He pulled them both to their feet and undid the buttons of her cape, letting it pool on the floor behind her. Then he dipped and lifted her into his arms, placing her gently on the narrow bed. With slow deliberation that prolonged the agony and the pleasure, he covered her body with his. He kissed her again, more slowly this time, to tease and taste, to savor her for as long as he could. He kissed her mouth, her eyelids, the tip of her nose and the line of her jaw. He trailed his lips down the length of her neck and made her arch her lithe body against him until he could stand it no longer.
He found her mouth again and reached for the line of buttons that lined the top half of her nightdress. He wrestled each one from its moorings, his fingers clumsy and impatient until Meredith’s hand brushed his away to do it herself. When she finally reached the last button the thin cotton fell open and he slipped his hand inside to cup her breast.
“In case I forgot to mention, I truly appreciate the lack of clothing this evening,” he murmured against her lips. A fire raged within him and he didn’t think he’d have the patience to deal with the layers of clothing that made up her new fancy dresses.
“My rather hurried exit didn’t allow time to dress properly,” she said. A rush of protectiveness swept through him.
“You’re safe now.” He would protect her with his life if it came to that.
She shifted beneath him, pushing at his chest. For a brief second he thought she had changed her mind, that his reminder of what had brought her here had doused her desire, but then she rolled over him, careful not to hit her head on the slanted roof above them. Her nightdress slipped from her shoulders
His hand slid over the smoothness of her belly, upward to cup her breast. It filled the palm of his hand, soft and pliable. He pushed himself into a sitting position, careful not to dislodge her, and kissed the taut nipple, drawing it into his mouth and flicking his tongue over it.
Meredith arched against him, pushing her weight against his groin while her hands threaded through his hair and held his mouth in place. Lord help him, she was a glory to behold. Pure and passionate, sweet and sensual. Maybe a stronger man could resist the temptation, but he wasn’t that man. He fell back onto the bed and brought her full against him before rolling with her until she was beneath him once more. He didn’t know how much longer he could survive without feeling her skin against his.
“Pull it off.” She pulled at her nightdress, her voice filled with the same impatience he felt. He was more than happy to oblige, pulling the soft material up over her head. He sat up and tossed the garment to the floor.
“Lord have mercy,” he managed to utter, but that was all. Speech eluded him as need and desire overtook him.
She lifted one leg and pressed a booted foot against him. “My boots.”
He blindly undid the laces, his gaze never leaving her body. He tossed one boot aside, then the other until her legs fell one to either side of him. God, she was beautiful. The lamplight flickered over her smooth, pale skin and he swore she was even more beautiful now than in his memories. She let his gaze roam over every inch of her body and though her cheeks were flushed red, she did not try to hide herself from him.
She nodded her chin toward him. “You’re horribly overdressed for the occasion.”
Meredith missed the heat of his body when Hunter left the bed and shucked off the blanket around his waist with one swift movement. He stayed there a moment, hovering over her, so close she could feel the heat pulsating off his body, but not close enough to feel the deep satisfaction of his skin against hers. The dim light slicked over his body like liquid shadow caressing every edge and contour. She reached for him, letting her hands glaze a brazen trail over lean, hard muscle. A deep ache pulled inside of her and begged for release.
God help her, she loved this man. Despite everything that had happened between them, the truth, the lies, the hurt—she loved him. She had tried to deny it for so long, to bury it with feelings of anger and betrayal, but it had lived on, cocooned in memories of better times where it remained shielded from his parting words.
Words he had spoken for no other reason than to keep her safe. He had done what her father asked of him, and they’d both paid the price. But no more. She would not let the Syndicate rob her of anything else.
Her heart opened and embraced freedom, relegating the hurt and resentment into dark corners where it belonged. Later, she would excavate it completely, glad to see the end of it, but for now this was enough.
Outside, the wind howled a mournful tune against the walls and windows. Hunter pulled her hands from his body and pressed them into the pillow above her head as he nestled himself between her legs, his hardness resting against her, taunting her until she couldn’t stand it. She squirmed against him and smiled as his breath caught in his throat.