His gaze recaptured hers. Leaning his face close to hers, noses almost touching, he held her gaze as he took her. Swiftly, fiercely, his strokes deep and steady.

She moved against him, angling her body to take more of him, drawing her pleasure deep into herself.

He clutched her hips, the strong fingers digging into her soft flesh satisfying in a way no gentle loving ever could.

As they gazed into each other’s eyes, their bodies joining together with desperate fervor, an incredible lightness filled her chest.

He was not immune to her.

And, more importantly, he would no longer try to be.

Suddenly anything seemed possible. Even love.

Chapter 26

Jane woke with a languorous stretch, the events of the night flooding back in deliciously vivid detail. Her hand drifted between the smooth valley of her br**sts, the backs of her fingers curling down to the dip of her navel, her skin still sensitive and thrumming.

Rolling to her side, she expected to find Seth gone. As before. Bracing herself, she shoved a hank of hair from her eyes—and eyed the big body tangled in the sheets beside her. Seth.

He had not left her. Her gaze crawled over his ridged abdomen, the dark line of hair there that trailed into the nest of hair surrounding his manhood. Her eyes widened as that part of him grew before her very eyes. Her gaze flew to his face to find him awake and watching her with unnerving intensity.

“You’re awake,” she announced, the pulse at her neck hammering. Would he never cease to do that to her? Reduce her to a shaking mass?

One corner of his mouth quirked as he pushed himself up, moving toward her with the stealth of a jungle cat. “Clearly.”

“You’re still here,” she breathed as he lowered himself over her, the warm, musky scent of him cloaking her.

He dipped his head until his mouth hovered a hairsbreadth from hers. “You have a bothersome habit of stating the obvious.” His forearms rested on either side of her head, his fingers softly brushing her hairline.

Her heart clenched almost painfully in her chest. She smiled weakly, feeling suddenly shy.

Always they came together at night. Never in the light of day. Never when he could see her clearly… see that she was not Madeline.

She swallowed, attempting to push free the awful thickness in her throat. The dark of night had always offered a measure of concealment, granting a sense of unreality to their intimacies.

His mouth covered hers in a kiss that was tender and thorough, melting her deeper into the bed…

 deeper in love with him.

He pulled back to murmur against her mouth, his lips feathering hers as he spoke, “From now on, we’ll have this.”

Eyes wide, she nodded. “Yes,” she breathed, heart swelling in her chest, understanding that while he was not promising love, or his heart for that matter, it was something. It was a beginning.

Perhaps, in time, love could grow. They could be the friends they had once been.

They could be more.

Jane walked quickly toward the salon, where, according to the butler, Julianne worked on her needlepoint. She wrung her hands until they felt numb, bloodless. Determination burned in her chest. She could not keep Julianne’s secret from Seth anymore. Not after last night. Not for a moment longer. Either Julianne told him or she would.

One of the tall double doors stood ajar. She pushed it open with her palm, stepping through the threshold. She stopped midstride, her jaw sagging at the sight of Mr. Knightly and Julianne locked in a passionate embrace on the sofa. Face flaming, she stepped back, hoping to save everyone the embarrassment of voicing her presence and wait until she found Julianne alone.

With utmost care, she eased the door shut.

“Jane?”

Gasping, she spun around, one hand flying to her throat, the other pressing against the shut door behind her.

She must have revealed some of her panic, for he closed both hands over her arms, demanding,

“What is it?”

She closed her eyes against the warm feel of his hands on her arms, both seductive and reassuring. With a small shake of her head, she opened her eyes, meeting the concern in his brown gaze directly.

She opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. His gaze flicked beyond her, over her shoulder.

As though he could see through the door to the lovers beyond, his eyes narrowed, his concern for her diminishing as his focus shifted from her.

His hands dropped from her arms. Reaching around her, he turned the knob. She didn’t budge as he pushed the door open. Shaking her head, she spun around, hoping Julianne and Mr. Knightly had ended their heated embrace and would not be caught—

Seth’s breath escaped him in a loud hiss, fluttering her hair, winging through her heart like a bitter breeze.

The couple was still locked in embrace, oblivious to the world about to crash down upon them.

The pins had come loose from Julianne’s hair, and Mr. Knightly took advantage, burying his fingers in the fiery mane.

Jane closed her eyes, regret rolling through her as Seth’s enraged bellow filled the air. “Take your hands off her!”

Julianne and Knightly flew apart as if a bolt of lightning split them. Likely the same bolt Seth felt shoot through him at the sight of his valet ravishing his sister.

Shouldering past Jane, he stormed into the room, hands flexing at his sides, the urge to lay his hands on Knightly powerful and violent. He stopped short of actually succumbing to the impulse and clenched his hands behind his back.

Betrayal flayed his heart as he recalled all he and Knightly had endured together over the years.

Certainly enough for the bastard to refrain from taking advantage of his sister. Her innocence, to say nothing of her disability, should have stayed his animal desires.

Julianne shook her head wildly, auburn hair tumbling over her shoulders, the very picture of wanton abandon.

“S—Seth,” she began, panic tightening her expression. “Please. Don’t be angry. It’s not what it looks like. I love Gregory.”

He glared at Knightly, suddenly convinced he had never seen the man before, until now. The libertine held himself stoically, solemn and unflinching beneath Seth’s glare.

“How far has this gone?” he demanded, forcing a cool gust of wind through him, freezing his rage, his impulse to tear Knightly apart. “Have you compromised her?”

“Seth!” Julianne cried, her voice high with indignation as she gathered her hair and pulled it over one shoulder.

Knightly squared his shoulders. “I would not dishonor Julianne… or you for—”

“Speak not of honor,” he cut in, fuming at Knightly’s familiar use of his sister’s name.

“Considering what I’ve witnessed, I don’t put much faith in your honor.”

“I hold your sister in the greatest esteem,” Knightly said evenly. Swinging his gaze back to Julianne, he added in a softer voice, “I love her.”

“Gregory,” Julianne gasped, groping for his arm, her rapturous expression turning Seth’s stomach. Knightly’s hand clasped hers.

“Julianne, go to your room,” Seth ordered, feeling as if his world were rapidly unraveling.

Julianne’s chin shot up. “I’m not a child, Seth.”

“Seth,” Jane spoke beside him, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand, too focused on his sister, on shattering whatever spell Knightly had woven over her.

Knightly tucked Julianne’s hand in the crook of his arm. “My intentions are honorable.” Inclining his head, he added, “I wish to marry her. With your blessing.”

“Marry her?” A rough, broken laugh rose from his throat. “And how will you manage that? You cannot support her with the care that she requires. Can you hire a companion to see to her needs?

A housekeeper? A cook? A maid? How exactly will you afford to keep her in the manner she requires?”

A shadow fell over Knightly’s face and doubt flickered in his once steady gaze.

Splotches of color broke out over Julianne’s face. “I’m not helpless!”

“You can’t,” Seth ground out, as if she had not spoken. “And you shall never have my blessing.”

Tears pooled in Julianne’s eyes. “Seth… don’t do this,” she whispered, lips trembling.

He shook his head, forcing her sad plea out of his head. Staring only at Knightly, the one to blame in this mess, the one to have so foolishly and selfishly given Julianne romantic notions, he continued, “Consider yourself dismissed. Pack your things.” He wouldn’t have Knightly remain another moment to toy further with his sister’s affections.

“Seth,” Jane broke in, her voice more insistent.

He swung his gaze on his wife, his anger mounting at the look of disappointment on her face—as if _be _ had somehow failed her.

“See, Jane,” Julianne cut in, her voice hard and hostile in a way he had never heard. “I told you he would not understand.”

He stared hard at Jane, watching as guilty color swept high on her cheeks. Something ugly twisted inside of him.

“You knew?” he demanded, feeling as he did the day he learned she was Aurora. Again, she had withheld the truth from him. Only this time, pain accompanied the betrayal.

“Why don’t we all sit down and discuss this calmly,” Jane suggested, her eyes bright with appeal.

“No, Jane.” The sound of her name fell like a stone from his lips as hard as the bitterness encasing his heart. “This is a family matter. It’s none of your concern.”

The color drained from her face, and his heart squeezed. His hand twitched at his side. Weak fool he was, he felt inclined to smooth the wounded look from her face, to offer words of apology.

Before he could succumb to the impulse, she gave a jerky nod and quickly stepped back.

Turning, she exited the room, her skirts barely stirring at her ankles. He watched her leave, saying nothing even as the urge to stop her coursed thickly in his veins.

“I’ll pack my things,” Knightly’s voice pulled him back.

“Gregory, no!” Julianne cried, her fingers white where they clung to his arm. “I’m of age. We don’t need Seth’s blessing.”

He flinched at his sister’s words, never realizing how much her good opinion mattered, unprepared for the pain of losing it, losing her. The ache in his chest deepened as he realized Julianne would never understand, never see that he only sought to protect her.

To have lost the love of his one remaining family member filled him with impotent fury. Not a day passed that he did not blame himself for his sister’s accident, for stealing her life, but he had been able to live with himself knowing that _she _ never blamed him, that she loved him and respected him.

Now Knightly had robbed him of that.

“Get out,” he growled.

“Seth, no!” She took a sudden step in his direction, lifting a fist as if she intended to attack him.

“I love Gregory.”

“What do you know of love?” he asked, gentling his voice in an attempt to soften the severity of the question. “You’ve spent your life sheltered, protected, devoid of male attention.”

Julianne drew a deep breath, her chest rising with the effort. “I know a good deal more of love than you. I’m not the one so afraid of being hurt that I can’t see what’s staring me in the face.”

She released a pent-up breath, the sound harsh and angry. Words rushed from her lips in a torrent. “The only one blind here is you.”

Knightly ran the backs of his fingers over Julianne’s flushed cheek, murmuring soft unintelligible words to calm her. Julianne turned into his touch like a flower seeking the sun.

Seth watched, disgusted that the bastard had the power to soothe her. Gritting his teeth against the sight of their familiarity, he pretended her words did not affect him, pretended she had not hit a nerve.

Knightly pressed a kiss to Julianne’s forehead, the gesture somehow final. “I must go now.”