Page 116 of Rakes & Reticules
Stretching her neck, Patience stood stagnant as Fitz closed the space between them. His lips hovered over hers, so close yet far away. All she needed was one more inch and she would feel the weight of them.
She would have her first kiss on her terms, with the man of her choosing.
And Patience Grant chose Fitz.
It had always been him.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Bloody hell. He couldn’t stop himself even if he tried, and he really wanted to try. He had responsibilities now, people who depended on him. But she was still so damn appealing, with lush brown skin, wide eyes, and a mouth so delicious that he knew he had to taste her. Just one little taste, then he would retrieve the reticule, and his life would go back to some semblance of normal.
One kiss, then they both would forget their past and move on with their futures separately.
Without another thought, he leaned in and slanted his mouth against hers.
Exactly two seconds after his mouth touched hers in a firm but dominating kiss, Fitz knew he had made a monumental mistake. Because there was no way possible, he would be able to venture away from Patience Grant after just one kiss.
Swooping her into his arms, he pressed her smaller body against the mahogany bookshelf. Her sweet lips opened to him, her taste reviving him.
Fitz had been dead inside after his father’s death two years earlier, then his cousin’s entire family perished, and his cousin not long after. Nothing motivated him anymore except providing for his mother and sister. He was barely living until Patience entered his life once more.
Dainty arms wrapped around his neck, hands pulling at his hair. Fitz groaned. His cock strained in his breeches and his hands fisted the skirts of her gown. Never had he been that hungry for a woman in his life. Not only was she the single most alluring person he had ever met, but she was funny, intelligent, and kind.
Deepening the kiss, he swirled his tongue against hers, eliciting a moan from Patience. Peppering kisses from her lips down her cheek, to the long column of her smooth neck, Fitz licked and nibbled at her soft skin.
“Blazes. Kiss me again, Fitz,” she cursed, pulling him to her by his hair and crashing their lips together.
This kiss was hungrier, as he let her ravish his mouth like a starving woman. Fitz let out a deep groan as he pressed his hard cock against her lower half. If he wasn’t careful, he would take her right in the damned library, and that would not be a smart decision.
Breaking the kiss, he pressed his head against hers, closing his eyes. He needed to control himself. This was not the reason he was in Brighton. The reason was still hanging from her wrist.
Slowly he removed the reticule from her arm as she threw her head back, her breath coming out in short spurts.
“Thank you, Just Fitz,” she said, looking at him as she ran her fingers through her thick mane of hair.
A pang of longing gripped his heart, as he tilted his head to the side. “For what?”
“For my first kiss. I am glad I chose you.” She smiled at him, and in that exact moment he knew.
He had lost all control of his faculties and his purpose to this beautiful woman. Patience Grant with her almond-shaped eyes and hypnotic lips. Lips that had him leaning in for one more kiss. One more and she’d be out of his mind. One more and he could return to London alone.
The creak of the old door, loud gasps and a bark of outrage all interrupted the complete bliss that Fitz was in mere moments ago.
“What is going on in here, Killingworth?” Viscount Hightower’s voice seeped through the haze of Fitz’s mind.
Stilling, Fitz pulled himself away, turning to find Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Grant, and the viscount all staring at him and Patience with varying looks of horror.
His heart plummeted to his abdomen, his senses suddenly returning now that he was free of the spell he was under.
“Dammit,” Patience cursed beside him, capturing his attention.
The curse from her delicate lips shocked him. He had never heard abrasive language from such delicate lips. He struggled to contain the inappropriate chuckle that left him.
Hang it all, this was a disaster, and it was all his fucking fault. Fitz knew what was coming next, and to be honest it did not horrify him like he expected.
This was Patience, after all, the woman who’d stolen every single piece of his heart five years earlier. He first saw her promenading with her family outside of the Royal Pavilion. Construction was nearly complete by then, and all would gather to view the fantastical structure.
After their first introduction, he couldn’t stop thinking of her beauty, wit, and conversation. She was refreshing; everything he had wanted in a wife.
