The matter seemed easily settled. But although Chetwynd gave her plenty of time, Isabel was still awake when she heard her husband enter the room. Exhausted before she lay down, as soon as she did, she was wide-awake. The bed seemed much smaller than she recalled. To give Chetwynd plenty of room, she moved to the very edge of the bed.
When Isabel heard him moving about in the room, she pretended to be asleep. Thinking of how he had shed his clothes at the pond, she couldn’t help being curious about how much clothing he would remove. She listened as he undressed quietly, but with her back turned, she had to use her imagination about what garments he was discarding.
Chetwynd settled into bed with a quiet sigh, sounding like a man with a lot on his mind, Isabel thought. Even after a good length of time had passed, she could hear no deep breathing. She was sure he was having as much trouble sleeping as she was. Instead of relaxing, the tension kept building inside her. Without realizing it, her whole body had gone rigid, and suddenly there was a gripping pain in her leg. Isabel was unable to keep from crying out and rising to a sitting position.
Chetwynd sat up beside her. “What is it?”
“My leg. Oh, there’s a fearsome pain in my right calf.” Her agony banished all concern about disturbing him, and she clutched her leg. “It’s a big knot,” she cried out.
He recognized the problem immediately. “Just lie back and try to relax,” he instructed, releasing her hands from her calf and pushing her gently but firmly back on the bed.
Isabel did her best to follow his instruction, but she was anything but relaxed. He was kneeling over her. Even in her pain, she noticed he was wearing a short tunic and nothing more.
“It’s a muscle cramp and won’t last long,” he said. “I’ll just try to ease it by massaging the knot. If you can relax, I promise it will disappear.”
Chetwynd kneaded her leg as gently as possible, hoping his warm hands would soothe the knotted area. He could feel the muscle respond and relax. When he heard Isabel give a great shudder of relief, he knew the cramp was gone. But he kept massaging her shapely leg, telling himself it would help her stay relaxed. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman, and the one beneath him was exceedingly enticing.
“That feels so much better,” she whispered thankfully. In fact, his rough but warm hands created a tingling which spread through her body. Isabel murmured her pleasure at the sensation.
Chetwynd had pushed up the long shift she wore, and with the moonlight streaming through a high window, he could see her shapely legs. Encouraged by her murmurs, he continued kneading the silky leg, moving his skillful hands down to explore her high-arched foot, then back up to her calf. As his own body hardened in response to hers, he wanted more. Ignoring the warning bells in his head, his hands traveled to the tantalizingly soft area above her knee. Her skin was smooth and alluring.
When Chetwynd heard Isabel’s sharp intake of breath, the warning bells began to clang louder. After a slight hesitation, he pulled down her shift. Carefully moving away from her body, he tried to calm his breathing. When he lay down on his back, he saw her turn on her side to face him.
“I was just surprised, my lord.” She did not want him to think she had been repelled by his touch. Even now her inner thigh tingled where he had touched her.
With her intriguing smell filling his head, Chetwynd gazed into the face so close to his own. The eyes looking at him were unusually large as they reflected the moonlight that came through the high window. Unable to resist touching her again, he placed his hand on the side of her face and stroked her cheek.
“Your leg cramped because of the many hours you spent on your horse. It’s not unusual for even the most experienced riders to have cramps. It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
While he was speaking, his hand moved to her ear, then into her hair and back to her ear, exploring its small, delicate shape. When he saw she was holding her breath, he leaned forward to kiss her lightly, just brushing her lips and withdrawing. He meant the kiss to break the spell, a way of saying goodnight.
But Chetwynd had not counted on Isabel’s reaction. Gently she imitated his stroking, placing her small hand on his face, then into his hair, combing her fingers through his long locks.
“Your hair shines like a halo when the sun hits it, but you aren’t an angel, are you?” Isabel whispered the question in her deep, throaty voice.
Her warm breath caressed his lips. A moan escaped from his mouth as he moved forward, kissing her again with increasing urgency, opening her lips with his tongue, and tasting the sweetness of her mouth for the first time.
When Isabel responded by welcoming his tongue and moving her body even closer to his, he knew he was on the brink of losing control. Pulling away, he clenched his teeth and moved back from her.
Shocked by his sudden withdrawal, Isabel saw that his eyes were directed at the ceiling. Since he wasn’t looking at her, she was able to study him. His shirt was open at the neck, and she could make out the shape of his chest. Without thinking, she reached out her hand and placed it on the hard muscles, mesmerized by the warm skin. Isabel could feel his heart beating wildly. She was shocked out of her dreamlike state when Chetwynd roughly took hold of her hand and removed it from his chest.
“We can’t do this,” he growled in a hoarse voice. “It was a mistake to try and sleep in the same bed.”
Hurt and embarrassed, Isabel snatched her
