Page 30 of Enticed By an Earl
“To you, perhaps,” Kit argued breathlessly. He put the bonnet away then turned to face Dev, arms crossed in front of him. “You see me as you wish to see me.”
“I do,” Dev said, raising a hand and stroking the side of Kit’s smooth face.
Kit sucked in a breath and shivered, dropping his arms. He truly had no idea how beautiful he was. Yes, there were ways to tell he was a man. His Adam’s apple, for example. It was not as prominent as some men’s, but it was there. Aside from that, however, he already had the cherubic face and soft, full lips of a woman. His shoulders were not particularly broad and his shape was so lithe that his clothing was able to compensate for the curves he did not have. Though if Dev was seeing things correctly, someone had sewn padding into whatever corset Kit wore to give the illusion of a small bust.
“You do not see me as I am,” Kit said quietly, glancing down, though he pressed his cheek into Dev’s palm as he did.
“Oh, no, my sweet Kitty,” Dev said, lowering his voice to a purr and moving in closer. He even put a hand on Kit’s waist to pull their lower halves together. “I see you just as you are.”
Kit glanced up at him with hopeful eyes…that were full of desire. Dev thought perhaps he should forgo the plans he’d had in mind to sweep his way under Kit’s skirts in search of the prize they were both hungry for.
“I am afraid,” Kit admitted, his lower lip wobbling.
“I would be surprised if you were not,” Dev said with a bit more seriousness, brushing his thumb over Kit’s mouth. “What you are doing is brave, and it is also a great risk. But as more time passes, I see with greater clarity that this is who you are. You are my Kitty, and the world should know you as such.”
Kit let out a sigh of longing and leaned into Dev. “But if I am discovered, I will be humiliated. No, I will be killed.”
“Who would discover you?” Dev asked. “Who would dare?”
“Anyone. Everyone,” Kit answered. “I might feel as though I am Kitty in every part of me that matters, but there are some parts that cannot be hidden.”
Dev was reasonably certain that Kit meant his Adam’s apple, but he chose to interpret the comment in a different way entirely.
“I can assure you,” he said, leaning closer and sweeping a hand across the front of Kit’s skirt, “I appreciate and adore those parts of you as much as the rest of you.”
Kit gasped. Dev did not think it was his imagination that felt something stir underneath the layers of skirts. Kit pulled away from him, though, keeping his face hidden for a moment.
“I am not ready,” he whispered. He swallowed, then stood straighter and looked at Dev. “I mean, I am not ready to risk being discovered by the people who wish to do me harm,” he said. The bright red of his cheeks made Dev question whether he was, indeed, ready for the other thing.
“This is what I have in mind,” he said, leaning back against one of the wardrobes in the dressing room and crossing his arms. “A night at the theater. The Royal Theater is playingKenilworthjust now.”
“Kenilworth?” Kit asked hesitantly.
“Yes, and because it is not Shakespeare or anything else of great note, I would imagine the theater would be less crowded. Thedarkenedtheater would be less crowded,” Dev said.
Kit held still for a moment as understanding of the circumstances of the night made more sense to him. “I would be less likely to be noticed in a dark theater,” he said.
“Precisely,” Dev said, pushing off from the wardrobe so that he could reach for Kit’s hands. “You would be mostlyconcealed, and I would be by your side the entire time. Yes, it is likely that you would draw some attention. For some reason, people seem interested in whichever woman accompanies me of an evening.” He grinned with teasing arrogance.
That was enough to break the tension that had settled over Kit. “You merely think everyone wishes to know who you might escort to the theater,” he teased in return.
Dev laughed. “You have sketched my character to perfection.”
In fact, a great many people were interested in who he took to the theater or danced with or called upon during the day. Ever since his mother’s ball, speculation about who the Marquess of Russell’s son might choose to marry had been running rampant.
“What say you?” Dev asked, appealing to Kit one last time. “Will you be the beautiful woman that half of London eats their hearts out over because I chose to attend the theater with her?”
He batted his eyelashes as an additional means of coercion.
Whether it was the eyelashes or something else, Kit was convinced. He laughed and said, “Very well, I agree. I shall go to the theater with you tonight.”
Dev was happier than he thought he should have been. He hurried to tell Mrs. Torrance to bring up supper for them sooner rather than later, and then he assisted Kit in choosing just the right gown for the evening. He had moved some of his own clothes to the apartment earlier in the week, since it had been his inclination to spend as much time as possible with Kit, so he was able to dress appropriately as well.
After a hasty supper, which Kit ate very little of, the two of them headed out.
“I am still uncertain whether this is a good idea,” Kit whispered as they waited in the line of carriages dischargingtheir passengers at the front of the Royal Theater on Drury Lane. “I know someone will see through me.”
“They most certainly will not,” Dev reassured him, giving Kit’s hand a squeeze.
