Page 46 of Intolerable
“I understand. Completely.” Of course she did. “If I’d made a promise to my mother on her deathbed, I would make sure I kept it.”
He lifted his hand and found her face, his fingertips stroking her temple and cheek down to her jaw. “You are a singular woman, Cassandra.”
Though it was dark, he imagined they were looking into each other’s eyes. He could see the gold flecks in the brown that made hers look like a warm, bronze sherry. “Are you going to move to the closet now?”
“In just a moment.” He bent his head, his nose grazing hers. “I think there is something I must do first…”
“Yes, please.” She moved, standing on her toes, and pressed her mouth to his.
Thiswas what he craved, what heneeded. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush to his chest. She clasped the back of his neck, one hand tangling into his hair.
They adjusted, in concert as if they’d rehearsed this—and maybe they had in their minds. Their mouths angled as their tongues found each other, the kiss opening and expanding, threatening to swallow them whole. He hoped it would. There was nowhere he would rather be than drowning in her embrace.
The kiss was frenzied, their lips and tongues caressing each other in mad, desperate strokes. His long-buried desire ignited into a conflagration of stark lust. He hadn’t wanted anyone like this in a long time. If ever.
He pulled back but continued to kiss her, softening his mouth against hers. “Cassandra,” he murmured. “This is inadvisable.”
“Don’t you dare stop,” she breathed, her lip licking along his. “Not yet. One more minute. Kiss me, Ruark.”
His name on her lips drove him to the brink. Pivoting, he turned her against the wall, pressing her back as he drew his hand up to cup her breast through her gown. With a gasp into his mouth, she arched forward, seeking more of his touch.
He kissed along her jaw and down her neck, savoring the delectable satin of her skin. She clutched his head, her fingers digging into his scalp. Her shallow breathing filled his senses, driving him wild with need.
He tore his mouth from her flesh before he marked her where everyone could see. Gliding his hand up over her breast, he pressed against her bare skin, his fingertips teasing her shoulder blade and neck. The temptation to slip his hand into her garments—if he could—or to flip her skirt up was nearly overwhelming. He’d turned into some sort of savage.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, tugging at his head. “One more kiss. Just…touch me. Please?”
Gripping her hip, he ground into her, his cock desperate for a release it would not achieve. Not here. Not now.
Not with her.
This might be all they ever had. He claimed her mouth, his teeth pulling on her lip and his tongue thrusting into her. She grabbed him as frantically as he held onto her, as if a storm raged around them, and they were all that kept each other from being swept away.
The storm suddenly became real, and they were doused with frigid rain as the door behind him opened. He jerked away, flattening himself back against what he now realized was the door to the closet that he should have gone through several minutes earlier.
Light poured into the cupboard, and the face of the person who’d opened the door was shadowed. Still, there was no mistaking it was Evie.
Or that Lady Aldington stood behind her.
Chest pounding from the erotic encounter and the shock of being discovered, Ruark fought to draw a deep enough breath. He glanced toward Cassandra, and though they were still inside the dark cupboard, she looked pale and uncertain. She did not, however, look frightened, and his admiration for her grew. Which was absurd since any rational unmarried young lady would be scared out of her wits at being found in a compromising position.
“Just come out quickly,” Evie whispered. “I’ll say I found Wexford somewhere else.”
“In the servant’s closet,” Cassandra said, her voice raspy. She coughed. “He’s standing in front of the door.”
“Go in there,” Evie bade with a nod of her head.
Ruark didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and slipped into the servants’ closet where he dropped his head into his hand and groaned inwardly. What a goddamned disaster.
A moment later, the other door to the closet opened, and Evie stepped inside. “I’ve just found you. Later, I will find Cassandra. She needed some time to…calm herself.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked warily, since it seemed she was working to keep this secret, meaning there would be no compromise-induced wedding.
“If you’re asking whether I plan to tell anyone, the answer is no. I believe forcing people to marry if they are seen kissing is stupid and potentially damaging. It makes perfect sense that a couple would like to see if they suit inallareas before committing to wed.”
That was not what he and Cassandra were doing, however. Ruark did not point that out.
Evie gave him a pointed look. “May I suggest you return to the parlor and have something to drink?”
