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IT WAS DIFFICULT TO sleep with the storm raging outside and her thoughts rattling inside. Rory just lay there, tossing and turning beneath the blankets, listening to the anger of the storm outside. The rain was constant, pelting the house in a steady rhythm. It should have been soothing, but it wasn’t. The thunder and lightning came in bursts, shaking the windows and lighting up the room even with the curtains. She found herself counting the seconds between the light and sound to pass the time.
“Stop being silly,” Rory said to herself as the last loud crack made her jolt. “You have slept through storms before.”
Only those had usually been in the safety of London. Out here, she had Clayton, sleeping down the hall.
“Reckless man.”
Rory’s heart had almost stopped when she saw them carrying Rex in tonight. He looked so hurt and weak, which could have easily been Clayton instead.
Now she was worried again and again craving something to eat. The nibbles were always there when she was concerned. Once she had felt the nibbles, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about them until she satisfied her hunger. She looked at the servants’ rope pull but decided against it. It was very late, and she didn’t want to wake them for her snack. She put on her robe and chose not to take a light as she slipped out of her room.
She went downstairs in the dark quietly. Every sound echoed in such a big house, and she didn’t want to wake Clayton. She had to walk past the salon to get to the kitchen, and in the distance, she could see the storm through the doors to the garden. Rory had never seen something like that before, and she found her feet traveling across the floor in that direction through the ballroom. She just wanted to get close enough to see the storm better. Inside the large space the sounds of the storms were enhanced, bouncing off the walls and splattering water against the glass. It was beautiful.
A gust of wind made a tree limb that was close to the garden scrape against the doors. Rory looked up and saw it moving with force just seconds before it broke off and came crashing down into the doors. Broken glass showered the floor, and the large branch fell to block her path to the rest of the house. She screamed as she felt the rain and wind swirling around her and realized she did not know how to get out of the ballroom now. There was glass everywhere, and she had no place to go.
“Rory, are you hurt?” Clayton appeared a few moments later, wearing trousers and shoes but no shirt. His hair was wild, and he was breathing heavily as if he had been running.
“Help,” she heard herself whimper. “Help me get out.”
She was shivering, the rain soaking her nightgown even as she tried to move out of its way. A piece of glass cut into her foot and she cried out. Clayton hopped over the limb and scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She didn’t fight him, too scared to do anything but fall against his back. He was moving slower than expected and with shaky motions, but he didn’t drop her. He also didn’t put her down until they reached the stairway. Then he let her down gently and she winced when she felt the sting of her cut.
“What were you doing in there?” Clayton sounded angry, growling the words at her.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to find something to eat.”
“That wasn’t the kitchen.”
“I wanted to see the storm.”
“You couldn’t find a safer room to watch it in? There would have been a good view from your room.”
How dare the man be chastising her as she stood there in wet nightclothes! “I have the right to go into my own ballroom. You’re the one who didn’t make sure the tree was trimmed properly.”
“So, you are blaming me?”
“Yes, I suppose I am.”
Even in the dark, his face looked menacing. He didn’t say anything but pointed in the direction of her room and followed her as she marched back into it.
“I’m going to leave now,” said Clayton. “Don’t forget to lock the door again on your way out, and stay inside this time.”
“It wasn’t really your fault,” she said, moving to stand beside the bed. “I shouldn’t have been out there. I’m sorry for saying otherwise.”
“You always say things before thinking, don’t you?”
“I have been told that I do.” More than once, by many people.
“What would happen if everyone did that?”
“Chaos, I suppose.”
“You don’t sound like you believe that.”
That was because she didn’t. Rory had never understood why so many people avoided saying what they meant just to maintain appearances. It seemed to lead to a lot of miscommunication.
“Do you want to know a secret to avoiding saying the wrong thing?” Clayton asked, his voice getting softer as his body moved closer to her.
Rory nodded vigorously.
“Lean in and I will tell you.”
She moved forward without moving her feet, closing the small gap between them.
“No, closer.”
She took a step forward and caught the scent of him.
“Not yet, a little more.”
Their faces were only inches apart, and she could see every fleck in his blue eyes. The man had unusually thick blond lashes to match his blond hair and she wondered why she hadn’t noticed before.
“What’s the secret?”
“Find something better to do with your mouth.”
His hand slid up her back to the base of her neck and pulled her closer. Their lips met, and this time she already knew what she wanted to do with them. He kissed her until she was breathless and dazed, then suddenly the warmth of his body was gone and he was moving away from her.
Each time lightning flashed across the sky, Rory caught a brief glimpse of Clayton in the dim light coming through the curtains.
It wasn’t enough. She wanted to see every detail of him. She didn’t protest when he moved to light the lamp on her bedside table. That proved to be a mistake, because now he glowed. That tanned skin shimmered from the rain, and his wet shirt clung to his muscled frame, creating delectable shadows. She knew she should look away, but she couldn’t.
His eyes were focused on her with intensity, and she looked down to realize how much of her was exposed. Crossing her arms over her chest didn’t help much, and she trembled from the cold. He looked away toward the door.
“Don’t go.” Her watery whisper caught his attention and pulled those blue eyes back to her.
He grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her, then he used those big hands of his to rub her vigorously. The cold vanished and was replaced by a warm flush across her skin. As he stopped and stepped back, she grabbed his hand.
“Please stay just a little longer.”
His eyebrows drew together, but he didn’t let go of her hand. “Are you frightened?”
Rory was, but not of the storm. She was frightened by the wild thoughts she was having. Thoughts she knew she was going to act on no matter the consequences.
Shaking her head, Rory pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed his fingers one by one. She watched as he closed his eyes and let out a low moan.
“Do you know what you are doing?” Clayton asked, his voice low and throaty.
Rory had no idea what she was doing, only what she wanted, and that was Clayton. She was tired of avoiding him to keep her feelings in line. Not even the risk to her reputation seemed important in that moment. The only thing that mattered was his touch, and she wanted more of it. As a response to his question, Rory let the blanket fall from her shoulders to reveal herself in nothing but a damp nightgown that hid very little. She nibbled on her lip as he stood there watching her.
“Damn it.”
Those were the last words he said before sweeping her into the bed. The man was quick and efficient in removing his clothes, revealing so much of that sun-kissed skin to the lamplight.
When it came time to remove her clothes, his speed changed. She lay quiet, her breathing ragged as he undid the buttons at her neck and placed kisses along her collarbone. The only way she was allowed to help was when she moved to let him pull it up and over her head. Her skin prickled when she felt the cool night air, and she could see her nipples tighten. He noticed them as well and licked his lips.
Without giving her time to refuse, not that that she would have, he bent his head and began lapping those peaks with his tongue, first one and then the other. Back and forth he went until she was going mad. As he buried his face in her bosom, she could feel the abrasion of his beard on her skin. It felt good. When he looked up, there was a redness across her breasts that made her smile.
One of his hands moved between their bodies and parted her legs. He slipped his fingers into the folds at her opening, making her gasp when she felt how wet she was there. Clayton groaned but didn’t pull away. Instead, he began stroking her in a rhythm her body instantly responded to. She bit her lip, letting her hips move to ride his hand until she could feel the tension building inside her. Rory felt like she wanted to push him away but pull him closer at the same time. Clayton just watched her with his steady gaze as she struggled with the pleasure until there was finally a release. She shook beneath him while her body pulsated around his fingers. That’s when he finally kissed, her, devouring her moans with his hungry mouth.
“Want more?”
His words blew hot air against the bare skin of her neck, and he moved to position himself over her. His rigid length pressed against her exactly where she ached for him to be. There was no hesitation as she nodded. A quick thrust of his hips brought a brief stab of pain, then she could feel the fullness of him inside of her.
Rory had very little knowledge of what happened between a man and a woman, but her body responded on its own. As Clayton slid in and out, her hips began to match his motions, bringing him in as deep as possible. Her arms and legs were entangled around him, clinging to his hard body.
While his shaft stroked her from the inside, his mouth tasted her on the outside. He used his lips, tongue, and even his teeth to tease her neck and breasts until she tingled. She felt the way his body strained as he reached for his climax.
“One more time, sweetness.”
He reached down to rub her most sensitive place as he pulled himself out, causing her to break apart in bliss again. He rolled onto his back and pulled her across his chest. Both of them were panting and trembling, but they smiled at each other. Neither could find the right words to speak, so they lay there in silence.
There were aches and pains in her body that Rory didn’t recognize, but they felt like a minor inconvenience compared to the other sensations she felt. Her nerves tingled in the most delicious way. Clayton was draped over the top of her and his weight grew heavier as he fell asleep, but she didn’t want to remove it. Her heart was racing, but her limbs felt heavy. The combination of the two made her get the nibbles again and she remembered why she got up in the first place.