Page 18 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

It was not until the footsteps started to retreat that they realized they were chest to chest, their lips almost touching. They really were breathing one another in, which was utterly overwhelming.

Again, Susanna knew that she should move and put an end to this moment, but she also did not want to. The flames flickering in Martin’s eyes and the desire that she could almostfeelfrom him were overwhelming.

It took everything that she had not to rise on her tiptoes and kiss him. As her eyes fluttered shut, she felt that intense loss of control all over again. The draw to Martin was too intense. She was not sure that she could ignore it…

But just as she was about to soar high, the sound of the maids chattering passed the storage room and brought her back down to earth with a thump.

She couldnotkiss Martin. Even more so now. They had a mission that they needed to accomplish, and that was far more important than whatever was sizzling between them. It was not like Martin had expressed any real interest in courting her, so she should not even beconsideringthis.

“I… I need to go now,” she murmured as she staggered away from him. “I have to go to my bedchambers in case my mother starts looking for me. I said that I was sick, and Mother will be checking in on me eventually.”

“Yes, of course,” Martin replied thickly. “And I will need to return to the table. Everyone will be expecting me back in a moment.”

They had said their goodbyes but did not break eye contact for a beat too long. Susanna was almost afraid to stop looking at Martin for fear that he might disappear, leaving her alone in this mess.

It was strange that she had come to rely on him so much when she did not like him at all, but he was the only other person who knew what was going on. He was the only other person who knew that they might be dealing with someone very dangerous here.

Eventually, much as she did not want to, Susanna had to break their stare because she had to be sensible.

She had to run.

Her heart was pounding, and it continued to thunder as she made her escape up the stairs. Anxiety zig-zagged through her stomach as she leapt into her bedchambers and closed the door behind her.

I need to help Mary,she told herself, over and over again.I need to do whatever I can… but it is not easy.

Martin was becoming quite the distraction, and she was not too sure what to do about him.

They had nearly kissedagain. She had put her reputation on the line another time. It was as if she was becoming wilder and more unhinged by the minute, taking risks that she absolutely should not.

But how could she stop herself when she was drawn to him in a way that she could not seem to pull back from?

Knock, knock.

Panic shot through Susanna as she bolted upright. What was Martin doing? He was supposed to be heading back to the table, to act like nothing was wrong.

The longer he stayed away from the dinner table, the more suspicious his behavior was.

Susanna was almost too nervous to open the door because she did not want to make this wild situation any worse than it already was.

“Susanna?”

Relief crashed through her, followed by a flicker of unwelcome disappointment, as she realized that this was her mother.

She had come to check on her, just as she said she would.

“Oh, hello, Mother.”

Susanna forced a smile on her face as she opened the door.

“Oh dear, you truly do look unwell, Susanna. Do you need anything?”

It was a little insulting, since the sickness had been a lie, but perhaps she was not looking her best because of shock and her worry for Mary.

“Just sleep,” Susanna insisted. “Do not worry about me, please, I will be fine.”

“Of course, I will worry about you. What would we do without you, Susanna? You know that you are the rock of our family.”

Susanna smiled thinly. Much as she had always liked that position, it was starting to feel like a pressure that might crack her. Especially if she discovered that Edwin was up to something.

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