Chasing Eliza Page 3

  His slow approach also gave him time to study her closely. She was standing wide-eyed and trembling next to the bed. The window behind her was unencumbered by curtains allowing the soft glow of moonlight to bathe her in its gentle glow. She looked like an angel as she stood encased in the shimmering light; a fallen angel. The soft mounds of her breasts trembled with each breath she took, tempting him to see for himself if they were as delectably soft as they looked. The wayward strand of hair that had bothered her so much throughout the night had been joined by the rest of her wild mass of curls that lay over her shoulders in a silken cloak. His fingers curled into his palms as the need to slide his hands into the tumbling cascade swept through him.

  From a few feet away she stared up at him, her eyes round with fear. As he drew to a halt her gaze drifted, passing over him curiously before she realised what she was doing and her gaze snapped back upwards and caught him returning the favour.

  A telltale blush stole through her cheeks and she lost some of her fear as she glared up at him.

  Ignoring her silent warning he shifted infinitesimally closer, coming to a stop mere inches from her. He drew himself upright, well aware that she had to crane her neck upwards to look at his face. It wasn’t the first time he had used his height to his advantage, and he had no hesitation in using it again in this situation. He wanted her to understand it was futile trying to avoid the next few moments.

  Eliza shivered as she studied the dips and hollows of his shadowed face. She had thought his eyes were dark when he was downstairs in the side room but standing in the moonlight before her, the obsidian orbs positively glistened with menace. He was a huge tower of imposing masculinity calling to her femininity, issuing a stark warning that made her quiver in trepidation.

  Edward drew to a stop and watched as she inched backwards carefully, her eyes large pools of molten fear. He inched forwards closing the distance once more and he almost smiled when she immediately took another step backwards. Again and again he used his height to usher her towards the wall and watched as she took one final step backwards and gasped as she bumped into the cold surface of the rough stone wall behind her.

  Her eyes popped wide – the expression in them confirmed she had never met anyone like him, nor had sexual knowledge of men. He watched a myriad of emotions sweep over her face; fear warred for supremacy with curiosity before she tried to sidestep him.

  He hid a smile and immediately moved in her way, silently challenging her to push him. To lay a hand upon him to force him to move and give her the space she wanted. He had never treated any woman in such a way. Effectively directing her with nothing more than his sheer masculine presence and he was quite impressed with his own endeavours. She was wary and undoubtedly as aware of him as he was of her.

  Eliza felt the cold surface of the wall at her back and wondered how he had managed it. He had ushered her, directed her to his own command without uttering a single word. She paused and glared up at him, her stubborn chin tilted in defiance. Her heart pounded as she felt the wild urge to run, get away from him and the threat he posed to her. Without hesitation she moved to dart around him only to find herself caught around the waist and hoisted off her feet before being held tight against him.

  The sudden contact of her flesh against his was enough to make them both pause. He felt her indrawn breath and the sudden tensing of her spine, along with his own physical reaction to holding her flush against him. She looked at him, her eyes wide... the procession of roiling emotions that flickered through her dark gaze held him spellbound.

  Her hands instinctively sought the masculine solidity of him and now lay on the broad width of his chest.

  Her eyes snapped up to his.

  His gaze dropped to her soft lips, now parted just a little. He groaned low in his throat and covered them with his.

  The petal-soft sweetness hinted at a sensual innocence that teased and intrigued him. He hadn’t intended for things to go this far and knew he should stop, draw back and give her the space she needed to run. If she had the wisdom to do so, which given the tentative way she was returning the silken glide of his lips was something she undoubtedly didn’t have.

  One taste was what he had promised himself. He couldn’t bear to release her without tasting her, without seeing for himself if she really was as sweet tasting as she appeared. He couldn’t bring himself to leave not giving his clamouring senses some reward.

  He kept the caress gentle and unthreatening, taking far more from her than was wise but not wanting to break their hold just yet. His patience was rewarded when after several moments her curiosity overwhelmed her fear of him and she began to tentatively copy his lips until she was readily returning his kiss.

  Sensing victory, he swooped, skilfully manipulating her interest, promising her sensual delights he set about captivating her senses with simple kisses laced with temptation she found impossible to resist.

  Eliza sank into his arms, aware that he closed them around her, drawing her closer to his warmth.

  He breathed deeply, inhaling the delicate scent of her as his tongue traced the lower lip, waiting for her ultimate submission. He was rewarded once more when after a moment of brief hesitation her lips tentatively opened beneath his. It was all he needed and within moments had dipped his tongue into the moist recesses of her mouth, tasting her as he wished while she stood soft and compliant in his arms.

  One taste was all he had promised himself, but now he had the taste of her on his lips he knew that would never be enough. Slowly he drew back and watched as her lids lifted revealing lambent pools of innocent wonder staring expectantly back at him. Madness overtook him and despite everything, he felt the driving urge to possess her, to take everything she would so readily give him and damn the consequences.

  It was the thought of consequences that were enough to douse the flames that burned through him and give him the strength he needed to draw back, giving them both enough space to consider the ramifications of their actions.

  “Go and lie down.” He murmured softly, cursing himself for being a fool and trying to teach her anything. He wondered if it would rebound on him and he would be the one ‘learning a lesson’. He sent a mental plea of forgiveness from Peter for what he was about to do.

  “What?” Eliza struggled to form thought through the warmth that seeped through her and she stared hungrily at his lips as he stared down at her.

  “Lie down on the bed.” He repeated, drawing backwards. He held one trembling hand in his and eased her slowly around to sit on the small bed beside them.

  Eliza instinctively shook her head and made no attempt to do as she was told. Despite the thick haze of passion that hummed through her, she wasn’t so lost to her desires that she would allow that to happen. Even if the power of his kiss was enough to make her forget who she was, or where she was.

  “Lie down Eliza.” He didn’t have to try to keep his voice low and hushed to ensure her compliance. The husky timbre to his voice was pure arousal. Although he had no intention of making love to her, everything within him clamoured to taste her one more time before he drew back and kept his distance for the remainder of their association. He would face the hell of meeting her knowing she belonged to Peter if she did turn out to be Jemima, later. Until then however he wanted her with a fierceness that made his senses reel.

  He struggled to focus on the matter at hand, and the need to gain her trust and compliance. Intimidating her hadn’t got him the outcome he needed, so he was reverting to plan b and wasn’t averse to attempting minor seduction to gain her compliance. If he happened to enjoy the encounter, then it was the least reward he deserved for his forbearance in enduring the physical discomfort he was now in.

  Eliza sat in the middle of the small bed, trembling with desire. She watched as he sat close, the sharp protrusion of his hip poking her thigh. All of her life she had longed to know what it was like to be kissed like this; as a woman desired. A gentle lick of desire curled deep inside warming her to
her very toes. She made no protest as his head lowered over hers once more, and curled her trembling fingers into the soft folds of his shirt to steady herself against the sensual onslaught of his mouth.

  His head slanted over hers as he deepened the kiss. He hand he slid into her hair tugged the coiled tendrils loose until they cascaded in silken abandon around her shoulders. The hot probing of his tongue inside her mouth was enticing and she clung to his strength, silently seeking his reassurance.

  After a heartbeat of initial hesitation, Eliza began to copy his advances and within moments tongues met and tangled; teeth nipped and breaths mingled as the noise of the busy inn melted away.

  He tasted of masculine heat and untamed wildness that was almost primeval against her feminine softness. Despite her innocence she could feel the leashed tension shimmering just beneath the surface and quivered in feminine anticipation.

  “Eliza.” He groaned, his voice gravelling with arousal.

  “We can’t do this.” Eliza murmured, sucking in a deep breath and immediately regretting it when the soft mounds of her breasts pushed into the solid wall of his chest eliciting a low moan from him.

  “I know.” Edward whispered, starting to draw back and create some distance between them. He took one glance at her sitting on the bed and relented to the demands of his flesh, swooping down to capture her startled lips in a fierce hold neither could break.

  His hands clamped firmly in her hair, holding her still against his marauding mouth as he abandoned all pretences of civility and kissed her as he really wanted to. His tongue probed deep, demanding her compliance and accepting nothing less than her total acquiescence. The sheer power of him as he eased her down on to the cool sheets battered her already whirling wits. She couldn’t have protested even if she wanted to.

  He braced his weight on the palms of his hands on either side of her head, trapping her with nothing more than the force of his presence and his mouth as easily as if he had shackled her. The tempting pressure of his chest brushed teasingly against the soft mounds of her breasts as he took a breath made her senses reel and her head whirl with giddy sensation.

  Eliza was helpless to do anything but return the silken glide of his lips as she gave in to the demands of his marauding mouth. She was only vaguely aware of the gentle dip of the bed as he shifted to lie down beside her and could do little but lie compliant as his arms encased her and the hot spear of his tongue cajoled hers into mutual exploration.

  Her fingers slowly opened like petals on a rose, releasing the soft folds of his shirt and she tentatively pushed against the firm muscle and bone, gauging the strength that lay shimmering beneath the warm skin. She could feel the rapid thud of his heart beneath her fingers betraying his need for her and felt a thrill of feminine delight that she could have such a profound effect on a man as ruthlessly masculine as -.

  She mentally frowned at the realisation that she didn’t even know his name. A wave of shame swept over her at the ease in which he had manipulated her onto the bed and skilfully seduced her onto her back in order to take everything she so readily offered.

  She was nothing more than a wanton whore, she thought morosely, a cold wave of reality sweeping away all traces of passion on a tide of remorse.

  Edward sensed the change in her and reluctantly softened the kiss. Had he frightened her with the depth of his need for her? Mentally cursing, he released his hold on her head and slowly trailed a hand down to caress the soft peach-tinged flesh of her cheek.

  “No.” Eliza murmured, turning her head to one side as he dipped his head for another kiss.

  “Eliza.” Edward sought to reassure her, uncertain what had caused such a sudden change in her.

  Eliza looked up at him before abruptly shaking her head and looking away, into the darkness of the far corner of the room.

  Her rejection was like a slap in the face. He studied her pale cheek for several moments, using the time to allow his blood to cool. “What is it?” He whispered softly, his blunt fingers drew her chin towards him until she reluctantly met his gaze.

  “I don’t even know your name.” Eliza’s voice trembled with the confusing swirl of emotions that thundered through her. She didn’t know what to make of the last few minutes, but they had shaken her to her very core, not only the intimacy of what they had done but her need for his commanding presence around her. She shivered as the warmth haze of passion began to subside, leaving her bereft despite the heat emanating from his body now lying flush against her side.

  “My name is Edward.” His gentle smile of understanding did little to offer her any reassurance and instead made her feel worse.

  “I can’t.” She shook her head in emphasis, unable to phrase the words to explain her sudden reticence in allowing their intimacy to continue.

  “Eliza.” Edward’s voice hardened imperceptibly, although still soft it held a hint of warning that was unmistakeable. The meaning behind it was lost on her, she was still struggling with the tumult of emotions surging through her.

  “I won’t be your whore.” She glared defensively up at him despite their intimate position.

  “I paid a high price for you.” He wasn’t at all certain he meant that with any sense of monetary value, but his emotions still roiled dangerously close to the surface despite knowing she could really be Jemima and he would be faced with the difficult situation of having been intimate with one of his relations.

  “Oh God!” Eliza gasped, embarrassment sweeping through her.

  “It’s not what you think.” Edward replied, holding her firm against him to prevent her from leaving the bed altogether, or at least until they had resolved matters between them. “I-.”

  “Why did you kiss me then?” Her eyes shot hot sparks of temper at him through the darkness. It was suddenly very important to know what he really wanted with her. Every feminine instinct she possessed told her that he wanted her, and would have undoubtedly made love to her if she had let things continue. His reaction to her withdrawal was not as she expected, especially from someone who had seemingly paid Bernard a high price for her.

  “Because I wanted to.” His voice was husky with the remnants of desire that he hadn’t quite managed to extinguish altogether. He blinked and drew a breath, meeting her gaze directly. Should he try and seduce her into compliance again? Or should he drop all of his poor attempts at subterfuge before they backfired on him completely, and just question her here and now?

  Eliza studied him closely. He was a masterful seducer who had taken advantage of her inexperience to rattle her, to weaken her resolve in order to question her. Whether he had actually intended to make love to her or not, she wasn’t certain but the knowledge that he had an alternative agenda to wanting to be with her piqued her feminine pride. It hardened her resolve not to allow him further intimacies. Although she had enjoyed the experience and hadn’t felt the least bit threatened by his kisses, allowing any more was tempting fate.

  “You paid for my body.” Eliza moaned, feeling a surge of humiliation that brought tears to her eyes. She had been lost in the thick haze of passion he had so easily conjured within her, willing to forget her current predicament to experience everything he offered and all the while he had been getting his money’s worth.

  “I paid to be alone with you – there’s a difference.” Edward knew she wanted to leap off the bed and put some distance between them and as casually as possible, drew his leg up until it rested over her thighs, effectively pinning her to the bed.

  Her hand instinctively pushed against the firm muscle of his thigh and she paused in surprise. His thigh was rock hard and heavy, she had no way of moving it until he chose to release her. The thought irked her wayward temper and she felt her blood begin to boil at the thought of being under his command.

  “Now you have me alone, what do you want?” Despite her wide, shocked eyes, Edward could see she was curious and knew if he had any hope of getting the truth out of her, he had to use that curiosity to his advantage.
>
  “I want to know what you know about Jemima. Is she your sister, or are you really her?” Edward murmured, effectively encasing her in his protective hold by reaching an arm across her body, ostensibly to pick up a curl from the shimmering mass and curl it around his finger.

  Eliza knew he was toying with far more than her hair, but couldn’t seem to break free from the sensual web he had woven oh so easily around her. Had he really only paid for her information? She frowned and considered the passion they had shared. Had it really all been about his need for the truth? The idea that she had been the only one experiencing the jumble of sensations added to her humiliation and hardened her resolve not to tell him anything. Whatever he had paid Bernard had been a high price indeed, she thought harshly and tried hard not to glare at him in feminine fury. Was she foolish to have expected anything else? She considered she was, after all men like Edward were probably used to women practically falling at their feet daily. Given his interest in her sister and the differences in their circumstance, she knew it was highly unlikely that in any other situation he would even look twice at someone like her.

  “I’ve told you, I am Eliza – Jemima’s sister.” Eliza whispered, feeling the sting of tears she refused to let fall.

  “Eliza.” He whispered, studying the shimmering moisture hovering on her long lashes. He was immediately swept with unfamiliar feelings of such tenderness that all thoughts of passion were immediately swept to one side. He felt like a fumbling oaf for upsetting her and regretted allowing the true depth of his desire for her to show especially given she was still a novice in the art of lovemaking. Had it been the strength of passion between them that had frightened her to tears, or the mention of her sister that had upset her so?