Page 41 of A Kiss to Stop a Wedding
‘Will you not call me Matt?’
‘You know we can only ever be friends.’
‘I am Matt to my friends. And my lovers.’
She uttered a little cry of frustration. ‘Can you never be serious?’
‘I was nevermoreserious.’
There was no laughter in his voice now and Flora’s heart began to race, knowing that what she said next, what she did, could change everything.
The air around them almost crackled, charged with energy. Her pulse was jumping, she felt so alive, so aware of the man beside her. His powerful presence, the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand. Most of all the fresh scent of him, reminiscent of pine forests mixed with something exclusively male that made her want to reach out and grab him.
Flora took a step back in alarm, but it was not Matt Talacre who frightened her. It was her own wayward body.
‘We…we should return to the ballroom,’ she stammered.
‘Do you really want to dance again?’
‘No.’
Her happiness was draining away, replaced by an aching sadness for what could never be.
‘No, neither do I.’ He held out his arm. ‘Will you walk with me? Nothing more, I swear. We will just talk.’
After the briefest hesitation she rested her fingers on his sleeve and they left the terrace. He guided her towards the pleasure gardens, where the lamps were still alight, although almost no one was walking there now.
They strolled along the dimly lit path and he said, ‘I have enjoyed dancing with you tonight.’
‘So, too, have I,’ she murmured.
‘More than I should, since you are betrothed to another man.’
‘Yes.’
‘And that will not change.’
‘No.’ Flora released his arm, but continued to walk beside him, hands clasped in front of her. ‘I should not have come tonight. It was very wrong of me.’
Something was obstructing her throat and she was obliged to swallow, hard, before she could bring herself to continue. To repeat the argument that had been revolving in her head all evening.
‘I love my fiancé, Mr Talacre. We have been engaged for two years. Everything is settled. I cannot cry off now.’
‘No, of course not. After all, we only met a few weeks ago.’
‘And have seen each other, what, a half a dozen times?’
‘Yes. We hardly know each other.’
‘Quite.’ She kept her eyes fixed on the path ahead of them.
‘In fact,’ he said, ‘we are little more than strangers.’
They halted. His voice was deep and dark as the shadows around them. Flora turned to face him.
‘Strangers,’ she agreed, as his mouth came down upon hers in a kiss that rocked her to the core.
She clung to Matt, returning his kiss with a passion she had not known she possessed. It would have shocked her, if she had been capable of thought. He teased her lips apart, exploring her mouth with his tongue, and she felt something unfurling deep inside, a curl of desire spreading into every part of her body. His hands roamed over the thin silk of her gown and she felt her breasts tightening in response. A sigh escaped her as Matt trailed kisses along her jaw and down over her neck. She pushed her body against his, not knowing what it was she wanted, except that it was more than this.
