Chasing Eliza (4 page)

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.