Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

A fter saying goodnight to Cooper and walking into her bedroom – alone – Noelle realized that he had a point. Perhaps six days wasn’t too long at all. Maybe it was not soon enough.

She did want to share some thoughts with him after the day with the other guests, so after her maid finished preparing her for sleep, she opened her door to sneak into his bedroom—and nearly walked right into the man himself, waiting on the other side.

“Where are you going?” he asked with wide eyes.

“Where do you think?” she said with a bit of a laugh, opening her door wider. “Come on in.”

He stepped through the door, his gaze wandering around the room, taking in the red drapes, the red and gold canopy over the bed, the two chairs arranged next to the fire, and the stacks of books on a shelf near the door. “This is comfortable.”

“It is, isn’t it?” she agreed. “One thing that can be said for Lady Burton is that she does an excellent job seeing to all the needs of her guests.”

His gaze finally stopped searching, softening when it came to rest on her.

“Come here,” he said, holding out his hands, and she readily stepped into them, her lips curling upward at the tenderness in his gaze, although there was more lurking in the depths of his stare.

Hunger.

“I came to you because I couldn’t stay away,” he said in a low voice. “But I promise I will not succumb to temptation with you tonight.”

“Why not if we are going to be married?” she asked, inching closer. Their bodies were lined up flush against one another, Noelle’s head tilted so that her nose rested beneath his lips.

“Because I want to do this properly,” he said. “Even if everyone thinks we have been together, we know the truth. I will marry you, and I will have a proper wedding night with you.”

“Well, look at you, ever the gentleman,” she teased. “I am happy to be with you now, but if you prefer to wait, I think I can summon the patience.”

Her fingers curled around his neck, playing with the collar of the wrapper he had borrowed from his hosts and the silky hairs swirling over it.

He reached down, lifting her legs around his hips, then walked her over to one of the wide wingback chairs in front of the fire, drawing her close.

“It will be worth it,” he said, although his voice was huskier than usual. “I promise."

“For a man who is intent on waiting, you have an odd way of showing it,” she said, arching an eyebrow, for he was only piquing her desire. Perhaps he was doing it on purpose.

“I know,” he said, raising one hand and running it over her hair. The movement was innocent yet so sensual. “I did want to talk to you.”

“As I wanted to speak with you,” she said. “So much happened today, and yet we hardly ever had a moment alone.”

“Because you just had to walk with Lord John.”

She leaned back, her eyes widening at the hardness in his gaze as he said it. “Why, Cooper, were you jealous?”

“No,” he said gruffly, although he averted her eyes, which she kept upon him until he finally relented. “Fine. I was jealous. Even though I know that I have nothing to worry about. Can you blame me for wanting to be the man with you on his arm?”

She leaned down until her forehead was resting against his. “You are right. You have nothing to worry about. I wanted to walk with Lord John to see if he would impart any information that might be helpful. Sometimes, a man is more likely to be open with an unthreatening young woman than he would be with a man he considers a rival – or more.”

“That is smart,” he acquiesced. “Did you learn anything?”

“I did learn that a card game was being played the night of the murder – or so he said. Lord Northbridge left the gathering.”

“Did any of the rest of them leave at the same time?” he asked, suddenly interested, and she nodded grimly.

“Apparently, they all did at some point. Lord Northbridge said he had a matter to deal with, so they all decided to take a break. Some went for a drink, others to collect cheroots to smoke, and some went to bed.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down.”

“It might come out in the inquiry tomorrow.”

“That should be interesting.”

“Let’s hope it will be finished with quickly.” Noelle leaned back, the thought that had been bothering her resurfacing. “Do you truly think that we are currently living with a killer? Could anyone else be at risk?”

He sighed, tucking loose tendrils of her hair behind her ear.

“I do not know for certain, although I promise I will keep you safe.”

Her heart warmed, the heat spreading through the rest of her body. “You are sweet.”

He laughed. “No one has ever called me that before.”

“Well,” she said with a shrug, “I am happy to be the first.”

“Amongst everything else that was going on, I did speak to Lord Burton. He is happy to have us marry during the house party. In fact, Lady Burton, apparently, is thrilled about our nuptials.”

“So I heard,” Noelle said, laughing as she remembered the woman rushing up to her in gratitude that Noelle was saving their house party.

“Lord Burton agreed to accompany us and your father to see the vicar. Lord Aster also has connections that he believes should help. I see no reason we couldn’t marry on Christmas Eve.”

Her heart pounded rapidly at the thought, and her fingers tightened on Cooper’s hair. She was going to be married – to him. Such a wild idea, especially when she had thought she had lost all chance of marriage with her father’s debts.

She spread her hands over his face, which he opened to her. Despite the expectation that she would one day find a husband, the act of being so intimate with a man had never occurred to Noelle. But here he was, open to her, willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy.

And he didn’t even love her.

She ran her fingers over his temples and his jaw, her thumbs over his prominent cheekbones before dipping down to his neck and collarbone. She shoved aside his wrapper, pleased to find his chest bare beneath it.

“Noelle,” he said, although he closed his eyes as pleasure ran over his face, and he didn’t stop her. “What are you doing?”

“I want to touch you. Explore you. Is that all right?”

“Of course,” he said, although his throat bobbed as he was obviously affected by what she was doing. Good. That was her point entirely.

She trailed kisses along his chest, mapping out every inch of him with reverence. His muscles relaxed as she explored, and she reveled in the power she could hold over a man who was usually so intimidatingly powerful himself.

Cooper's fingers finally found their place, tentatively threading through her hair as if seeking an anchor in the storm of sensations she was stirring within him. His touch sent shivers down her spine, and suddenly waiting to be together for another five days was a silly suggestion, despite how sweet it was.

Without hesitation, she let her mouth follow where her fingers had been, tasting the salt of his skin as his scent washed over her, inviting her closer.

While she might have started with gentleness, Noelle’s touch grew in boldness, leaving a trail of tender kisses down Cooper's chest, each touch causing the tension between them to string ever tighter. His steady breaths turned ragged as her exploration ventured lower, his body lifting toward her as she went.

When she reached the waistband of the trousers he still wore below his wrapper, Cooper's grip on her tightened with silent urgency. His jaw tensed and he shook his head. “None of that. Not yet.”

“Why—”

“You come first.”

Without another word, he lifted her effortlessly in his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently before him as the canopy framed his head and his delicious body, now uncovered by the wrapper that had fallen off on the way. Their eyes locked in a shared hunger, a mutual understanding passing between them in the charged air of the room.

Noelle's heart thundered in her chest as Cooper hovered over her, his gaze intense and unwavering until he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

“I think waiting is a mistake,” she panted when he finally came up for air. “I think?—”

“We will still wait to come together completely,” he growled. “But that doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy ourselves in the meantime.”

He untied her wrapper, which she hadn’t even realized was still cinched tight around her. She slid her arms out of it before eagerly lifting her nightgown over her head until she was naked in front of him. She knew she should feel exposed, shy perhaps, but Cooper made her feel that she had nothing to fear, that he would accept her as she was without judgment.

Which was more attractive than anything else she could imagine.

When she lifted her gaze to his face, she couldn’t help but grin despite the desire coursing through her body. His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted as he stared at her, and Noelle could say with certainty that she had never felt more beautiful than she did in this moment.

“Noelle,” he said in a choked voice. “You are… exquisite. I am a lucky, lucky man.”

She reached a hand up, needing him closer. “I would have said that I am the lucky one.”

With that, he shook his head as he trailed feather-light kisses down her neck, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Noelle's breath hitched as his hands skimmed the sensitive skin of her stomach, tracing the curve of her hips and thighs. She arched into his touch, desperate for more.

Cooper looked up, his eyes meeting hers, burning with hunger and desire as he continued his journey down her body. Everywhere his lips touched was set ablaze, a warm tingling sensation radiating through every inch of her being. She felt boneless beneath him, anchored to the bed as he leaned overtop of her, keeping his entire body weight from her on his arms bracketing her body.

He kissed her belly button and then delved lower still until he reached her inner thighs. Noelle's heart pounded furiously against her ribs, excitement coursing through her veins as she watched him approach the edge of forbidden territory.

“Cooper,” she whispered, that hesitancy that had been absent suddenly invading. “Should you do this?”

“Oh yes,” he said with a wicked grin. “I most definitely should.”

And with that, he dipped his head, his hot breath skating over her most intimate places. She shuddered, tensing at the unexpected shiver that shot through her, uncertain of what to expect but trusting that he would keep her safe. He had in every other way, had he not?

He kissed her again, this time more firmly. A whimper escaped her lips as tendrils of pleasure began to uncoil within her. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to be doing, what was to come, but she closed her eyes and allowed herself to follow the sensations he set. Cooper continued his barrage of kisses and licks, slowly inching lower until he finally reached his destination.

With a devilish grin on his face, he used his tongue to part her folds gently, tasting her in a way that she hadn’t even known was possible. The awareness of his warm breath on her most secret parts was overwhelming as he continued to explore.

At first, she tensed, concerned of what he might think of her, but at the way he worshipped every part of her body with such reverence and care, she soon let that go. Once she relaxed, she was taken aback by the sensations that surged through her, and her hips arched off the bed involuntarily as wave upon wave of pleasure washed over her.

He backed off but never left her, and when Noelle finally returned to herself, he was lying next to her with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked, laughter teasing the corners of his mouth, and when he leaned in, she swatted him away.

“You know I did,” she said, before noting just how dark his eyes were, reminding her that his own desire was yet to be satiated. “But you haven’t yet.”

“Oh, I enjoyed myself just fine,” he said. “Do not worry your pretty face over that.”

“Are you going to…” she swallowed as she waved a hand at him, “…do something about that?”

“Yes,” he said cautiously.

“Can I watch?”

His eyes widened before he nodded his head nearly imperceptibly.

“You could watch… or help.”

Suddenly she wanted nothing else.