had been drinking.
 
It left her feeling heady.
 
He was surprisingly gentle for such a large man.
 
He coaxed her tongue into sparring with his, which made warmth rush through her body.
 
She heard a moan and realized it came from her.
 
Her arms reached around him and covered his back.
 
Her breasts flattened against his hard chest, tingling at the contact.

He turned them in a circle so that he now sat in the chair, and pulled her down onto his lap.
 
In this position he could not hide his reaction to her, and she thrilled with the knowledge that he responded to her like that.
 
That had worried her most—that he only thought of her as a sister.
 
Brothers definitely did not think of their sisters in this manner.

Gabe felt relief that the attack this afternoon had not scarred her from passion as he feared it had.
 
Her response to him incited him.
 
He would have to keep a tight rein on his passion if she were to leave this night still a virgin.
 
He felt her tongue dart into his mouth and he felt a low moan rumble in his chest.

Kala took his moan into her mouth and allowed him to deepen the kiss even more.
 
She shifted so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and run her fingers through his tousled hair.
 
Her hand cupped his stubbled cheek, and ran her thumb along the smooth line of the scar.
 
He has so many wonderful textures
, she thought dreamily.
 
She felt him pull away and drop kisses on her eyes then he nibbled on her ear lobes, each in turn.
 

He pushed her away, and she couldn’t contain the, “No,” that escaped her lips.

“Shhh,” he whispered capturing her lips once more.
 
She felt the tie at her waist loosen then give way.
 
Soon the tie at her neck also became loose.
 
She felt her nightgown part and the warm air hit her flushed skin.
 
“Beautiful,” he murmured softly.
 
“Kala, you are so beautiful.”

“Gabe,” she heard herself whimper.
 
Was that really her sounding like a wanton?
 
She felt his hand cover one of her breasts and she stiffened at the contact.
 

“Kala, what is it?”

“Nothing,” she murmured trying to pull him back down for a kiss.

“No,” he removed his hand from her breast and pulled her dressing gown together.
 
“What’s wrong?”

“He. . .he touched me there today.
 
He hurt me,” it pained her to admit this.

“Kala, you know I am not him, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I will stop whenever you want me to.
 
You only have to tell me.”
 
He let her sit there for a few moments and mull over his words.
 
“Kala?”

“Kiss me again, please.”
 
He complied and bent towards her touching his lips to hers.
 
She became frustrated at his teasing kisses and attempted to deepen the kiss.
 
“Not like that, like before,” she whispered when he wouldn’t comply with her manipulations.
 
They were lost in each other before Gabe broke the silence.

“May I touch you?”
 
She nodded her agreement with little hesitation.
 
“Are you certain?”

“Yes, Gabe.
 
Please, I ache.
 
Make it stop.”
 
He pulled open her dressing gown once more to expose her alabaster globes with their blush colored tips.
 
Gabe then ran the back of his large fingers over the smooth slopes.
 
There were still faint teeth marks from her earlier assault and he rubbed them tenderly as if hoping to erase the imprints.
 
He savored the way she felt against his skin, smooth and silky.
 

Kala bit her lip as she felt his large, calloused hand gently cupped her right breast.
 
She arched her back into his touch and felt his hand squeeze lightly in answer to her silent question.
 
Kala bit back her moan as his thumb began to glide back and forth over the nipple.
 
She couldn’t help wiggling on his lap.
 

“Have mercy, Kala,” he whispered hoarsely placing a hand on her outside hip to hold her still.
 
She could feel his hot, hard manhood pressing into her hip through several layers of clothing.
 
His warm breath caressed her neck as he placed delicate kisses on her flesh.
 
He began moving the kisses down her body and she arched into them.
 

“Gabe, you’re killing me.”

“That’s the idea,” he murmured, and she felt the vibrations of his chuckle on the upper slope of her breast.

“Do something,” she whispered.

His mouth captured one hardened tip of her breast and began to suckle gently as his thumb and forefinger teased the other tightened bud.
 
One of her hands grabbed on to the back of the chair while the other held him in place.
 
Her breathing came in harsh pants.
 
He pulled away to lavish the same attention to her other breast.
 
“Oh,” she sighed out in a long breath.