Bemused, and with her sensual desires awakened and unsatisfied, Emma climbed the stairs to her bedchamber. As she prepared for bed, she felt restless. Aaron had ignited feelings deep inside her that she had not known existed. Lovemaking was new to her. Of course she’d imagined what it would be like to be taken into a man’s arms and be made passionate love to, but the chance for it to actually happen had never occurred…until now. Dare she go in search of Aaron and tempt him to finish what he had started? And if she did, how would he respond?
Even when Emma had been alone with Lord Stratton, he had never done anything except hold her hand and proposed marriage. Not once had he tried to kiss her. And although at the time, she had felt affronted by Lord Stratton’s physical disinterest, she’d not been displeased.
Yet strangely, when Aaron called a halt to their lovemaking, she had felt a fierce sense of frustration and disappointment. She wasn’t sure how she would have reacted had they continued making love, but she knew she wanted more than he had given.
Emma wasn’t sure what Aaron’s intentions had been when he had kissed her. Had he also felt the growing attraction between them, or had he simply indulged in too much wine, and with his faculties blurred, exceeded the bounds of gallant behavior?
Perhaps she was indeed mistaken in thinking him a true gentleman. And if that was the case, her plan to seduce him would have to be aborted.
If truth be told, she didn’t think she was capable of seducing Aaron or any other man of her acquaintance. She thought she didn’t have the experience or the skill to do so. But tonight, come what may, she intended to daringly knock on his bedchamber door and offer him the chance to make love to her, and she wished he would accept.
Removing her gown and shaking the worst of the crumpled creases from the dress, she laid it over the back of a chair and hoped it would be tidy enough to wear in the morning. Discovering her nightshift wasn’t in her portmanteau, Emma decided to sleep in her chemise. It wasn’t what she was accustomed to, but for tonight the simple cotton shift would have to do.
Ready for bed, but not yet ready to sleep, she listened for Aaron’s return. She assumed he was still with the horses in the stables, for there had been no squeak on the old, rickety stairs and no noise of his bedchamber door opening and closing.
As time passed, she began to wonder why Aaron hadn’t returned. Perhaps he had discovered something was amiss with one of the horses and was compelled to stay in the barn. Or perhaps something had happened to Aaron himself to impede his return. Uneasy and concerned, she decided to investigate. She was keen to discover what kept him from his bed…and from her intention to seduce him.
Gathering a thick, woolen blanket from where it lay draped across a chair, she arranged it around her shoulders and prepared to go in search of him.
If there was trouble, she needed to know what had occurred and how she could help.
Using the back stairs to avoid passing the rooms full of ale drinkers, Emma left the inn and made her way across the yard in the direction of the barn. The large, wooden outbuilding was where the stables were housed. Once outside, a gust of wind threatened to extinguish the candle she held. But with her hand circled protectively around the flickering flame, she managed to keep it alight as she moved steadily away from the noise of the inn.
She was thankful the summer’s evening wasn’t too chilly. A full moon shone brightly, and there was enough light to make her way to the barn without mishap. Aaron’s phaeton stood in a corner of the courtyard beneath a lean-to; and although the carriage wasn’t housed inside the building, it was undercover and protected from the elements.
Reaching the building, Emma discovered the large, double doors had been shut for the night, but to the side of the main entrance was a smaller door allowing easy access to the stables. Lifting the latch and pushing the door open, she stepped inside.
At the back of the barn the horses had been bedded in their stalls, and above the tack room was a loft where hay was stored. But in the dim darkness, Emma could see no sign of Aaron.
Reaching the horses’ stalls, she held out her hand and rubbed the forelock of the brown mare. The heat from the animals made the stables warm and welcoming.
“I’m sorry, girl. I have not brought you anything to eat. No carrots, no oats, and no…” Emma spied a sack of apples that had been left on the ground near the tack room. She went over and retrieved several apples so she could feed them to the horses.
The ripe, tempting fruit caused a stir, and one of the mares, in her eagerness to get to the treat, kicked against the stall door, sending out a loud clatter of commotion with her hooves.
“Who is there?” someone called out from the hayloft.
Looking up, Emma could just make out the figure of a man, and then she realized it was Aaron who was calling down to her. Kneeling on all fours, he was peering over the edge of the loft and seemed surprised by her presence.
“What are you doing up there?” she asked.
“Put that candle out. Do you want to burn the place down?”
Surprised by the clarity of his reasoning, she realized he was right. There was straw and hay all around, and she had brought a naked flame into the barn with her.
In an instant, she dowsed the flame and the place was thrown into darkness.
“Why have you not come back to the inn?” she asked. “Is there something wrong with the horses? Is that why you’re still here?”
Emma stretched out a hand, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she felt her way to the bottom of the ladder. Leaving the extinguished candle on an upturned crate, she placed one foot after the other on the narrow, wooden rungs and began to climb carefully upward toward the hayloft. The woolen blanket draped around her shoulders and arms hindered her progress, but with caution, she continued the ascent.
Aaron’s voice drifted down to her. “Stay where you are. Do not come any nearer,” he ordered. “Now is not the time, nor is it the place for a discussion, Miss Brentry. Go back to the inn where you will be safe. I will see you in the morning.”
But before Aaron finished his tirade of warning words, Emma had reached the top of the ladder and stretched out her hand searchingly toward him. She could just make out his white shirt, and gripping hold of his arm for support, she scrambled awkwardly onto the firm surface of the loft’s mezzanine floor. She was safe. She had not fallen to her death.
“Why are you still here?” she asked again. “Is there something wrong with the horses?”
“Careful…you might fall.”
Aaron pulled her away from the edge of the platform, and as he did so, they lost their balance and tumbled into the hay. Landing against his muscular body, she heard him gasp.
“Have I injured you?” she asked. Concerned, she rolled onto her back.
In the roof space above was a window through which the full moon was shining. And she could now make out Aaron’s face and features quite clearly.
He had kicked off his Hessian boots and had discarded his tailcoat along with his cravat. Dressed only in his waistcoat, shirt, and pantaloons, he looked shockingly masculine in a most improper way. Their gazes met and locked, and her heart skipped a beat at his nearness.
“I’m fine,” he told her. “There is nothing wrong with me, and there is nothing wrong with the horses. So let me ask you again—why are you here?”
She tried to sit up but became entangled in the blanket that was enveloping her. “I waited for you to return to the inn. When you did not…” Her words trailed off.
“If you must know, I’m not used to sleeping in a bed. When you have been to war, you become accustomed to sleeping wherever and whenever you can,” he told her. “I have slept in some unusual places. Places I would not care to mention. And this loft seemed too inviting for me not to stay here.”
Emma’s hands caught at the edges of the blanket. She felt the need to hold onto something as she daringly asked, “What…more inviting than the bedchamber next to mine?”
“Definitely more inviting. Or perhaps I should say…safer? It is safer for you if I sleep here.” His fingers lifted a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking them carefully behind her ear.
It was now or never. If she was going to make it impossible for him to refuse her advances, now was the time to put her unpretentious plan into action.
Her breasts swelled above the décolletage of her chemise, and she was doing her best to make it hard for Aaron to resist her womanly charms. Warmth spread to her loins. The thought of his hands touching and exploring her body was exciting.
“I do not understand,” she said. “Why safer?” Her tongue licked her lips provocatively, moistening the outline of her mouth.
She could guess what he meant, but she wanted Aaron to explain. He needed to be explicit. She wanted no uncertainty about his manly desire for her. And then Aaron reached out and pulled her roughly into his arms. She was pressed against the hardness of his body.
“Because of this,” he said, plundering her mouth.
His weight forced her down into the softness of the hay beneath them. The pressure of his body as he lay on top of her stirred feelings deep inside. She had never been this close to a man before or held in such an intimate way. But this was what she wanted. All evening she had longed for his touch. The feel of his hands on her body. The taste of his mouth against hers. And now, what she most longed for was within sight. Something about Aaron was different from all the men she had known. She was drawn to him―like a magnet.
She wanted Aaron to make love to her. She wanted him to take her and make her his. She wanted only him.
His tongue teased her lips apart, and as he probed inside her mouth, his hands pushed aside the blanket that was draped protectively around her shoulders. He was exposing her scantily clad body, and the cool of the night air rushed over her. She trembled with longing.
His gaze devoured her, and the covering of her thin, cotton chemise was no barrier for his caressing fingers and searching mouth.
“Miss Brentry…”
Daringly, she began releasing the buttons on his waistcoat, and it was soon cast off and tossed aside to join the other discarded items of clothing.
“Yes…Mr. Trent?” She sighed.
The hurried rise and fall of her breasts as she gasped for air was clearly inflaming his desire. Having kissed the hollow at the base of her neck, he rested his head against hers.
“Emma…we cannot continue. We have to stop. I have told you, I cannot marry you. I cannot marry anyone. I have nothing to offer,” he whispered. “What we are doing is wrong, and I would be a cad if I took advantage of your innocence.”
She gave a nervous laugh and caressed his cheek softly with her hand.
“But this is what I want. Truly it is.”
“You are too young to know what you want,” he told her.
“I am four-and-twenty, and I know my own mind. I’m determined that you shall take me…or whatever it is a man is supposed to do. Aaron, if you will not be my husband, then be my lover…for one night. Just one passionate night. That is all I’m asking of you. Make love to me, please. Teach me what a woman must do to satisfy a man. Show me how a man takes his pleasure.”
Instinctively, Emma knew Aaron would guide and initiate her in the ways of love with tenderness. And so far, much to her delight, he had been nothing but kind and considerate.
The way he cradled her tenderly in his arms gave her hope. He had not refused her fumbling advances. And as his fingers gently caressed her body, it seemed he had not totally rejected the idea of making love to her either.
Aaron’s thumb moved across her lower lip. “You are lovely. You are intelligent. And you will probably marry Stratton, and then―”
“Aaron, I do not know what awaits me when I return to Bath. More than likely I shall indeed be coerced into accepting an unhappy marriage with Lord Stratton, or someone of similar birth and rank. If that comes to pass…well, that will be my fate.”
“You do not seem the type of person to accept such a disastrous conclusion.”
“Generally, I’m not.” She sighed and nestled close against him. “I once had the luxury to pick and choose a partner. I do not have that privilege now. Age is against me. Men do not wish to marry someone my age, and I’m told bearing children might be a problem. If honest, I have to say I’m happy as I am. I do not need a husband…and I do not need a man. But I realize my father has expectations, and having thought carefully about my predicament, I’m quite at peace with my decision. An arranged marriage of convenience will be best for all concerned. Neither party need have false expectations, but first, before I am to enter into a loveless marriage, I would like to experience true desire and true passion with a man of my choice, even if it is only for one night.”
“And you think I am the man to share that experience with?”
Aware of the size and power of his manly body beside her, a violent shiver of desire ran through her.
“I know you are,” she said decisively. “No strings. No ties. Just one night of passion is all I’m asking for.”
To gain Aaron’s sympathy, Emma had indeed stretched the truth. She’d implied she would be forced into a loveless marriage, but in fact, she would never be so weak in character to the extent she would consent to marrying just anyone. She was strong-willed. Strong-minded. And she intended to marry to an advantage.
If she must marry, then she would do so with her head and not with a heart full of false hope. She knew Lord Stratton wouldn’t offer love. He was after one thing and one thing only―the wealth she might bring to the marriage. But if she could find someone with whom she could live comfortably, someone who wouldn’t demand too much from her, she would be prepared to compromise.
Over the years, many admirers hoping to win her hand had come and gone, and her father, a doting parent, had indulged her reluctance to marry. He had waited uncomplainingly for her to find someone she could love, but so far, no suitable candidates had appeared. She had refused all offers. But the time had now come for her to take a husband, and she knew there could be no more delays and no more excuses.
With dauntless confidence, Emma leaned forward and kissed Aaron’s lips. She sought to deepen the kiss, and as their mouths opened, their tongues invaded and explored. She was instantly aware of the hard, jutting force of his arousal pressing against her thighs. She was exciting him, and she felt a sense of womanly power. She was affecting him and making him want her, and to know that was exhilarating.
“Do you think me a wanton woman or just a fool for coming to the barn in search of you?” she asked.
Pushing aside his shirt and placing her hands on his chest, she caressed the smooth contours beneath her fingers. He felt warm to the touch.
“Neither,” he said softly. “If anything, I think you are too naïve and unknowing of what you do. You have no idea what you are about to unleash if you stay with me tonight.”
Aaron’s fingers pulled the pins from her hair, causing total disarray. Her curls tumbled and cascaded around her naked shoulders.
“True, I do not know what is to happen, but I would like you to show me. I know you will be a good lover, and I sense you will be kind to me in your lovemaking.”
Her heart was hammering. Daringly, she placed her hands against his groin. She felt him stiffen, and then she kissed him, long and hard. He didn’t reject her advances as her hands explored.
“Are you sure?” he whispered.
“Aaron…please. Please, pleasure me. Tomorrow we must part, but just for tonight, I would like you to teach me all the things I have been missing with a man.”