Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Anna

Anna woke slowly, warm and comfortable, her mind in a foggy haze of contentment.

Distantly, she thought she ought to be worried.

She shifted, hitting a wall of solid flesh.

Her eyes popped open, and her head lifted. She had been using a chest as a pillow, the chest of a very handsome man who had her completely tucked against his side.

She gasped in a breath, her fingers flexing on his pectoral muscle.

His eyes opened and his arm tightened about her back.

And that's when she realized that his hand was holding her derriere.

She startled, stiffening away, but his response was only to tighten his grip. "Anna, sweetheart, don't be afraid."

Her name and the gentleness of his tone made her pause as memories returned from the night before, and the days before that. "Lord Bancroft, I'm sorry. I forgot for a moment."

"Don't apologize."

He had a point. He was still cupping her behind. She delicately cleared her throat. "How did we end up in bed together like this?"

His eyes closed, his body relaxing under hers. "You had a nightmare. I thought you could use some good sleep."

She nodded, his words making sense. Though this kind of intimacy was…scandalous. Then again… "It is odd being ruined. I've spent so much time preparing for a future I'll never see."

She felt him stiffen again. "You didn't arrive at school as expected, which is why your reputation is likely to be in tatters?"

"That's right."

She saw him frown before his lips turned up into a small smile. "It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because," he slid his hand from her butt to the small of her back. "I'd like to offer for your hand."

She blinked back her surprise. "What? Why would you do that?"

He looked at her, his eyes serious as he stared at her for several moments. "You're very beautiful."

Anna stared at him, her lips parting. "I have brown hair and eyes, I am of a medium build, and I'm a bit weak in my constitution, if we're being honest."

He gave a low chuckle. "I nearly bankrupted my barony before the Smiths and the Locktons taught me how to properly manage it."

"Oh."

"I also mistreated my sister. An action I deeply regret."

"Oh."

"And your hair is a lovely shade of chestnut, your eyes are flecked with grey and green. Your skin, minus that bruise on your cheek, is a beautiful shade of ivory with pink accents and your lips are the most kissable I've ever seen."

"I see." She didn't know what to say and she thought not to say oh again. And he still had his hand on her derriere.

"In addition, I thought not to marry, but now that I've met you, I had it in my mind that I might save you, not just partially, but completely, by marrying you."

"Oh," she gasped and then immediately clamped her lips together. They likely didn't look kissable now and the pink of her skin had surely turned to red. "My lord."

"Call me James. I have no idea if I'll be a good husband. But I do earn a nice income. And I'd save you from whatever schemes your father might think to concoct."

She stared at him, trying to decide how to answer. "What if I'm plagued with nightmares?"

"We'll have to share a bed. You seem fine when tucked into my side."

Share a bed? It wasn't fear that pulsed through her but something delicious and hot. One of her legs was slung over his and at that moment she realized that her most intimate area was pressed into the flesh of his thigh, causing tendrils of pleasure to curl through her nether regions. "Do married couples do that?"

"In the privacy of their homes? I think they do as they wish."

"Where do you live?"

"Mostly on my boat…" He sighed. "Which sank this morning."

She gasped. "What?"

He let out a long breath, brushing his knuckles over her cheek. "Jack and Fulton saved the crew and many of the goods. We were lucky."

"And you?"

"I stayed here with you."

She sat up, her eyes wide. "But that was your ship."

"I hope you don't think me weak. I promise, of the men, I'm a good leader. Fulton, Gris, and Jack are more than capable, while you…you needed me here. It was an easy decision."

She leaned down then, artlessly pressing her mouth to his. She'd never kissed a man before, had no idea how, but she knew that this man had put her fear before his duties and after the four days she'd had, nothing impressed her more.

This was a man she could trust with her care.

He held her face in his hands, softening the kiss as he led her through several brushes of their mouths before he finally pulled away. "In answer to your question, we'll visit London for the season and spend the rest of the year at my country estate in the north. It's very quiet. It'll be a good place for you to rest and recover.

Anna swallowed down a lump of emotion. Part of the reason she'd felt so horrid was that she didn't trust her father one wit to come to her rescue, but with a man like this… "My answer is yes."

James kissed her again, longer and fuller until the air was robbed from her lungs. This was where she was meant to be.

When the kiss finally ended, Anna continued to hold onto James. She thought she might never wish to leave this tiny bed.

But he started to roll away. "We should get you something to eat. I'll check on my men and you can share the good news with your sister."

"I hope she isn't too concerned at the speed with which we've made the decision."

"She'll be fine, I think," James winked.

Anna's brows lifted as he helped her from the bed. Had she missed something?