Devonny Ch. 07

She remembered the kiss he had given her, not long after her arrival at the Davenport household. That kiss haunted her dreams. She remembered the sweet pressure of his mouth and the way he had skillfully parted her lips, how his tongue had delved into her mouth in the most caressing of ways. She thought of the way his strong muscled body had felt against hers and the feel of his arms crushing her to him.

A sweet ache lodged low in her belly. She lightly ran her palm over the hard planes of his chest, the sparse silky hairs there tickling her flesh. And then she felt the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest halt.

Her eyes flew to his face to find his dark emerald gaze on her face.

Gabriel looked at her closely from his intimate distance. She flushed, making a small noise in her throat and made to jerk away from him but he simply tightened his arm around her holding her firmly in place.

Devonny stared at him wide-eyed. A positively sinful smile spread across his handsome face and his deep voice rumbled through his chest, still husky with sleep and something else. "Good morning, love."

"Sir I—" she began.

"Gabriel," he corrected.

She lowered her gaze to her hand still pressed to his chest, against his bare skin. "Gabriel," she murmured softly. She felt his fingertips brush delicately over her jaw line before slipping beneath her chin and gently yet firmly lifting her face to his.

He seemed to leisurely examine her features. "You look better," he said absently as he ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. Her color had indeed heightened. But then he smiled roguishly wondering if it had more to do with their close proximity.

Devonny was having trouble breathing. His face was mere inches away. And the way he was looking at her...

Gabriel suddenly pushed her onto her back and raised himself on one elbow to look down at her. Her lovely eyes were wide with shock. Her breasts rose and fell with her quickened breath.

He laid his palm on her flat belly, marveling at the way his hand spanned nearly across her small waist. There was nothing really, just this thin layer of cotton fabric between her warm silky flesh and the bare flesh of his palm. He hardened instantly, straining against his breeches. It would be a small thing to simply pull up her nightdress and expose her to his ravenous gaze and wandering hands. The way she was looking at him, he was certain she would allow it. He groaned. He'd never wanted anything in the world more than he wanted to be inside her.

Devonny's heart was beating so hard she was sure it was going to burst through her chest at any moment. Gabriel. Beautiful Gabriel was lying in her bed, running his hands over her belly looking at her as though she was the most wondrous thing in the world.

"You're in my bed," she breathed softly, blinking rapidly in confusion when she realized she had spoken aloud.

Gabriel met her gaze with a heated stare. She looked willing, oh so willing. He lifted a hand and slowly ran his fingertips over her collarbone, and then lower over the swells of her breast, pausing to fondle the peak with its hardened little bud. She arched slightly under his touch, a sweet feminine whimper escaping her lips. Gabriel felt his cock throb in response.

His hand drifted lower, grazing her hip as he carefully avoided the apex of her thighs. Not yet. He drew the fabric up, groaning low in his throat as his fingers brushed against the impossible smoothness of her thighs.

At the sound of her gasp he lifted his eyes to her face once more. Her eyes were dark with desire but there was something else too in their depths. Fear? Hesitation?

The thought gave him pause; awareness of what he was doing momentarily piercing the fog of his longing. He did not wish to frighten her. She deserved better than this. She deserved better than him. What was he doing? Fondling her in her sick bed?

'You were going to do more than simply fondle her,' a voice whispered across his mind and he pulled his hand away suddenly.

Devonny stared up Gabriel as he frowned and carefully smoothed her nightdress back into place.

He would not meet her gaze. He was staring at his hand resting lightly on her belly. His voice was low. "I'm sorry, Devonny." He frowned, clearly agitated. "I apologize for what I was about to do." And he lifted his gaze to hers.

Her heart turned in her chest at the look of anguish on her face. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him that it was alright and tell him that he had done nothing wrong, but her words caught in her throat. She had no idea what to say to him. Her eyelids fluttered closed as he leaned down and pressed a chaste—and yet not so chaste—kiss on her brow.

He carefully slid from the bed as she stared at him. "I'll let Moira know you are awake." He lifted a hand as though he would touch her face, and then seemed to think better of it before dropping his hand to his side. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said roughly before striding from the room.

Devonny sat up on her elbows and stared at the closed door, before flopping back down on the pillow, immediately regretting the way the motion made her head throb dully. Gabriel Davenport was giving her a terrible headache. It

It was nothing new. She frowned. Really, she would have thought she'd have been used to it by now.