It was almost an hour before Julia heard Alec’s tread on the steps. That steady, deliberate walk could only mean he had imbibed far too much.

“I should have made that a condition of the will, too,” she muttered. “Next time I make a bargain to marry, I’ll add no arguing or drinking.”

His steps neared. She could picture him, his cravat slightly mussed, a lock of midnight hair across his brow as he fumbled for the doorknob. But his door never opened. Instead, a heavy silence fell in the hall.

Julia tossed back the counterpane and tiptoed to the door. She leaned her ear against it, straining to hear something…anything. But other than the sound of her own breathing, she couldn’t make out a thing. Seconds stretched into minutes and finally Alec gave a mumbled curse, his voice so close to the other side of the panel that Julia stepped back, her heart pounding. She heard two hasty steps and then the vigorous slam of his door.

Julia sagged against the wooden panel, relief changing rapidly into disappointment, then annoyance. “How rude! Slamming a door in the middle of the night. Rude and insufferable.” She returned to her bed, plopped onto the edge, and crossed her arms. “He acts just like a child. Spoiled, is what he is. No wonder. An only child, raised by a grandfather, doted on by a house full of servants. Then he grows up to look like a prince, with those eyes and that hair and those—” She squenched her eyes closed and took a deep breath.

It wasn’t fair. Here she was, wide awake and filled with turbulent emotions, while he enjoyed a deep, restful sleep. Well, she was her father’s daughter. No one kept her awake when she didn’t want him to. Julia stomped to the door, yanked it open, and marched across the hall.

Just as she lifted her hand to deliver a spirited knock, Alec’s door opened.

He looked down at her with an inscrutable expression. His broad shoulders filled the opening, his lean, muscular frame encased by a ruby red robe, loosely belted about his narrow waist. She tried to ignore the fact that his bare chest was just at eye level, covered with sensual dark curls.

She tried, but failed miserably.

His gaze traveled from her face to her braid and then lower, halting at the sight of her upraised hand.

Julia realized her fist was still suspended in knocking position. She hurriedly tucked it behind her and lifted her chin a notch. “I just came to tell you it was rude to slam the door.”

He leaned against the jamb and crossed his arms, his face now in the shadows. “Did I wake you?”

Insolent cur. “You would have, if I’d been asleep.”

His arrogant gaze brushed across her like the touch of a feather, leaving a tingling trail of awareness in its wake. “And so you came to protest, wearing nothing but your nightrail.”

Julia looked down. The lace nightgown covered remarkably little, hinting at every curve, allowing the pink of her nipples to peek through. “Oh. I should have stopped for my dressing gown, but I didn’t think of it.”

It suddenly dawned on her how this must look, banging on his door in the middle of the night wearing nothing but an indecently sheer strip of lace. He must think she was desperate for his company.

The idea fanned her temper more. Crossing her arms over her woefully covered chest, she scowled. “This is my house, too. I can wear whatever I wish. I just wanted you to know that I think you are rude and boorish and….” She trailed off as she noticed the muscles of his chest flex, and wondered what it would feel like to splay her hands across their hardness.

The truth was, he was handsome and desirable, and she wanted him so badly she could barely think. The vaguest hint of a sob closed her throat.

Before she made more of a fool of herself than she already had, she spun on her heel and marched across the passageway, her trembling self-control barely intact. Just as she reached her door, a firm hand closed around her elbow. Warmth settled in her breasts and lower.

“Julia.” His breath stirred the hair behind her ear.

“What?” she managed to say in a husky whisper.

His hand grazed her arm with the lightest of touches, his fingers skimming over her too-sensitive skin to her shoulder, where he pushed aside the gossamer lace. “I’m sorry for slamming the door.”

The words caressed her, pulsing across her like a hot wind. Julia shivered as sparks of heat spread through her. His hand came to rest on her neck, cupping her throat with a sensuous gesture that pulled her body against his.

For a moment, she leaned against him, his velvet robe pressed against her back. Rivulets of pleasure tingled up her arms, curling her hands into fists. Without another word, she turned into his embrace.

The scent of brandy and sandalwood engulfed her. She tightened her arms about his neck, and clung as if he were a rock in the middle of a storm-ridden sea. Please, please, just this once, let him want me, too.

After a long, silent moment, Alec let out his breath and gently pushed her away.

The damp chill of the night immediately made her shiver. What had she been thinking? Hopelessness slammed into her heart and settled in her chest with an aching sob. She had loved him for so long, desired him so much, that just this one second of separation caused an almost physical pain.

“Julia.”

The word was both caress and command. Drawing a swift breath, she lifted her gaze.

His eyes darkened. “This has to be your decision.” Naked desire reflected in his gaze. “I want you, Julia. All of you.” He lowered his mouth to hers, halting just a breath away, his lips hovering but not touching. “Say you want me, too.” His voice roughened to crushed velvet, his eyes black with desire. He pulled her close and gently brushed his hips against hers until she could feel the swell of his manhood.

She gasped at the sensations that flickered and sparked, her hands closing over the sinew of his arms. She wanted, needed, to get closer to him. Oblivious to everything but the feel of him against her, she pressed her body to his.

With a strangled curse, he dropped his forehead against hers, his breathing harsh in the silence of the hallway. “God, Julia,” he whispered hoarsely. “Tell me you desire this as much as I do.”

She clutched at his arms, his robe bunching beneath her insistent hands. “I want you, Alec.” When he didn’t respond, she closed her eyes, terrified at the urgency of her own desires. “Please, Alec. Please.”

Alec drank in the sound of her plea, more intoxicating than any brandy, sweeter than any cordial. He almost laughed to think he’d nearly convinced himself that she did not want him, that she desired someone else. Julia might think she was in love with a worthier man, but she desired him.

Tonight there were just the two of them, him and his Julia.

“Alec,” she whispered again, this time more urgently, her eyes wet. Her mouth trembled, the sensual line of her lips captivating him. “Please,” she whispered. A lone tear escaped from beneath her lashes and slipped over the pale satin of her cheek.

Alec bent to catch it, his mouth following the wet trail, the salty sweetness shredding his control. He cupped her cheek with his hand as he pressed his lips to the curve of her lashes, the straight line of her nose, the wide crest of her forehead.

Her lashes trembled as he gently placed his lips on hers. She stilled at his touch, her mouth moist and soft. He slid his mouth over her bottom lip, maintaining only the barest contact.

She shivered and he captured her mouth again, teasing her lips apart until his tongue grazed the smooth edge of her teeth. She moaned and opened to him, as unknowingly erotic as any woman he had ever known.

The kiss deepened, their tongues mingling. Julia’s hands moved frantically over him, tugging and pulling until she’d loosened his robe. Thinking only of getting nearer to the slim body encased in enticing lace, he helped her, pulling his arms from the sleeves and dropping the robe to the floor.

The waft of cool air across his naked back reminded him they were in the hallway. With a muttered oath, he caught her arms and stepped back, breathing hard. “Julia, love. We can’t stay out here.”

She opened dazed eyes, the green alight with flecks of gold. “What?”

He traced his thumb over her mouth, savoring the wetness. “Not here,” he whispered. “The servants.”

Julia looked around, her gaze halting when it encountered his nude form. A delightful blush rose from her shoulders to her neck and came to fruition on her cheeks. “I didn’t realize we were still in the hallway.”

“Come to my room.” He closed his arms around her and took a step backward, toward his open door, already thinking of the huge bed and how she would look lying naked on the softness of his counterpane.

“No.”

Alec’s heart pounded a furious rhythm. “Why not?” he asked harshly.

She flicked him a sultry glance. “My room is closer.”

Before he could do more than blink, she turned, opened her door, and disappeared, leaving only the enticing scent of cinnamon.

Alec stared. He, who had so much more experience and knowledge, should have been the one controlling this seduction. But as he was beginning to realize, there was no controlling Julia.

She peeked back around the door and crooked a finger. Her braid had loosened until long wisps of honey silk drifted about her shoulders, clinging to her slender frame and following the curve of her breast. Alec swallowed with a throat gone dry when he thought of those strands cleaving to his hands, his face, his chest. Like a puppet on a string, unable to resist doing as he was bidden, he followed her into her room.

Julia stood before her bed, her hands furiously working the fastenings on her gown. Alec closed the door and leaned against it and forced his breathing to slow. The lace nightrail had haunted him for more nights than he cared to remember and she appeared more wanton than even his dreams had envisioned. Her long legs were visible through the material, her creamy skin rivaled the delicate lace in whiteness, and her breasts, small and firm, were made just for his hands. Two steps brought him to her.

Her frantic fingers jerked at the row of buttons that held the delicate lace at the back of her neck. Alec placed his hands over hers. “Don’t tear it, love. I may want you to wear it again.”

Her hands fell to her sides and she tilted her head down, pulling her hair to one side and allowing him to unfasten the fascinating row of buttons, though her knuckles showed white and her eyes followed him hungrily. As he loosened each button, he placed a kiss on the skin bared before his eyes. From her neck, down her back, to the delicious curve of her bottom, he placed one lingering kiss after another. Her hands trembled, but she didn’t move away.

As he loosened the last button, the lace slithered to the floor, a luxurious drift of cobwebs. She turned and Alec caught her curves flush against him. He fought for control. Julia turned her face into his neck, her breath raking his throat, her hair spilling across his arm in a silken fall.

God, but he wanted her as he had wanted no other. He pulled back and stared at her face, at the slant of her mouth, the incredible lashes that framed her sparkling eyes, the firm chin that now trembled ever so slightly. The scent of her need mingled with the spice of the lemon and cinnamon innocence so inherent to her. Within her emerald gaze shone a yearning so clear he had to clench his teeth against the desire to throw her onto the floor and sink into her softness.

But this was no lightskirt, used to the ways of lovemaking. This was Julia, his wife, to protect and covet above all others.

He held her at arm’s length, struggling to think. “Julia, I don’t want you to be afraid. I cannot promise—”

She launched herself against him, sending him reeling back onto the bed. Her body covered his, her hands everywhere—on his arms, his chest, his hips. All thought fled before her passion. She moaned into his mouth as her breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples hardening with the contact.

He cupped her rounded hips in his hands, pulling her higher until her face was level with his, her body directly over his.

She writhed against him. “Closer,” she whispered, her eyes almost black with desire.

“Easy, love,” he murmured. “Slow down.”

Julia’s breath brushed his ear, hot and frantic. Alec closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. With tormenting thoroughness, her hands explored the width of his chest, lingered on his shoulders, and traveled down his arms. He grabbed a fistful of sheet in each hand, willing his unruly body not to bury itself into her.

She placed a kiss wherever her hands strayed, her feather-soft touches fraying his control. Her explorations continued as she trailed her fingers across his stomach. There, she halted. He opened his eyes. She gazed at his manhood.

For an instant he feared he’d frightened her, but she turned to him, her gaze burning.

Without a word, Alec leaned up and pulled her back across him, the fall of her hair enclosing them in a world of sensuous satin. Her hands slipped down his sides, grazing the sensitive skin until he ground his teeth in delicious agony. When her fingers slipped between his legs, he flipped her over to her back and pinned her arms over her head.

“For God’s sake, don’t do that,” he said through clenched teeth. “Not yet.”

Moaning, she pressed herself against him, one leg lifting to twine about his. Any chivalrous thoughts fled before his searing passion. Alec positioned himself between her thighs and thrust home.

She surged against him, a cry torn from her lips as her tight wetness closed around him. He caught her gasp of pain in his mouth, urging her past it and on to the pleasure that awaited her. Quickening his pace, he pulled her with him in a tide of passion that built with each stroke.

She wrapped her legs about his hips, matching his fervor with her own. Alec savored the honesty of her reactions, the sweetness of her as she gave herself over to him completely. She held nothing back, committing herself to the act of passion completely.

Just when he thought it impossible to maintain his control, she cried out, gripping his shoulders and arching against him. Shock waves of pleasure pushed him over the edge, into a sea of bliss.

When he could breathe once more, Alec rolled to one side and pulled her against him. She curled up, limp and replete, in his arms. As passionate with her body as she was with her soul, Julia had taken him farther than his wandering lust had ever gone.

He waited for his heart to resume its normal pace. When he finally opened his eyes, she was raised on one elbow, looking at him as if memorizing every feature.

Alec smiled, the daze of fulfillment settling about them like a warm cocoon. In this instant, he felt as if he could accomplish anything. He traced a finger over the elegant line of her collarbone to the hollow of her throat. Her pulse beat a rapid rhythm against his fingertips. “You are a vixen, my love. I think you bit me.”

Her gaze flew to his neck and a blush, hot and furious, lifted across the creamy expanse of her breasts to her neck and face. “Sorry.”

He chuckled, catching her to him and rolling on his back until she lay on top of him, her head tucked beneath his chin. “Don’t look so chagrined. I was only teasing.”

She buried her face in the column of his throat and said nothing. After a long silence, she said, “Alec, was that correct?”

Alec tilted her face back until he could see her clearly. “It was perfect.”

Julia placed her hands on his chest and regarded him with a frown. “I hoped I’d done it right, but I wasn’t sure.”

He grinned, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Oh, yes.” He caught a flicker of something in her eyes and frowned. “Julia, did I hurt you?”

New color burnt her cheeks. “Oh, no. It was uncomfortable, but just for a minute.” She tilted her head to one side. “Does it always feel like that?”

Alec shook his head. He’d made love with more women than he could remember. Each time he had taken and given pleasure, but never had he experienced the shattering release he’d had with Julia. But it was more than physical pleasure. Julia’s response satisfied him on another level, in a way he was unwilling to examine too closely. He kissed her chin. “It is different every time.”

Her eyes widened. “Every time?”

He grinned and nodded. “And it will only get better.”

Julia’s gaze darkened as she placed her hand on his stubble-roughened cheek. For a long instant she gazed at him. “Alec, I don’t want to fight anymore.”

For an instant, he couldn’t believe she had capitulated so completely. But there was no predicting Julia. Catching her against him, he chuckled. “Then we won’t.”

The moment sweetened. In the morning, she’d resign from the Society and they would begin their lives anew. Alec smiled in contentment and kissed her forehead. With a pleased smile, she curled against him.

For a long, peaceful moment, he held her. A strand of her hair tickled his nose and he brushed it aside. As he listened to the steady pace of her heart, he remembered how she’d told him she knew love and had known it for years. He tried to imagine the paragon who deserved such unwavering adoration, but could think of no one.

Alec scowled. He’d be damned if he would stand by and watch his wife yearn for another man. As if she could sense the change in him, Julia shivered.

He pulled the counterpane over her shoulders, tucking it under her chin. Like a child, she snuggled deeper. He smiled bitterly, appreciating the irony. Over the years he’d dallied with countless wives, never once wondering about their husbands. Now, lying in bed with his own wife, he begrudged her the one passion she’d ever had.

Julia sighed in her sleep, turning toward him. The cover slipped and the pale crest of her breast appeared. The chill of the room puckered the nipple and his mouth watered, a stab of lust instantly stiffening him to readiness. The desire to make love to her until she thought of no one but him fixed in his mind, and he rolled onto his elbow to look down at her sleeping face. But the sight of the faint shadows under her eyes halted his burgeoning desire.

With a regretful sigh, he pulled the blanket around them both. There would be time enough tomorrow to discover the depth of their passion. Closing his eyes, Alec drifted off to sleep, content in the knowledge that after tomorrow, Julia would at least be spared the tiring labor of her work with the Society.