Primrose gasped in surprise when Bened picked her up and urged her to wrap her legs around his waist. Then she felt the hard length of him rub against her and sighed. She might not be certain how this was going to work but she was more than eager for it to do so. Then he kissed her and slowly began to join their bodies. At first they moved together in a slow, almost lazy enjoyment but then passion began to drive them and the lovemaking grew fierce. Primrose hung on to him tightly as he drove them both to completion and continued to hang on after they ceased trembling from the force of their releases. She idly wondered if she had yelled and alerted the ones in camp to what she and Bened were doing. She suspected she would probably worry about that later but, right now, joined with Bened, wrapped tightly in his arms, she did not care.
Reluctantly, Bened eased free of her body and began to tidy their clothing. They had only shared a bed twice but he already missed that time of just holding each other with ease and no need to quickly dress and then act innocent. He had to wonder why some people found such things exciting. He was far more excited by the thought of not having to leave her side.
And then he knew. He was well and truly caught. When a man wanted to wake to the same woman’s face every morning, to spend a lot of nights holding her close, he might as well buy the ring. All he needed now was some confidence that what she felt for him was more than friendship, gratitude, and desire. Nice as those were, and he welcomed them, they were not what one could build a happy future on.
Once they were fully dressed, he helped her tidy her hair, plucking out a few pieces of bark. A soft yip drew his eyes down and he realized they had both forgotten the dog. He picked the little puppy up and handed her to Primrose.
“It is a good thing she is too attached to you to go exploring on her own,” he said.
“True but she is a dog and something could have caught her attention. I need to get a leash for her. She is so tiny even a hawk might mistake her for dinner.” She rubbed her cheek against Boudicca’s soft fur and glanced up at Bened. “You know this area better than I do; how much longer before we reach Uncle George’s?”
“Two days. Unless the weather turns on us, it is an easy pleasant ride.” He hooked his arm through hers and started to lead them back to camp. “I was happy that you had found Simeon, but not happy, if you understand what I mean.”
“I do.” She grinned at him. “Simeon is usually a very playful, fun man but he appears to have become very somber and responsible all of a sudden.”
“I may not have a sister but I understand what troubles him. He is now the head of your house. You are his responsibility and I am not making it easy for him to deal with it.”
“I am not some young girl preparing for a debut. I am three and twenty, nearly four and twenty and many consider me a spinster. He needs to understand he cannot rule my life.”
Deciding the faintly militant look she wore was perfect to return to the others with, Bened did not argue. Such facts would not mean much to a young man who suddenly found himself the head of a household with an unmarried sister. It was a heavy burden but he had no intention of easing it for the man by staying away from Primrose. After the truth he had just faced, he knew that would be impossible.
When Simeon saw Bened follow after Primrose, who had taken her ridiculously tiny dog for a walk in the woods, he started to get to his feet only to be yanked back down by Bevan. “That is my sister he is sniffing about.”
“And he is my brother and I know him well. You need not worry.”
“No? Do you think he has gone out there to pick up after that silly dog?”
“Bened is one of the most serious, responsible men I know. Everyone in the family calls on him when they need someone to protect a person or find someone or help them track their enemies. He has made his fortune, and a fortune it is, protecting the idiot sons of the gentry and investing his pay smartly. He is not some courtier out to make a quick conquest and then walk away. Leave it be so whatever is building there can be finished.”
“So I am just to sit back, smile, and let him ruin my sister?”
“I do not see her being ruined, but, yes. Sit back and stay out of it. This is an easily upset process we are watching here, you know.”
“No, I actually have no idea of what you are talking about.”
“The slow uniting of two people who are perfect for each other.”
“Exactly,” said Lilybet as she sat down on the other side of Simeon.
“Have you seen the future for them?” asked Simeon.
“Not so clear I hear wedding bells but I have seen this dance before and if you, as her much-beloved brother, go barging in and yank them apart, you could prove a large blockade to what is a very natural mating dance.” She smiled when Bevan nodded. “Come, look me in the eye, and try to tell me honestly that, if you met the one you wanted to spend your life with, you would feel no strong desire.” When he just glared at her she laughed. “Exactly. The moment I saw the two of them together, I may not have seen anything but I certainly felt the rightness of it. She is not some young miss, either, m’lord.”
Simeon sighed. “But she was a sheltered, innocent, and well-bred woman.”
“Let it go, m’lord. I will be blunt then. You do something to make Bened walk off now and you risk losing your sister. Oh, she may still live in your house but she will have stepped away from you, for as each lonely day passes she will think on the reason why she is lonely.”
“Well, damn.”