by Nichole Van
Her spirit.
All the while, a part of his mind danced with glee. He was actually kissing her. Finally.
Hallelujah!
Afterward, he could not recall how long their kisses had lasted. A minute? An hour?
He only knew it was not enough. A lifetime of kissing Georgiana Knight would scarcely be enough.
She pulled away, trembling.
Heaven knew he would never have been able to end the embrace on his own.
She let out a long, shuddering breath and sat back into her seat. Reclaimed his hand in hers.
He brought her hand to his lips. Kissed her knuckles lingeringly.
He refused to examine why she had kissed him. From shock? Loss? Or was it—finally, at last—something more?
No, those were questions he did not want to ask.
Ambiguity provided emotional safety.
And given the battering his heart had taken over the past week, he preferred to just let things be.
Georgiana lay in bed, replaying the events of the evening.
Sebastian fighting Shatner, so poised and calm. Fiercely charming in his witty repartee. Finally telling Shatner that they were done. Shatner and his startling tattoo.
Those should have been the events keeping her awake.
They weren’t.
It was the memory of his kiss.
Of his warm mouth on hers, coaxing, demanding. The coiled strength of his hand in her hair.
The inexplicable rightness of it all.
As if she had been waiting her entire life for that one kiss. Her heart sang hosannas through her veins. But a thousand questions lingered.
Well, that wasn’t quite true.
It was one question, and one question only, that plagued her.
Why had he kissed her?
Okay, so she had technically kissed him first. (Which made it decidedly seven men that she had kissed. No doubting the kiss this time.)
And she knew why she had kissed him. This new awareness of him demanded no less. She ached to be closer, to learn him. Like an explorer charting a new country, she wanted to get a stronger lay of the land. Understand the natives and how they viewed her.
But what had motivated him? Because he was a polite man? And when kissed, polite men generally returned the affection?
Though, he had definitely, enthusiastically kissed her back, a little more ardently than mere politeness, despite being quiet and reserved before and after said kiss.
What did it all mean? Had he wanted to comfort her, just as he had a few days previously when she had cried into his chest?
Or after all this time, could there perhaps be truth in all his teasing, that he saw her as substantially more than just a friend?
Her breathing went all fuzzy at that thought.
She had no answers.
She knew one thing only . . .
She ached to kiss him again.
After an hour of staring at her ceiling, she gave up. Maybe some ice cream and late night television would calm her.
Padding downstairs in loose pajama bottoms and t-shirt, she absently twisted her hair into a knot on her head, flipped on the light in the kitchen and then froze. Surprised.
Sebastian was there, leaning back against the island, a carton of ice cream in one hand, spoon halfway to his mouth in the other.
Dressed just like her: loose pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that hugged his shoulders.
Hair rumpled, side whiskers a little ragged. Dark eyes gleaming as they raked her from head to toe.
He looked so young, like a university student just down for the term. Not a weathered soldier turned earl and parliamentary lord.
The contrast made her knees weak.
He was utterly delicious.
Shooting her an appreciative look, he popped the spoon in his mouth.
“You willing to share that?” she asked, sauntering over, leaning against the island next to him.
He nodded, digging out another bite. Offering it to her from his spoon.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he explained.
She sighed, relishing the smooth chill of the ice cream.
“Me either.” She took another offered bite. “What’s bothering you?”
He ignored her question.
“Why does chocolate ice cream make everything instantly better?” He shook his head in wonderment, taking another bite for himself before gouging out a spoonful for her. “It’s the most amazing thing.”
“Seb, you are avoiding my question. What’s wrong?” She fixed him with a stern stare. But still readily opened her mouth for another spoonful of ice cream.
He dug back into the carton. Shrugged.
“I have this friend. A very old . . . very dear friend, mind you. And as best I can tell, she broke up with a man she cares about . . .” He lifted his gaze and fixed her with his chocolate brown eyes. “And then, adding insult to injury, another old friend took advantage of her downcast spirits . . .”
His eyes flicked down to her mouth.
Oh!
He shrugged again. Turned slightly away. Head bent, digging out the last bits of ice cream from the bottom of the carton.
“How about you?” he asked, a little too casually.
Georgiana sighed. “Well, I have had an interesting evening myself. I realized my former boyfriend—who I have been meaning to break up with for several days now—is most likely in league with some nefarious underworld organization. But, surprisingly, that wasn’t the most shocking revelation of the evening.”
Sebastian instantly stilled, lifting his head. Offered her the last bite of ice cream. She licked it, leisurely, off the spoon.
“No? So what was most surprising?”
His voice sounded nonchalant. But the tension in his shoulders gave him away.
“Well, you see, I have this friend too. A very old, very dear friend. Really like a brother to me . . .”
He deflated, just like that.
A popped balloon.
His eyes shuttered and then he instantly turned away, walking over to drop the empty carton into the recycle bin.
Well.
That had been unexpected.
Apparently, he did not appreciate references—even ironic ones—to the once filial nature of their relationship.
Happiness burned through her like fire.
Giddy.
“I find I am exceptionally tired after all,” he said, coming back around the island. “So I believe I will bid you good night.”
He made her a small bow, which looked absurd in his flannel pajama bottoms and t-shirt. He moved to walk past her, but she stopped him with a hand to his chest.
His exceptionally firm, warm chest.
She could feel his heart beating fast under her fingers.
“You didn’t allow me to finish,” she whispered.
“Georgiana, it’s late and—”
“Hush.” She placed the fingers of her other hand over his mouth. “You see, I had always considered this friend to be more like a brother to me. But then . . . something happened. Well, it’s been gradually happening over the last couple weeks.”
He quit breathing. His chest just stopped moving under her touch. A light kindled in his eyes.
She continued. “Tonight, I—I realized when this excessively dashing friend of mine smiled, that slow, spreading smile of his . . . Yes, just like he is right now, in fact . . .”
With a wondrous laugh, Sebastian turned his head into her hand. Kissed her palm.
Wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
He blazed with light. Like a beacon suddenly lit.
Popping up on her tiptoes, Georgiana whispered against his cheek, “Well, tonight I realized his smile turns my insides all melty and—”
Whatever else she intended to say vanished as his mouth captured hers.
Achingly tender, lips lingeringly cold from the ice cream.
She threaded her hand into his hair, somehow needing to be even closer. Her other hand slip
ped around to his back, reveling in the heat of his muscles radiating through the t-shirt.
He enveloped her in his arms, kissing her like a man in a desert.
Like he had been thirsty for far too long, and she was the only one who could quench it.
“So help me,” he growled after a long while, “if you ever mention brotherly affections to me again . . .”
He emphasized his statement by giving her a decidedly non-brotherly kiss.
Georgiana laughed. A cascade of pure joy.
He groaned, hugging her to him. “Ah, darling, that laugh,” he whispered. “That amazing, glorious sound . . .”
She laughed again. How could she not?
A while later, Georgiana found herself snuggled against him on the sofa, his arm wrapped around her.
His hand was large and warm on her hip, thumb moving in lazy circles that did tingly things to her insides. She had her head on his chest, the slow thump of his heart soothing her to sleep.
How could she ever bear to be parted from him?
It was the last thought before sleep took her.
Chapter 21
The great room
Duir Cottage
September 22, 2013
Birthday in minus 16 days plus two hundred years
Sunlight pricked Sebastian’s eyelids. For a moment, he floated in nothingness, disoriented, and then all the memories of the previous evening rushed back.
The sword fight, Shatner, ice cream.
Georgiana!
He had finally truly kissed Georgiana.
And, even more, she had kissed him back. Shyly admitted he turned her insides melty.
He nearly groaned from the sheer, dizzying happiness of it all.
It lapped through him. Relentless waves.
Kissing her had been . . . so . . . indescribably wonderful.
The taste of her, the feel of her in his arms. All impossibly right.
Grinning, he realized they were still on the couch, Georgiana’s warmth snuggled up against him.
He had a terrible crick in his neck and his arm ached, but the comfort of just holding her, of feeling her arms around him, trusting, loving . . .
Eyes still closed, he sighed and gathered her a little closer to him, bending down to kiss the top of her head, rubbing his hand on her hip—
“So help me, if your hand moves even an inch higher . . .”
A cool, aristocratic voice knifed through Sebastian’s consciousness.
With a gasp, Sebastian jerked fully awake. James Knight sat not three feet away in one of the wingback chairs, nursing a cup of coffee, legs crossed, foot bouncing.
Every inch the bristling nineteenth century gentleman, despite his jeans and t-shirt.
Ruthlessly surveying him, James took a leisurely sip of coffee. Slurping nice and loud.
Waiting for Sebastian to explain himself.
“Knight,” he gasped weakly.
Georgiana stirred against his chest, nuzzled into him and then became more awake. Locked her blue eyes with her brother.
And practically launched herself away from Sebastian. Ending up on the other edge of the couch, face cherry-red.
Now she blushed.
“J—James,” she stammered. “You made it home.”
“Indeed.” His voice a masterpiece of irony. “As you see.”
James calmly regarded them both, taking another languid sip of coffee. Ensuring the noise was rattlingly loud.
Sebastian was quite sure there would come a time when they would all laugh about this.
Do you remember when James arrived home early and found Georgiana and me in the most compromising situation?
However, given the icy gleam in James’ eye, that moment was still several months away. Maybe a couple years.
Georgiana shot Sebastian a panic-stricken look.
James sipped his coffee. Loudly.
Silence.
“Again, Stratton, I would be interested to know your intentions toward my sister.” Only the tight bouncing of James’ legs betrayed his anger.
A chuckle came from the kitchen.
Sebastian whirled his head around to see Emme leaning against the island.
“James, give it a rest,” she grinned. “Georgiana is a grown woman. She’s twenty-four, for heaven’s sake. Stop being all nineteenth century, aristocratic weird about this—”
“She’s my baby sister, Emme.”
“You didn’t mind her hanging out with Shatner—”
“Shatner was just, well . . . Shatner. But Stratton knows better. He is supposedly a man of honor, and I trusted he would behave in a most gentlemanly-like manner—”
“Yes, and you have had little fondness for Shatner.”
“True, but—”
“You like Stratton, remember? He’s a good egg, as you keep saying—”
“Agreed, but that doesn’t give him the right to take liberties—”
“Liberties?” Georgiana found her voice. “Heavens, James, what kind of person do you think I am?”
Georgiana scooted closer to Sebastian, wrapping her hand into his, hair golden and mussed from sleep.
She was unbearably beautiful.
“Georgie, you are in no position to be—”
“Sebastian has been a perfect gentleman all week long—”
“Gentlemen do not curl up with well-bred young ladies who—”
Emme laughed.
All heads swiveled back to her.
“This is not humorous.” James glowered.
“Riiiiiight,” she drawled. “There is nothing funny about this at all.” She laughed again.
James glared mock-daggers at his wife.
“What do you want to do, James? Force them to marry? Make her leave us and return to the nineteenth century with him?”
Sebastian blinked, as if someone had flicked cold water on his face. Right. How could he have forgotten. That enormous problem still faced them, no matter how much he and Georgiana enjoyed each other’s kisses.
James stared at his wife for a second, scrubbed a hand through his hair. Let out a long breath.
Turned his eyes back to Sebastian and Georgiana.
“Well, what are you two going to do about this?”
Georgiana tossed her head.
“There is nothing to do, James. This is for Sebastian and me to sort out. So, let’s just leave it.”
James scowled. Emme chuckled.
Georgiana pulled her hand free of Sebastian’s and started combing fingers through her tousled hair. “In other news, Sebastian nearly took a sword to Shatner last night and, obviously given other developments,”—she gestured with her free hand to the space between she and Sebastian—“I finally officially broke up with him, so—”
“Thank heaven! What a relief,” James said with slight burst of air.
Georgiana raised her eyebrow, gathering her long hair and twisting it into a knot on top of her head. “I knew you didn’t particularly love Shatner, but I didn’t realize you were so opposed to—”
“Did you want me to fetch the file, James?” Emme interrupted.
“File?” Georgiana asked.
James nodded.
“Let’s just say that things with Shatner were not entirely on the up and up. He was involved in some fairly dodgy dealings.” James looked back and forth between Sebastian and Georgiana. “That doesn’t seem to have shocked you as much as it probably should have.”
“Gah! I forgot the best part!” Georgiana threw her hands in the air. “Shatner has the Zeus mark tattooed on his arm.”
James hissed in a breath, eyes instantly widening.
“Well, well, well,” he murmured. “That certainly makes everything more interesting.”
“Doesn’t it?” Georgiana bounced a little.
Ah, irrepressible Georgie. Nothing kept her down for long.
“What have you found?” Sebastian asked, grasping Georgiana’s hand again. Not wanting to let her go, not caring if James saw the affection
between them.
“I knew you were looking into his finances, but didn’t realize you were doing such in-depth investigating.”
Georgiana ran her thumb over the back of Sebastian’s hand.
Over and over. Possessive.
It felt wonderful.
James shook his head. “I didn’t intend to go so deep either, but it was like a collapsing haystack. Every time I grasped a straw, five more would poke out.”
He stood and walked over to the large table, taking the folder of documents Emme handed him.
Curious, Sebastian and Georgiana followed, hand in hand. James spread papers out on the table, digging through them. He pulled out one, studied it, and then handed it to Georgiana.
“Basically, it turns out Shatner is involved in an organized crime ring.”
Sebastian let out a low whistle.
James turned to his sister. “I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but dear Shatner never worked with orphanages or anything so noble. Most of his overseas trips involve drug trafficking or arms dealing. He is in deep with some extremely nasty people.”
Georgiana stared at the paper for a moment. Morning sun poured through the large bank of windows, flooding the room with light, turning her hair into a halo.
Sebastian studied her, but she didn’t show any signs of distress.
“But why chase me?” she asked.
“Well, I had tentatively committed to donate a rather large sum of money to his charitable organization . . .” James’ voice drifted off.
Georgiana blinked at her brother, eyes wide in surprise. Sebastian felt momentarily ill. Dearest Georgiana deserved so much more than—
She startled them all by laughing. “That does explain quite a bit.” She continued to smile, though a little wistful.
James cocked a questioning eyebrow at her.
“Heavens, James. You were always worried about nineteenth century fortune hunters but, as it turns out, such behavior isn’t as old-fashioned as one might think. Poor Shatner just wanted to marry me for the money after all.”
James sighed, nodding. “I am afraid that is too true.”
She shook her head, laughing again and then leaned into Sebastian’s arm. “At least I now understand how you have felt, Sebastian. All those women chasing you . . .”
He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. Sebastian had never considered himself to be anything less than a gentleman. But despite her brother’s presence, he wanted to hold Georgiana to him, breathe in roses and sunshine, bask in the wonder of her returned affection.