Beguiled

Chapter 4

He woke to a soft sighing noise, like wind through the trees. For a moment, James thought he was back in Africa, sleeping the Asante's slave pens, under the bété trees.

He blinked and focused on the gauze canopy overhead. He listened, and heard not the wind in the trees, but Caroline's gentle snoring.

She'd rolled away from him in the night, and lay on her front, her face turned into her pillow, her arm stretched across his chest. Her hair was spread across his shoulder and the pillow in a tangled swath, glinting silver and gold in the early morning light. James gathered her hair in his hand, let it curl and coil around his fingers. It was impossibly soft. He stroked it for a long time, until his movement disturbed her. She gave a little snuffle and turned her head to look at him. He brushed the tangles off her face and over her shoulder.

"Good morning, James," she said softly.

"Good morning, my linnet."

"Is there anything I can do for you this morning?" she asked.

He smiled at both her courtesy and her offer.

"Yes, madam. You can stop snoring in my ear."

Caroline clapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled through her fingers.

James picked a loose curl off her shoulder and used the end to tickle her nose until she smiled at him. "It would be easy to forgive you, had my dreams not been so pleasant."

"What were you dreaming?"

"Shall I show you?"

"Oh!" Caroline's smile brightened until it rivalled the sunrise. "Was it one of those dreams? I have those, too."

"I know you do. Your dream of the river stirred me more than any bawdy tale I've ever been told. Ladies first, then. Tell me your dream."

She wriggled closer to him, bunching the sheets between them. "But I'm sure my dreams are very dull compared to yours. I just dream about you."

"I dream of you, too," James said honestly. He'd had several delightful dreams involving Caroline doing a variety of things, in a variety of positions, which he fully intended to have her do, once she was more relaxed. For this morning, though, he had something simple and hopefully very, very pleasurable in mind, to thank her for her honesty and trust the previous evening.

"Do we dream the same things?" she asked. "Your weight on me? The wonderful sensation of you inside me?"

"Similar. From different perspectives, I'd imagine."

Caroline gave a soft laugh. "Of course."

"If you are shy of telling me the particulars of your dream, let's start with mine."

"Oh, yes." She wriggled closer and tentatively pressed a kiss on his jaw.

"Are you shy of me this morning, linnet? After all that has passed between us?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"No, only, I don't know what you want this morning, and I don't want to do anything to offend you."

James pulled her onto his chest and kissed her deep and sweet, despite the staleness of their mouths. "Nothing you do offends me," he told her between kisses. "Nothing at all, sweet. Lie on your front and I will show you how little I find to offend."

"Oh." She gave him another sunrise smile, scooted off him and arranged herself on her front. James guided her hands over her head.

"Put your hands flat against the headboard," James instructed. She stretched her arms up and pressed her palms against the polished wood.