Jenna Jaxon - Time Enough to Love 03 Read Online Free PDF Page A

fought not to see. Her heart stuttered a beat. Her body flushed with the anticipation of dancing with him again even as misgivings swirled in her mind. No good would come of this dance, but Thomas watched closely to see that she acted cordially to Geoffrey. Would that it were an act.
    With a sense of heavy foreboding, she extended her hand to him. “Very well, Sir Geoffrey. What must I do first?”
    He laid her hand atop his arm and led her to their place in the circle of dancers. There, he grasped her hand and pulled her around to face him.
    The moment his hand touched her skin , a streak of fire shot through her. Her mouth went dry. Did he feel that spark as well? She prayed not. If he did not respond to her, ’twould make it easier to ignore her feelings for him. Inch by inch, she forced herself to raise her gaze to his face.
    He stared back, his eyes mirroring all too clearly the blaze that coursed up her arm .
    Damn Geoffrey Longford .
    In a daze, she looked around at the other dancers, expecting them to stare accusingly at her. Afraid they would see the longing on her face. At a loss for how to act, she raised her gaze to beseech Geoffrey. “What do we do now?”
    ’ Twas an apt question for, God forgive her, at the touch of Geoffrey’s hand, all thought of her husband had fled. She was back on the deck of the Phillipa , facing him once more. Loving him once more.
    Geoffrey cleared his throat, his face flushed, and said simply, “Follow me.”
    Then they were circling one another, hands clasped, arms rubbing intimately. Oh, yes, the fire between them burned hot as ever, searing her where they touched. The figure reversed, scorching her other side. Her gaze locked onto Geoffrey’s, and the music, the dancers, the Great Hall and all its inhabitants melted away until all that was left was the whisper of his breath in her ear and the heat of his body pressed close against her.
    He leaned in closer to murmur, “I must lift you now.”
    Before she could grasp that staggering news , his arm went around her waist and he lifted her, twirling them around and around. She panted, blood pounding in her temples and roaring in her ears.
    They continued to dance, but she moved as a doll made of rags, her legs barely able to bear her weight. Her world narrowed to the single source of light and life that was the man who held her in his arms again. The man whose love she could no longer deny. Despite the agony of the betrayal, in the core of her being she knew neither the vows she had spoken to Thomas nor the passion they had found in his bed would ever match the intensity of the love and belonging she shared with Geoffrey. As soon compare a candle’s flame to the sun.
    When the music ended, s he stood facing Geoffrey, his hands still on her waist, his eyes locked on hers. They had turned deepest sapphire blue and filled with a powerful longing. One akin to the ache that filled her heart. His impassioned gaze lingered on her face, drinking it in as if he would commit each feature to memory. A slight, sweet smile graced his lips. God, how she longed even now to feel them on hers. He squeezed her waist and began to pull her toward him.
    No, no, no.
    S he flinched, breaking away from him.
    Holding her hand before her mouth, she turned and fled. As swiftly as she could make her feet fly, she ran down the corridor. Oh, but she was damned. Damned . All the way to her rooms the word echoed in her mind.
    T here, she threw the door open then slammed it and leaned her back against it, weeping wretchedly for Thomas.
    I have betrayed him. In my heart, I have indeed .
    The thought brought fresh wails of grief, for she had convinced herself she was in love with her husband. Perhaps she was. ’Twas not enough, however, to dispel her need for Geoffrey. Leaving her no remedy to ease either guilt or pain. She must learn to live the lie as best she could and try to make Thomas believe she loved only him. Geoffrey’s words from the first days of