The Samurai That I Loved

第49章

Yoru's hand clutched the doorknob like it was the only lifeline keeping him tethered to logic. Staring back at Eliza, he gave off the appearance of being indifferent, despite the intense grip with which he held on. Unfortunately he was anything but.

His mahogany almond eyes drank her in where she sat on the bed, her wet dress still rumpled around her waist. The only material covering her torso was a flimsy, lace chemise that was presently damp, nearly invisible and blending perfectly within the satiny cream of her skin. The gorgeous sight of her this way was causing his groin to harden to a painful degree with which he had no interest in letting her discover.

She was also shivering slightly from the cold. Her flaming locks were like long, lustrous threads spilling over her right shoulder and covering one breast beneath the chemise. Her pink lips were parted and he knew exactly why.

The undeniable magnetism that seemed to practically vibrate in the very air around them was affluent. It was so impossible to ignore and he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that right now- despite the past and the maddening pain of confusion- his beautiful hellion, his Eliza wanted him with the same urgent desperation as he.

Yet there were still things unsaid, matters of the heart not yet brought out into the light of day. And she was, of course, married.

Married.

Did he care?

He knew he should...but he couldn't bring himself to. Nothing in the entire world had ever made Yoru feel more possessive and greedy than sweet, stubborn, perfect Eliza.

His perfect weakness.

He tore his eyes away from her, slipping a loose ebony strand of his hair behind one ear before turning the knob and opening the door part way. Quickly, he craned his neck to scan the hallway from right to left. Seeing no one, he quietly closed the door once more before locking it. Turning back to Eliza, he attempted to keep his face impassive.

She was standing to her feet on the opposite side of the bed and trying awkwardly to strip the rest of the wet gown off her hips. He noticed how she purposefully kept her back turned away from him, guarding her own emotions no doubt...and her wrist.

"I'm sorry for having wasted your time...I can have my maid help me undress the rest of the way, so-"

"Eliza."

"Really. It's fine and I shouldn't have-"

"Eliza."

Yoru voiced her name in a commanding tone that instantly quieted her. Pivoting around, she gasped softly in surprise when she realized he had walked around the bed and now stood only inches from her.

He lowered his gaze to her right hand that had promptly forgotten the wet material and now clutched over her left wrist to hide it. Her chin quickly tucked in with embarrassment, although her chest was still thrumming and flush with the telltale sign of her desire he couldn't have ever forgotten even if he wanted to. Even now, he knew her inside and out. And that beautiful body...it had always been his to claim.

He knew inside his heart that Eliza was incontestably made for him.

"Hold still, hana." He murmured, lowering his lashes as he bent down on both knees in front of her. Eliza shivered with goosebumps riddling her porcelain skin. However, she went completely still like a veritable statue, looking down at him with shocked eyes.

He brought his tanned fingers up to her waist, leaving the barest caresses of his fingertips against her chemise-clad stomach before taking hold of the wet, gathered material of her dress. Slowly, gently, he slid the dress off her hips and down her legs. His hands grazed her skin the entire descent with an intoxicating remembrance of flesh against flesh. Every inch of her sweet skin he touched was dashed with sun-kissed freckles. His mind flashed in memory of how he had sworn he would kiss every single one before she left Japan.