because if not…” His lips found their way to a delicate caress of her neck. “…I am quite at leisure this afternoon.”
Aroused to the point of distraction by his touch, she gave a small, inarticulate moan, and put her hands to his shoulders to steady herself. Stirred even further by this encouragement, Darcy continued his exploration of her arched neck and the crevices of her shoulders with his lips until, unable to withstand his need any longer, he sought her mouth with his own.
The delicate control Darcy had shown in touching her earlier dissolved in the increasing urgency of his kisses. She shivered as his hand stroked down her back, and, arching her body against his, surrendered to the demands of his mouth. Her hands crept up around his neck, then buried themselves in his hair. He held her tightly, inflamed by the depth of her response. The passion her touch evoked in him went beyond his furthest imaginings.
As he turned the attention of his lips to her face, Elizabeth could not stop herself from whispering his name with the deepest of longing. Feeling completely undone by the passion he had awakened in her, she could only abandon herself to the pleasure his touch induced in her with no thought for the future.
With a groan, Darcy lifted his lips and pulled her head against his shoulder. Burying his face in her hair, he whispered, “You are everything I have ever dreamed of.”
Elizabeth, trembling, found herself leaning against him for support as she sought, with no great success, to collect herself.
Within the security of Darcy’s arms, Elizabeth struggled to recover from the uncontrollable feelings his kisses had aroused in her. She was all too aware it was only his self-restraint that had prevented the situation from going any further beyond the bounds of propriety than it already had. With some discomfiture, she said, “Well, Mr. Darcy, we seem to have obtained evidence which suggests that any inadequacies in your self-control have been greatly overrated.”
“I endeavor to keep surprising you,” he said, a slight unsteadiness in his voice betraying the battle he was fighting. “I hope that I did not… alarm you with my attentions.”
“I am far more embarrassed than alarmed, and I certainly do not hold you responsible for that,” she said. She had never allowed him just to hold her before, and she was astonished by the contentment she felt in his arms.
He kissed her hair. “My dearest Elizabeth, if you only knew how very gratifying and reassuring your behavior is to me, you might feel less embarrassed—you might even look upon it as a charitable effort on your part.”
“An excellent idea!” Elizabeth laughed, looking up at him, but making no move to leave his arms. “Having failed at my studies of patience and self-control, I should begin work on a new virtue, and charity—at least by your definition of it!—seems to be something I manage to practice whether I intend to or not.”
“You may practice on me to your heart’s content, Miss Bennet, so long as you wait until my self-control is at least slightly more in evidence than it is at this moment.”
She smiled. “I may play with fire, sir, but I try to steer clear of bonfires.” Some of his earlier words came back to her. “But I would hope you do not stand in any particular need of charitable reassurance from me.”
He was silent for a moment, but she could feel his tension. “Elizabeth, please recall that only a few months ago you considered me the last man of your acquaintance you could be prevailed upon to marry. While evidence indicates your opinion of me has improved—I would hope that by now I would rate above, say, Mr. Collins as a marital partner—reassurance is always welcome, and often needed.”
“Must you remember so well everything I said that awful day?” Elizabeth asked with chagrin.
He allowed his hands to caress her for a moment. “Please do not distress yourself over the past, my dearest; some
Aroused to the point of distraction by his touch, she gave a small, inarticulate moan, and put her hands to his shoulders to steady herself. Stirred even further by this encouragement, Darcy continued his exploration of her arched neck and the crevices of her shoulders with his lips until, unable to withstand his need any longer, he sought her mouth with his own.
The delicate control Darcy had shown in touching her earlier dissolved in the increasing urgency of his kisses. She shivered as his hand stroked down her back, and, arching her body against his, surrendered to the demands of his mouth. Her hands crept up around his neck, then buried themselves in his hair. He held her tightly, inflamed by the depth of her response. The passion her touch evoked in him went beyond his furthest imaginings.
As he turned the attention of his lips to her face, Elizabeth could not stop herself from whispering his name with the deepest of longing. Feeling completely undone by the passion he had awakened in her, she could only abandon herself to the pleasure his touch induced in her with no thought for the future.
With a groan, Darcy lifted his lips and pulled her head against his shoulder. Burying his face in her hair, he whispered, “You are everything I have ever dreamed of.”
Elizabeth, trembling, found herself leaning against him for support as she sought, with no great success, to collect herself.
Within the security of Darcy’s arms, Elizabeth struggled to recover from the uncontrollable feelings his kisses had aroused in her. She was all too aware it was only his self-restraint that had prevented the situation from going any further beyond the bounds of propriety than it already had. With some discomfiture, she said, “Well, Mr. Darcy, we seem to have obtained evidence which suggests that any inadequacies in your self-control have been greatly overrated.”
“I endeavor to keep surprising you,” he said, a slight unsteadiness in his voice betraying the battle he was fighting. “I hope that I did not… alarm you with my attentions.”
“I am far more embarrassed than alarmed, and I certainly do not hold you responsible for that,” she said. She had never allowed him just to hold her before, and she was astonished by the contentment she felt in his arms.
He kissed her hair. “My dearest Elizabeth, if you only knew how very gratifying and reassuring your behavior is to me, you might feel less embarrassed—you might even look upon it as a charitable effort on your part.”
“An excellent idea!” Elizabeth laughed, looking up at him, but making no move to leave his arms. “Having failed at my studies of patience and self-control, I should begin work on a new virtue, and charity—at least by your definition of it!—seems to be something I manage to practice whether I intend to or not.”
“You may practice on me to your heart’s content, Miss Bennet, so long as you wait until my self-control is at least slightly more in evidence than it is at this moment.”
She smiled. “I may play with fire, sir, but I try to steer clear of bonfires.” Some of his earlier words came back to her. “But I would hope you do not stand in any particular need of charitable reassurance from me.”
He was silent for a moment, but she could feel his tension. “Elizabeth, please recall that only a few months ago you considered me the last man of your acquaintance you could be prevailed upon to marry. While evidence indicates your opinion of me has improved—I would hope that by now I would rate above, say, Mr. Collins as a marital partner—reassurance is always welcome, and often needed.”
“Must you remember so well everything I said that awful day?” Elizabeth asked with chagrin.
He allowed his hands to caress her for a moment. “Please do not distress yourself over the past, my dearest; some
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