EGGIE giggled as she made her way to the bed. Meg had left after giving her a thorough scolding as she helped her undress. Meg thought she was drunk. Well, of course she wasn’t. Eleanor was. That was funny, for Reggie had been obliged to help the older woman up to her room where her maid had scolded her, too. The cheek of servants these days.

Eleanor had only consumed—what? a half-dozen glasses of that delicious wine the proprietor had been keeping just for them. He had told Nicholas that. Reggie drank just as much, and she was feeling quite wonderful, but she wasn’t foxed, no. Her tolerance was just greater than Eleanor’s.

She plopped down on the bed, swayed, then righted herself. This wasn’t her spacious room at Silverley, but it would do for one night. Halfway through the meal Nicholas had told them to take their time, saying he had been thoughtless in his haste, his excuse being that he wasn’t used to traveling with such a large entourage. He’d realized how inconsiderate it would be to arrive at Silverley so late and without notice, for all the servants would have to be roused from their beds to prepare rooms, see to the horses, unload the baggage, and so forth. He had decided they could arrive in the morning, and so he secured rooms for them at the inn.

Dinner was long and enjoyable, Nicholas putting himself out to make amends for the inconvenience he had caused them all. He was quite charming in fact and made his aunt laugh at his humorous anecdotes. Soon Reggie found herself laughing along with them. She hoped Meg and Tess and the other servants were enjoying themselves as much.

Reggie yawned and reached to extinguish the lamp on the bedside table. Her hand went right past it and she giggled. Before she could manage a second attempt, the door opened and Nicholas stepped into the room.

Reggie was more bemused than anything else when she saw him standing there. He didn’t apologize for his error. Was it an error? Why was he in her room?

“Did you want something, Nicholas?”

He smiled. A glance around the room showed him that one of her trunks had been brought up, but nothing of his had been unloaded from the coach. Harris had protested at the arrangements, especially when he was told he would be sleeping in the stable with the footmen to give truth to the story that the inn was too full to accommodate them all comfortably.

Reggie frowned when he began to remove his coat. “What—what are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed,” he said casually.

“But—”

“Didn’t I tell you?” He frowned. “I was sure I mentioned it.”

She seemed confused. “What didn’t you mention?”

“Why, that there are only three rooms to be had here. My aunt and her maid have one. Your maid and the nurse have the other, with a safe bed made up there for Thomas. That left only this room.”

He sat down on the opposite side of the bed and removed his boots. Reggie’s eyes were wide as she stared at his broad back.

“You intend to sleep here?” This came out in a high-pitched voice. “Here?”

“Where else would I sleep?” He tried to sound wounded.

“But—”

She got no further than that, for he swung around to face her, disturbing her by his closeness.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “We are married, you know. And I assure you, you can be perfectly safe in the same bed with me.”

Did he have to remind her that he didn’t desire her any longer?

“You don’t snore, do you?” she asked, just to be mean.

“Me? Certainly not.”

“Then I don’t suppose sharing a room for one night will matter too much. You will leave some clothes on, though, won’t you?”

“I cannot abide constriction.”

“Then I will turn the light off now, if you don’t mind,” she said.

“So I don’t shock you with my nakedness? By all means.”

Was that amusement in his voice? The cad. She would just have to ignore him.

She caught the lamp with both hands this time—she wasn’t going to have him accusing her of being foxed—but then she had a terrible time finding the edge of the turned-down covers so she could scoot her feet under them. When that was finally managed, Nicholas had finished undressing and, with no trouble at all, stretched out under the covers at the same time she did. His weight dipped his side of the bed so much, Reggie had to grip the edge of the covers to keep from rolling into him. She lay, stiff as a board, trying not to touch him with any part of her.

“Good night, wife.”

Reggie frowned. “Good night, Nicholas.”

Less than a minute later he was snoring. Reggie made a disgusted sound. Didn’t snore indeed. How was she supposed to sleep with this racket? She waited no more than another minute before shaking his shoulder.

“Nicholas?”

“Have a heart, love,” he mumbled. “Once was enough for tonight.”

“Once… oh!” she gasped, startled to realize what he meant. He thought she was someone else, and that she wanted him to make love to her—again. The idea!

She fell back on her pillow in a huff. A moment later he began to snore again, but she just gritted her teeth. After a few minutes, Nicholas rolled toward her, and his hand landed alarmingly near her breast. One leg fell across her thigh.

It flashed through her mind that the chest pressing against her arm was naked, that the leg lying on top of her was naked that… oh, Lord, if she moved she might wake him. Yet this intimacy was bringing back feelings best forgotten, and she couldn’t sleep like this.

Very gently she tried to lift his hand. His reaction was to grip her breast. Her eyes flew wide open. Her breathing quickened. And he slept on, blissfully unaware of what he was doing.

Once again she tried to extricate herself, prying his fingers off her one at a time, slowly. When his hand was released, it moved away of its own accord, but not where she had intended. His hand slid slowly down her belly, across the mound between her legs, and all the way back up, stopping at her other breast. Just then, his knee moved enough to rest on her loins. The fingers caressed her breast.

“Very… nice.” His warm breath blew against her cheek as he murmured in his sleep.

The moan came from deep within her, surprising her and causing a deep blush. This was insane. He was sleeping! How could he make her feel like this when he was sleeping?

It was the wine. It had to be, for she almost wished she were the man and he the woman, so she could turn him on his back, straddle him, and ease her growing ache.

She had to risk waking him. She had to get him on his own side of the bed. “Nicholas?” she whispered. “Nicholas, you have to—”

“Persistent, aren’t you, love?” His hand snaked up and around her neck, drawing her face to his. “Come then, if you insist.”

Warm lips touched hers, softly at first, then passionately. The hand at her neck began to caress, softly, making her tingle all over.

“Ah, love,” he murmured huskily as his lips trailed over her cheek to nibble an earlobe. “You should insist more often.”

Reggie was overwhelmed with erotic delight. What did it matter if he wasn’t fully awake and didn’t know what he was doing? She curled a hand around his neck, exerting enough pressure to keep him close.

Nicholas wished he could shout in triumph. Accepting his kiss had sealed her fate. His lips moved along her neck with tingling heat. Quickly, expertly, he unlaced her gown and, in one swift movement, whisked it over her head and aside.

Reggie’s hand, yanked from his neck in the unrobing, fell back onto his shoulder. His muscles tensed where she touched him. She shivered with her own power. There was no turning back now. He was hers for the night, whether he knew it or not.

Her fingers glided over his back. The skin was soft, warm. She kneaded gently, then harder, then gently again, taking pleasure just in being able to touch him again. It had been so terribly long. And oh, he was making her remember how it was the first time. His lips burned a searing line from her throat to her thighs. Nicholas was becoming intoxicated by the smell and taste of her. Her skin was as firm and as silky smooth as the night he had taken her virginity. Her body had made no change since the baby, except for the fullness of her breasts, and those he was almost afraid to touch, though he yearned to. But they were the territory of her baby now, and he did not want her thinking of the infant just then. He did not want her thinking at all.

Reggie’s head moved from side to side, her pulse racing. If Nicholas did not quit the exquisite torture of his exploring fingers, she would soon be begging him.

He must have read her thoughts, for his long body slid over her, the weight so welcome. Her legs raised and wrapped around his hips just as his warm flesh entered her, filled her, thrusting to her depths.

His mouth closed over hers, smothering her cries of pleasure with fevered kisses. She met him thrust for thrust, her arms locked behind his head, fingers gripping his hair.

The climax took them together to shuddering heights, wave after wave washing over them. Pleasure met and savored. Passion spent. The world receded on the same tide, and they slept, wrapped in each other’s arms.