Page 72 of The Duke of Kisses
“She finally fell asleep. Why did you say ‘thank God’ when I arrived?”
“Because Mrs. Oglethorpe said she would come to my room if she could get away. I was terrified you were going to be her.”
Fanny giggled. “Terrified?”
“Distraught, to say the least.” He took in her dressing gown and bare feet and tried not to think of how close she was to being naked. “Why are you here and not at your parents’ house?”
“Can we sit?”
His room was rather small, and there was just one chair at the table. Mr. Lyle had wanted to give him larger accommodation because he was an earl, but David had insisted he take the smallest room since he was by himself.
“You can take the chair,” he offered.
She went to the bed instead and indicated he should join her by patting the space beside her. He wasn’t sure how wise it was to even sit beside her there, but was powerless to resist.
“I’m afraid I lost my temper with my parents. They were talking about Ivy in the most horrid way.” She turned her body toward him, lifting one leg slightly onto the bed as she shifted position.
“What do you mean you lost your temper?”
“I told them I was marrying you.” Her nose wrinkled. “They were not pleased.”
“Did they toss you out?” David tamped down a burst of anger at the idea of her parents treating her so badly.
“No, I left. I couldn’t bear to stay under their roof another moment. I would miss the wedding tomorrow, but I want to see my friend Patience before I leave.”
“I’ll go with you,” he said, hating the anguish her parents had clearly caused. He touched her hair, which was braided and hung over her shoulder. Trailing his hand down the winding strands, he caressed the curling ends, letting them tickle his fingertips. “You don’t have to face them alone.”
She turned her head and kissed his wrist. “Thank you.” Her gaze found his. “I plan to leave directly after the ceremony.”
“We shouldn’t travel together, but I will follow you.”
“I was thinking… Can’t we pretend to be husband and wife? You couldn’t be you, of course. Not an earl, I mean.”
He laughed. “You are incomparable. How would we explain two coaches?”
“One is for our luggage?” She grinned up at him, and he surrendered to the delicious pull of her allure.
He gripped her braid and tugged gently as he cupped the other side of her neck and drew her close. He seared his lips along hers, but only for a moment before he slipped his tongue inside. She tasted of port and vibrance, and she smelled of lilies of the valley. It was a heady combination, not that he needed anything to push him to the edge of desire.
Their kisses spilled over as they sought to explore each other. The first time her tongue traced along his jawline, he let out a soft moan. Her boldness was intoxicating.
He drew his hand down her collarbone and along the swell of her breast. She inhaled sharply and arched toward him. It was all the encouragement he needed. He dipped his hand beneath her dressing gown. The thin cotton of her night rail was all that separated him from the sweet silk of her bare flesh.
“Should I go back to my room?” The question was a bare whisper.
He kissed along her neck and untied the front of her dressing down—in front of her breasts and at her waist. “If you wish.”
“I don’t wish, but what if Mrs. Oglethorpe wakes up?”
“I doubt she will, but if she does, you can say you went downstairs for…something. Or maybe you went for a walk in your sleep.”
“Or maybe I was jealous of her planning to visit you and wanted to claim you for myself.”
He lifted his head to look at her. “You didn’t know she wanted to visit me.”
“No, but I would have been jealous if I had.”
“Why? I would have turned her away. You’ve no need to feel jealous of any woman.”
