What man had ever helped her do dishes? Not her husband, for certain. She’d not even required it of Claude. But it somehow seemed fitting that Gabriel should help her.
When they finished, he wiped his hands on the towel and reached for his coat.
Her anxieties returned. “You will stay longer?”
He gazed at her. “Longer? Are you certain?”
Suddenly she knew precisely what she was asking of him and it was not merely to keep her from being alone. “I am certain.”
She picked up a candle and took his hand in hers, leading him towards the stairway. There were two small rooms above stairs. She kept the door to Claude’s bedroom closed so she would not feel its emptiness. She led Gabriel into the other room, her bedroom, her excitement building. She kicked off her shoes and climbed atop the bed.
He held back, gazing at her.
How much more permission did she need to give?
She’d vowed to have no more of men since her husband’s death. Claude could be her only concern. He needed to release the past and see that he had his whole life ahead of him.
If Napoleon did not get him killed in the battle, that is.
Until Claude returned to her, she could do nothing, but if God saw fit to spare him in the battle, Emmaline had vowed to devote her life to restoring her son’s happiness.
But Claude was not here now and Gabriel would not remain in Brussels for long. The British army would march away to face Napoleon; both Claude and Gabriel would be gone. What harm could there be in enjoying this man’s company? In making love with him? Many widows had affairs. Why not enjoy the passion Gabriel’s heated looks promised?
“Come, Gabriel,” she whispered.
He walked to the edge of the bed and she met him on her knees, her face nearly level with his. He stroked her face with a gentle hand, his touch so tender it made her want to weep again.
“I did not expect this,” he murmured.
“I did not, as well,” she added. “But it—it feels inévitable, no?”
“Inevitable.” His fingers moved to the sensitive skin of her neck, still as gentle as if she were as delicate as the finest lace.
She undid the buttons on his waistcoat and flattened her palms against his chest, sliding them up to his neck.
She pressed her fingers against his smooth cheek. “You shaved for dinner, n’est-ce pas?” Her hands moved to the back of his neck where his hair curled against her fingers.
He leaned closer to her and touched his lips to hers.
Her husband’s kisses had been demanding and possessive. Gabriel offered his lips like a gift for her to open or refuse, as she wished.
She parted her lips and tasted him with her tongue.
He responded, giving her all that she could wish. She felt giddy with delight and pressed herself against him, feeling the bulge of his manhood through his trousers.
“Mon Dieu,” she sighed when his lips left hers.
He stepped away. “Do you wish me to stop?”
“No!” she cried. “I wish you to commence.”
He smiled. “Très bien, madame.”
She peered at him. “You speak French now?”
“Un peu,” he replied.
She laughed and it felt good. It had been so long since she had laughed. “We shall make love together, Gabriel.”
He grinned. “Très bien.”
She unhooked the bodice of her dress and pulled the garment over her head. While Gabriel removed his boots and stockings, she made quick work of removing her corset, easily done because it fastened in the front. She tossed it aside. Now wearing only her chemise, she started removing the pins from her hair. As it tumbled down her back, she looked up.
He stood before her naked and aroused. His was a soldier’s body, muscles hardened by campaign, skin scarred from battle.
Still kneeling on the bed, she reached out and touched a scar across his abdomen, caused by the slash of a sword, perhaps.
He held her hand against his skin. “It looks worse than it was.”
“You have so many.” Some were faint, others distinct.
He shrugged. “I have been in the army for over eighteen years.”
Her husband would have been in longer, had he lived.
He’d been rising steadily in rank; perhaps he would have been one of Napoleon’s generals, preparing for this battle, had he lived.
She gave herself a mental shake for thinking of Remy, even though he’d been the only man with whom she’d ever shared her bed.
Until now.
A flush swept over her, as unexpected as it was intense. “Come to me, Gabriel,” she rasped.
He joined her on the bed, kneeling in front of her and wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. His lips found hers once more.
He swept his hand through her hair. “So lovely.” She felt the warmth of his breath against her lips.
His hand moved down, caressing her neck, her shoulders. Her breasts. She writhed with the pleasure of it and was impatient to be rid of her chemise. She pulled it up to her waist, but he took the fabric from her and lifted it the rest of the way over her head. With her chemise still bunched in his hands he stared at her, his gaze so intense that she sensed it as tangibly as his touch.
“You are beautiful,” he said finally.
She smiled, pleased at his words, and lay against the pillows, eager for what would come next.
But if she expected him to take his pleasure quickly, she was mistaken. He knelt over her, looking as if he were memorising every part of her. His hands, still gentle and reverent, caressed her skin. When his palms grazed her nipples, the sensation shot straight to her most feminine place.
Slowly his hand travelled the same path, but stopped short of where her body now throbbed for him. Instead, he stroked the inside of her thighs, so teasingly near.
A sound, half-pleasure, half-frustration, escaped her lips.
Finally he touched her. His fingers explored her flesh, now moist for him. The miracle of sensation his fingers created built her need to an intensity she thought she could not bear a moment longer.
He bent down and kissed her lips again, his tongue freely tasting her now. Her legs parted, ready for him.
She braced for his thrust, a part of lovemaking always painful for her, but he did not force himself inside her. Wonder of wonders, he eased himself inside, a sweet torture of rhythmic stroking until gradually he filled her completely. The need inside her grew even stronger and she moved with him, trying to ease the torment.
More wonders, he seemed to be in complete unison with her, as if he sensed her growing need so he could meet it each step of the way. The sensation created by him was more intense than she had ever experienced. Soon nothing existed for her but her need and the man who would satisfy it.
The intensity still built, speeding her forwards, faster and faster, until suddenly she exploded with sensation inside. Pleasure washed through her, like waves on the shore. His grip on her tightened and he thrust with more force, convulsing as he spilled his seed inside her. For that intense