withdrawal, followed by a slow, deep thrust, again, and again, his muscles straining with the effort of holding back. She writhed beneath him, her movements awkward at first, but then she caught his rhythm.
'Open your eyes, Julianne.'
Her lids blinked open, and her blue depths pulled at his soul. 'Wrap your legs around me,' he ground out. She did as he bade and he thrust deeper. Harder. Faster. She moaned his name and arched beneath him, her inner walls pulsing around him, and he clenched his jaw against the intense pleasure. With an effort that nearly killed him, he withdrew and gathered her into his arms, pressing his erection tightly between them. Burying his head in the fragrant space where her neck and shoulder met, he let his release roar through him, groaning her name over and over, like a prayer.
For a long moment he simply lay there, breathing her in, catching his breath. Then he raised his head and stilled. At the sight of Julianne, her hair spread about her like a golden halo, her lips parted and swollen from his kiss, her eyes heavy-lidded with the look of a woman well loved. Which is exactly what she was. Well loved. With everything he had. His heart. His soul. And it killed him that through no fault of either of them, that simply by accidents of birth, that wasn't enough.
He cupped her cheek in his hand and brushed his thumb over her plump lower lip. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.
'Gideon…' she breathed against his mouth.
He lifted his head. 'Julianne.'
'That was… you are…' She breathed out a long hum of pleasure. 'Oh, my.'
'Yes, it was. And yes, you are.'
And now it was over. He had to take her back. To her world. To her family.
And her fiance.
She reached up and brushed his hair from his forehead. Then looked at him through very serious eyes. 'How?' she whispered. 'How am I going to live the rest of my life without knowing this again?'
A lump swelled his throat. Christ. Now he knew what it felt like to die inside. 'I wish I had the answer. Because I need to know it as well.'
Only there was no answer. Just his life stretching out before him. A life that didn't include Julianne.
When the hack pulled up in front of the duke's town house, Julianne had to force herself to exit the vehicle. Lights blazed from every window, and based on the shadows moving past the panes of glass, it was clear the house was still crowded. She didn't want to leave the intimate interior where Gideon had held her hand during the entire ride. Where his leg had rested against hers and he'd pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that had tasted unmistakably of good-bye.
But in her heart she'd resolved that it wasn't good-bye. Not yet. He would still be in her house for two more days. Two more nights. And she intended to see to it that they spent as many hours together during that time as possible.
Gideon had just helped her alight when the front door opened. Standing in the foyer were her father and a man she recognized as Charles Rayburn, the magistrate, whom she'd met two months ago when he and Gideon were investigating the last spree of crimes plaguing Mayfair.
Mr. Rayburn hurried down the steps, followed by Julianne's father. 'What in God's name-' began her father, but Gideon cut him off, saying tersely, 'Lady Julianne was kidnapped from the party.' He gave a quick description of her ordeal, leaving out, she noticed, any mention of Jack Mayne and the kidnappers' plan to kill Gideon himself. He concluded his story with, 'I sent a message to your office, Rayburn, giving you the kidnappers' location.'
Mr. Rayburn nodded. 'Simon Atwater is here. I'll send him to see to them.' He turned to Julianne. 'A harrowing ordeal to be sure, Lady Julianne. I'm relieved you're all right. Let's get you inside. There are a lot of worried people in there.'
Julianne's father, who until now had remained silent, said to Gideon, in a low, furious voice, 'You were supposed to keep my daughter safe, Mayne.'
'I
Her father's gaze never left Gideon. 'If you'd been doing your job properly, the kidnappers never would have touched my daughter.'
'You're right,' Gideon said. 'I accept full responsibility.'
'Nonsense,' Julianne protested. 'There was complete pandemonium when the duke made the announcement he'd been robbed-'
'Which only further proves his incompetence,' her father stated coldly. He narrowed his eyes at Gideon. 'Kidnappers and thieves running amok, and you did nothing.'
'He rescued me,' Julianne said tightly. 'Or do you consider that nothing, Father?'
'Please, let us go inside,' Mr. Rayburn said, gently taking Julianne's arm. She wanted to shake him off, scream at all of them that she didn't want to go inside. That she wanted to leave. Now. With Gideon.
But instead, she allowed herself to be led up the path into the house. The duke strode into the foyer, his normally dispassionate features filling with obvious relief at the sight of her. 'Julianne, my dear.' He clasped her hands and raised them to his lips. 'I was so afraid-'
His words cut off, and he seemed to freeze in place when he looked beyond her. She glanced over her shoulder and realized he was staring at Gideon.
'Mr. Mayne rescued me,' she said quickly, before the duke could blame Gideon for her ordeal as her father had.
'That's right, Your Grace,' agreed Mr. Rayburn who quickly repeated the kidnapping story Gideon had related. When he finished, the duke kissed her hand then murmured, 'Thank God you're all right. We must get you home-'
'I want to see Sarah, Emily, and Carolyn first,' Julianne said, surreptitiously wiping the back of her hand against her gown to rid herself of his touch. 'If they're still here.'
A muscle ticked in the duke's jaw. 'They are. But so are many of the other guests…' His gaze raked over her. 'And you're looking rather worse for your ordeal, my dear. Wouldn't you rather-'
'No, I wouldn't. I want to see them. Now, if you please.'
The duke clearly wasn't pleased, but he acquiesced. 'As you wish.'
As they filed down the corridor, Julianne asked Mr. Rayburn, 'Did you capture the robber or recover His Grace's jewels?'
'I'm afraid not. I've been interviewing the guests one at a time, which is why so many are still here. Of course, many also remained out of concern for you, hoping for news.'
When they entered the drawing room, the hum of conversation stopped for several seconds, then voices exploded, and Julianne found herself surrounded by a sea of faces. Mr. Rayburn held up his hands and demanded silence then once again repeated the story of her ordeal. When he finished, Julianne was engulfed in hugs and well wishes and bombarded with sympathy and questions, while Gideon was congratulated for his quick action. Julianne's mother kissed her on both cheeks, told her she was very grateful she hadn't been hurt, then told her they should leave as soon as possible as she looked a complete fright.
Sarah, Emily, and Carolyn all hugged and kissed her.
'I swear I paced a hole in the duke's hearth rug,' Emily said, giving her nose an unladylike blow.
'How dare you frighten a pregnant woman that way,' Sarah scolded, pulling off her spectacles to dab at her teary eyes.
