Bened laughed as he settled into a comfortable position while trying very hard not to brush up against the temptation that was Primrose. “It did the job.”
“It certainly did, although it is a bit disgusting that she then ate it. I shall have to come up with a suitable name for her soon. Sleep well, Bened.”
He smiled faintly as she said the same to him. Sleep would be a long time coming when so close to her, his every breath filling his senses with her sweet scent. The fact that he only had to turn to be able to take her into his arms was a truly hellish temptation. It was going to be a very long night.
It was time to consider gaining a few allies, he thought. He had family close. In fact, he was sure Argus’s new country manor was not far away and could be gone to without veering off the route they needed to follow. Argus himself might not be able to assist him but he would know where everyone else was and who might be close enough to help him keep Primrose safe until her aunt was defeated. There were many ways his family could help without becoming some private army riding at his side.
The woman was getting tired of the chase and, perhaps, a little desperate. The attacks were more frequent now. Since he took care of the man on the road and now the two who had come to the inn, he was a little worried about what she would send against them next. None of those men were the same ones who had attacked him in the alley.
He needed some people to help him, ones who could keep a close eye on his back for him. The decision to seek out someone in his family made, he closed his eyes and tried very hard to clear his mind of any thought of turning, taking Primrose into his arms, and showing her how pleasurable a little loving would be.
Primrose heard his breathing even out in sleep and carefully turned to look at him. After she turned her head on the pillow she felt her little dog curl up against the back of her neck and smiled. Her protectors.
She looked over at the big man sleeping by her side and felt her heartbeat race. Primrose knew that if she reached out for him he would take her into his arms and share another one of those wonderful kisses with her. He would want to share far more, too, and she was not certain she was prepared for that yet. The desire he stirred inside of her was something she liked and wanted to savor but she was a complete innocent when it came to what men and women shared in a bedchamber. She was not certain what made her hesitate to reach for him more: the idea that she would somehow disappoint him with her inexperience or that she would give her heart to a man who had not asked for it yet.
These matters should not be so difficult, she decided. Men found no difficulty learning all about passion from a fairly young age but then they were not the smaller part of the twosome, not the one who had to be entered. It was all so much more for a woman, she suspected. Women had a more difficult time separating the passion from love. A man could share passion with just about any woman, even if he did not actually like her very much and certainly never considered anything more with her than a romp between the sheets. It must be nice to deal with someone in such a deeply personal way with such ease.
A decision had to be made, she thought as she closed her eyes against the temptation of his bare chest. If they were going to be sharing a room for the rest of their journey, she had to know her course. It was time to make up her mind if she would just reach out to experience the passion she knew without doubt she could share with him and accept all the risks such an action would carry, or if she would bury that desire and save herself for some man who might actually want to marry her.
Chapter Nine
Something warm and soft was rubbing against his chest, Bened realized as he slowly climbed out of a deep sleep. He gazed around the room he was in and wondered where he was for a moment before the last clouds of sleep cleared his head and he remembered. He was in Primrose’s room.
Cautiously he looked to his side. Despite the covers separating them he could feel her warmth. She was curled up against his side with her cheek resting on his chest. One small hand was resting on his stomach. Peering over the top of her head was the puppy. His arm was still asleep because she was lying on it.
He took all that in even as his body hardened with need. It was time to move away but he was trapped. Slowly he tried to slide his arm out from beneath her soft, tempting little body, stopping when she stirred. He was holding himself very still as he watched her eyes slowly open. Instead of the shock he expected, she looked beautifully flushed with sleep as she smiled at him.
“Good morning, Bened.”
“Morning,” he said, and, because he just had to, he leaned in and kissed her.