Chapter Twenty-Four

Nate eyed the bed with distaste. It did not matter how late it was, how could he possibly sleep? He tugged off his cravat in a half-hearted attempt to ready for bed and set down his cufflinks on the mahogany armoire. Red had little sympathy for him and had ordered him off to bed so he and Hannah did not have to look at his miserable face any longer. It was all very well for them, they had each other. What did he have?

A sort of fiancée, who was not really his fiancée, but one whom everyone thought was his fiancée, who he really did wish to become his fiancée but likely never would now.

Anyway, he did not much wish to be around those two. With the wedding mere weeks away, their obvious love for one another was becoming harder to stomach. Particularly when he was well-aware he had ruined everything.

Tomorrow. He would go and talk to Patience tomorrow. Or more likely get an earful from her. Either way, he'd face his fate, tell her the truth behind his actions and grovel on his knees if he had to. Apparently when it came to Patience he was not beyond that. His letter to Jacob had been rash and foolish but after he thought he was going to lose her to some exotic, dangerous country, he had decided he had to stop her for her own good.

Look where that had brought him.

Down to his knees if needs be, it seemed.

What an arrogant fool he was. He slipped off his waistcoat and unbuttoned his shirt. Moving over to the washbasin, he dunked his hands in the cold water and bent to splash it across his face. Nate straightened, pushed damp fingers through his hair and let out the hundredth sigh of that night.

Maybe he should have gone after her. He did not know. Of course Patience would be furious but what were the chances of her calming down by the morning? He'd almost rather have faced her straight away than let her stew away, getting angrier by the moment and concocting all sorts of revenge.

He had acquiesced to Jacob because he was her brother. He knew her better. Except, Nate was not so sure now. Patience had never confided with any of her brothers about how she felt, how she longed so badly to make them proud. Only he knew that.

The more he thought about it, the more he grew convinced that he knew her better than them all.

Glancing at the clock, he debated it. If he turned up now and Harry was aware Nate had upset Patience, he might end up called out for a duel or at least end up with a door slammed in his face. He probably deserved to be called out. He had not been honest with Patience and for that he had paid dearly.

But damn it, he needed to see her. No other woman had ever tangled him up in knots so. No one had been able to cause him such anguish. That was simply because no other woman was like Patience.

His hand hovered over his jacket. To go or not to go. Before he could make the decision, there was a rattle at the window. He scowled and peered at it. There was no rain tonight nor wind. Unless a great tree had suddenly sprouted overnight, there was nothing that could make such a noise.

The rattle—that was more like a tap when he thought about it—happened again. He strode over and slung back the curtains.

He nearly fell over backwards.

"Patience, bloody hell." He yanked at the handle on the window only to find the cold weather had made it seize up. He tried again. "Bloody, goddamn, bloody, idiot woman. What in the hell…" he muttered as he wrangled with the metal latch.

It finally gave way and he tore open the window to haul her in. He yanked her in so fast and hard that they toppled to the floor together. He released an oof and found himself momentarily dazed.

Nate blinked several times before focusing his vision on the woman on top of him. Her hair was wild around her shoulders, a golden, frizzy mess that made her face seem petite. She wore a dress. The same god-awful pink one that should have been consigned to a bonfire as soon as it had been designed. The dress was tied around her legs much like the night they had broken into Magnus' house.

That was not the most unusual thing about her, however. No, it was the wide grin on her face that baffled him. Maybe she was considering throwing a punch his way and that was the cause for amusement.

"You're a damned foolish woman," he said, grabbing her arms and easing her off him. "If you wanted to shout at me, you could have come through the front door.

He stood and slammed shut the window. The window shook in protest and he winced. He turned to her and thrust out a finger. "No more climbing damned buildings, do you understand me? No more, little one. You could have killed yourself."

She said nothing, merely held onto that strange smile that only made him madder. What was she thinking, scaling the walls of the hall? His room was a whole level higher than the window at Magnus' house.

"What would I have done had you died?" he continued. "What—"

She grabbed his face in both hands, rose onto tiptoes and flatted her lips to his.

"What would I have done?" he said, the words smothered.

Patience drew back long enough to shush him then kissed him again. The fight vanished. He had no idea why she was kissing him or what the devil was happening, and he did not much care. Let her silence him forever with her kisses. He would die a happy man.

Hands to his shoulders, she coaxed him around so that his back was to the bed. She took a step back and gave him a gentle shove. He fell back onto the bed and pushed himself up onto his elbows to view her.

Ugly pink dress or not, he had never desired anyone with as much intensity as this. From her halo of messy hair to the bunched fabric around her muscled calves, he could not want her more.

Fists on hips, she eyed him, and he had to wonder if this was not part of some plan of revenge. Get him aroused then humiliate him in some way. If so, he would gladly take part. He would do whatever she bid if it gave him a chance to try to explain himself to her.

"Patience, I—"

She came forward and climbed atop him, knees on either side of his legs. The sweet, fresh scent of her clouded about him. He glanced at her cleavage which was directly in his line of sight. Actually, the dress was not so bad after all if he thought about it. The way it cupped her generous breasts while giving him the tiniest hint of flesh was enough to drive a man wild.

"I like this dress," he said, his apology forgotten momentarily.

"You do?" She laughed. "I thought it was hideous."

"Why wear it then?"

"Because, Lord Nathaniel Kingsley, I intend to seduce you." She leaned forward, forcing him to lie back on the bed.

Her hair drifted over him, teasing his skin. Her thighs held him in place while the apex of her thighs pressed hard against his arousal. His eyes near rolled back in his head.

"You're doing a fine job." The words came out strangled. "But why?" he managed to force out as her breath whispered over his lips and across his slightly stubbled chin.

She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck and a tremor of anticipation rioted through him. Then she put her lips to his Adam's apple and down to his collar bone. She came up long enough to remove his glasses and set them aside before continuing this wonderfully torturous pattern of kissing all over his face until she came to his lips.

"I heard what you said." The words were uttered against his cheek.

"I know, and, Patience, you should know that—"

"You love me."

"Well, yes that too."

"Good." She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I love you too."

Any reply vanished. The bumbling words of apology were gone. A fanfare of triumph sounded in his mind. Yes, yes, yes. He had this woman's love. And, apparently, she was not at all angry.

By the time he'd considered summoning more words of apology, she was kissing him again. And rubbing. God almighty, there was rubbing. Her body rocked against his, sending surge after surge of pleasure through him. He drew in a breath and pushed his hands through her hair. Whatever had happened between her finding out about what he had done and now, he hardly cared anymore. All he knew was that Patience loved him and was intent on driving him over the edge. Well, if she was going to push him into the abyss, he was taking her with him.

He kissed her back hard and fast, delving deep and drinking in the taste of her. When he broke away briefly to draw in a breath, he saw flushed cheeks and glistening skin.

"Where did you learn to seduce?" he asked. Half of him was jesting but the other had him worrying she had been putting her skills to practice elsewhere.

"From you."

"From me?"

She nodded and tucked her bottom lip under her teeth. A smile curved her lips. "You taught me all I know about being a woman."

He lifted his brows. "Well, that was clever of me."

Patience chuckled. "Do you not see? All those compliments, all that flirtation. All those roguish comments and those kisses and touches, they…well, they made me understand."

"Understand what?"

"That there is no shame in wearing a dress and being feminine. That there is nothing weak in being womanly. That, essentially, it can be quite a powerful experience. You taught me that."

He eyed this brave, bold woman in front of him with a smile. "And here I thought you knew everything."

"Almost everything," she conceded.

"I can teach you more."

"Then do," she begged. "Then do."

Nate needed no more coercion. Not that he ever needed any in the first place. He rolled her onto her back. Peppering kisses over her neck and the rise of her breasts, he began to untangle the dress from around her legs. He worked her stockings down and found her mouth with his. She writhed underneath him, moving her body like a wave on the ocean, beckoning him to his doom.

Well, doomed man that he was, he was more than happy to sink with this ship. Once he had worked off her gown and discovered, much to his delight that only a slip remained underneath, he set to work on drowning himself in her. He pushed up the cotton to eye the soft flesh of her thighs. He kissed and bit at the inside of them while urging the chemise higher.

Nate set a light kiss to her slightly rounded belly then up, and up. "Christ almighty." He damned well nearly spilled in his breeches then and there. The woman had the most spectacular breasts a man had ever set eyes on.

When her breasts were fully revealed and her chemise had been cast aside, he continued kissing his way along her trembling body. Her fingernails ran tracks over his skin, leaving trails of tingling sensation all over him. His cock strained against the confines of his clothes.

He gave her a firm kiss and stood. For the most part it was to remove his clothing, but it also gave him the added advantage of admiring her spread across his bed. Her arms were slightly browner than the rest of her and a tiny ‘v' of color where her shirt always remained open led his eye down to her breasts. Her nipples were pink and pale, and just perfect for tasting.

A blush of color ran across her chest and up into her face.

"What are you doing?"

He fought with the buttons of his shirt. "Undressing." He frowned at the buttons that seemed to have become the smallest buttons in the world and were completely impossible to hold onto. "Trying to."

She moved to sit up but he motioned her down. "Stay. I want to admire you. Do not move a muscle."

He saw her throat work but she did as he bid and remained utterly still, her eyes steadily widening as he finally mastered buttons and revealed his chest then stripped to his skin. She swallowed again.

"I will not hurt you," he promised, placing his body over hers.

"I know."

Though the temptation to bury himself deep inside her was fierce, he did not give in. Patience's pleasure and comfort would be his first thought. His cock touched her damp quim and he groaned. She let out a hiss and shuddered. He grinned to himself as he buried his face into the crook of her neck and nibbled at the sensitive skin there.

He moved again, touching his arousal to her folds and that same shudder repeated itself. Shifting his hips, he moved slightly harder, each time brushing his cock up and down her sensitive spot. Her nails dug into his shoulders.

If he focused hard, he could forget the pleasure it brought him. He forced himself to think only of her slightly whimpering noises and the subtle movements of her body. With each gentle, rubbing thrust, her body grew more limp, more pliable. The whimpers turned into cries. He picked up the pace until she stiffened and her nails bit into his skin in a far too pleasurable way. His name spilled from her lips in a breathy cry and she wilted.

Nate moved back to view her and pushed her hair from her dampened face. "You are not the only one who can seduce," he said with a grin.

"No," she agreed, drawing in a long, shuddering breath. "I am not."

He eased up her leg and opened her to him. With one finger, he tested her, finding her wet and ready. He placed in another finger, then another. Her eyes widened but there was no pain there.

Lowering himself down onto her, he urged her legs over his hips and kissed her hard before moving back. He wanted to see her expression for many reasons. Firstly, to ensure he did not hurt her but secondly so he could never forget the time he made Patience his.

He inched in cautiously, jaw clenched as the tightness closed in around him. The desire to close his eyes warred with the need to see her. He eased forward again, surely moving at the slowest pace a man had ever moved. His muscles strained with restraint.

Deeper again. Deeper, deeper. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was open in an ‘o' shape. Hair splayed over his bedsheets, her hands now digging into his rear, she was the picture of seduction. How could any man resist?

He moved one more time and waited. In those several heartbeats, he absorbed the sensation of being joined with the woman he loved. Hand on heart, it was nothing like he had ever experienced before.

"Going to marry you," he murmured before easing back and sliding in again.

She moaned. "Yes."

"You wish to marry me?"

"Yes," she repeated, her lids fluttering as he picked up the pace. "Yes, yes, yes."

Nate would have to ask her again when he was not buried deep inside of her to be certain but for now he would take that as a yes.

The pleasure built as he kissed her deep, their tongues tangling. As Patience began to understand the rhythm, she moved her hips with him, bringing more ecstasy than he thought possible. Her body began to quiver and tighten around him, and he gritted his teeth to keep control.

Her peak came slowly, rolling over them both in subtle waves. She uttered another soft "Yes" and her body spasmed one last time. He gave himself up to her then, closing his eyes and groaning loudly as he spilled into her in one gut-wrenching orgasm.

Pushing up onto his elbows, he stared down at the woman who had changed his life irrevocably and realized he had no regrets. He was always looking for his next adventure, after all, and it seemed Patience would be that—and he had no doubt she would keep him on his toes for the rest of his life.

"I never meant to hurt you," he said quickly.

"You did not. That was wonderful." She smoothed a palm over his cheek and he nearly forgot what he wanted to say.

"No, with regards to telling Jacob he needed to come and help."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you understand how insane you made me? I could hardly think straight. I was scared, little one. Scared of the lengths you would go to and scared you would leave me."

"You? Scared? Surely not."

He nodded. Admitting that one was scared should not have felt like a good thing and yet it did. The burden had fallen from his shoulders and left him feeling weightless.

"You are an amazing woman. How could I ever hope to keep you happy?"

"More moments like this would be nice," she said with a grin.

"Saucy wench," he teased.

"I was angry," she admitted. "You know why."

"I do."

"But I realized I had been chasing the wrong things for the wrong reasons. And that I had to chase the things I wanted. Namely, you."

If he grinned any harder, he would break his face. So he kissed her forehead and eased off her so he could wrap her in his arms. "Well, you have no need to chase me any longer. I am yours. For better or for worse."