Matilda's Freedom by Tea Cooper

yet—he hoped—turned him into a total oaf.
    ‘Thank you, Kit, but I’m perfectly comfortable. I find I rather like the idea of having my own little house.’
    ‘I didn’t want you to feel that you had been banished from the big house. Nor do I want you to be upset by my mother’s comments. She sometimes speaks without thinking of others’ feelings.’
    ‘I didn’t take offence, and she is correct. I am not a guest. I have a position in your household, and it is only right that your visitors should make use of the guest rooms.’
    Matilda moved as if to close the door. Kit marshalled his thoughts, trying to think of a way to detain her a little longer. He wanted to step inside, inhale her perfume, and hold her close. His anticipation had been building all afternoon but it was now magnified a thousandfold.
    It threatened to engulf him.
    ‘Goodnight, Kit.’
    With a mind of its own, his foot moved forward and blocked the door from closing. Matilda re-opened the door and looked down at his foot. A brief frown marred the perfect symmetry of her face, but then her head was lifting, and her wide blue eyes were staring into his. A flash of confusion crossed her features, and yet her eyes showed her growing excitement. Kit felt his blood begin to race.
    She took one small step back, and her hand dropped from the door. Like a vision from heaven, she stood there, waiting.
    Her eyes darkened.
    A flame of desire ignited his blood, and unable to contain himself a moment longer, Kit stepped over the threshold and clasped her upper arms. The silken feel of her hair against the palms of his hands sent shudders of eagerness shooting through him.
    His fingers encircled her arms and tightened.
    Astonished, her mouth opened like a rosebud unfurling. The tiniest of groans escaped her lips—and that sound proved his undoing. Wrapping his arms around her, Kit lifted Matilda off the ground and crushed her to him. He carried her two steps farther into the lamplight and kicked the door closed.

Chapter Thirteen
    Kit’s eyes burned black with desire. The sandstone wall against her back felt cold through her thin chemise, but his ragged breath warmed her. She inhaled his scent, which was musky and masculine. As he loosened his grip on her arms, her knees buckled, and she slumped against his chest, revelling in the touch of the soft cotton shirt against her cheek.
    Sliding his arms around Matilda’s back, he cradled her against his heaving chest. The sound of her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she fought for breath, her whole body pulsing with a fierce heat. As moments passed, the stillness and silence was broken only by the sound of a moth batting against the glass lampshade.
    Finally, she lifted her eyes to his face. He threw her a slanted grin, and the wickedness of that look sent a thrill coursing through her. Kit ran the tip of one finger down her neck. The intimacy of his touch made her breath catch and left a trail of heat in its wake. As he heard the sound, he laughed aloud and then reached out slowly—almost lazily—to cup the back of her head. Tilting her face, he gently lowered his mouth and rested his lips against hers. Then he drew away.
    Matilda gasped in disappointment and ran her tongue over her mouth, tasting the brandy of his kiss. ‘You kissed me.’
    ‘It was a very chaste kiss. Did you like it?’
    Her cheeks warmed at his words, and she inclined her head shyly.
    A thrill of anticipation pooled in her belly as he chuckled, deep and low. Those eyes, as dark as the curl of hair falling across his forehead, seemed to be read her innermost thoughts. She lowered her gaze, her whole body crying out for his touch.
    ‘I’d like to kiss you as a lover if you would like that.’ Kit leaned closer and lowered his voice. ‘Would you like that?’
    Incapable of responding, she lowered her eyelids in assent. He had rendered her speechless.
    ‘Are you certain?’
    She nodded her head. ‘Yes, I am absolutely certain.’