Page 62 of A Hint of Scandal

His breath was warm on her cheek. She inhaled it, making it part of herself, gazing into his brown eyes. “I’m very glad too. And glad for having lived in my brother’s house, for if I hadn’t, I’d never have met you. It took so many things to bring us together. I think it was always meant.” She licked her lips which were unaccountably dry. “I never knew love could feel like this. Like you, I didn’t think I could love or be loved.” She shivered. “My heart wants to soar up to the sky, and I want to shout to everyone that I love you.”

He chuckled. “That might shock Badger and Elsie. Not to mention the horses.”

His face moved closer.

She swallowed. Anticipation coursed through her, making water of her bones.

His lips touched hers. Different now, to the kiss in The Angel Inn, and the one in The Royal Oak in front of the delighted Mrs. Browne. They had been sudden and impulsive, whereas this was anticipated, longed for, a culmination of the past days of dancing around one another, each unsure how the other felt, and unsure, as well, of how they felt themselves. Made all the more poignant because theirs was a joining of two people who had always seen themselves as unlovable and never expected to feel like this.

Serafina allowed her lips to part under the pressure of Max’s kiss, feeling his good arm draw her close against his chest. Was that his heart beating in time with her own hasty rhythm? Joining in so they beat as one. Her bonnet slid awry as his tongue slipped between her lips and touched her own.

No wonder people liked kissing. A sudden vivid image of the moment when she’d caught Letty with that stable boy leapt into her head, the naughty hussy pink-cheeked and flustered. How could she have blamed Letty for what she’d been doing when the doing of it gave so much pleasure?

She lifted her own arms and put them around Max, reveling in the feel of his strong body so close to hers and running her fingers through his dark hair. How often had she looked at him and wanted this without knowing it was what she wanted? And now she had it, and their marriage would no longer be a cold and formal business arrangement. She would have everything she’d ever wanted.

His kiss deepened and her tongue tangled with his in return, as passion coursed through her body, burning a fiery trail and causing every nerve within her to spring to vivid life. She knew only that she needed more than this but couldn’t put a name to it, as desire pulsed through her to her very core. She wanted his hands all over her, she wanted his body as close as she could get it. Closer. A part of her. Bonded forever.

The one thought foremost in her mind was that their wedding day could not come quickly enough.

The journey back to Bratton Park was a little less than five miles and, with their well-rested horses, took a bare three-quarters of an hour. Long enough to render Max extremely aroused and uncomfortable and the object of his affections more than a little disarrayed in appearance.

As they passed between the twin gatehouses, Max disentangled himself from Serafina with reluctance. “Nearly home. You’d best try and tidy yourself. We don’t want to give the servants cause to gossip or my mother cause to reprimand us.” But he was almost laughing. Her bonnet was lying discarded on the floor, her hair was tousled and somehow her pelisse had come off and the top buttons of her gown were undone.

A shiver of desire ran through Max, despite his efforts to regain control. His kisses had run down her throat towards her breasts, and with tentative fingers he’d loosened her gown and she’d not objected. For one delirious moment, he’d slipped his fingers inside and felt the rounded softness of a breast and her sigh of pleasure had almost undone him.

She giggled, a glorious sound. “As do you. If you could see yourself…”

He glanced down. Apart from the obvious uncomfortable bulge in his breeches, his waistcoat was undone, his cravat loosened and his shirt untucked at the front where she’d slid a hand inside and let it run over the taut and all too sensitive skin of his belly and chest. Another thing that had almost undone him. Her touch. Dwelling on this was not doing his predicament any good. He could hardly get out of the landau with such arousal so evident. He had to think of calming thoughts not associated with Serafina’s opulent mouth and soft breasts and… Damnit. He groaned.

She was patting her hair back into some semblance of normality. That was going to be difficult. To distract himself from the throbbing in his groin, he bent and picked up her bonnet. “Here. Best to cover up that bird’s nest of hair.”

She giggled again. “I don’t think we can hide this, you know.”

He retied his cravat with one hand. Badly. A dead giveaway. “You may be right.”

She’d retied her bonnet now, which went a long way to rendering her respectable. “Let me do your hair for you.”

Bad idea. Having her run her fingers through his hair did nothing for his condition. As if anything other than heading straight for the marriage bed right now was ever going to do that. “I think I’d better do it myself.”

Another giggle. Far more merriment than he’d ever heard her produce. He gave a huff, but it was not out of annoyance and only made her giggle again. “I’m glad you find this funny.”

She did up her top buttons. “And so it is. I think you’re worrying too much. No one will mind in the least that we have decided we are more than just friends.”

The landau swung into the main driveway in front of the house. Damnit. What did he care? He leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips. “I know for one that my mother will be delighted. And so will Julian. For more than one reason. And now, for a short while, we need to behave decorously and go upstairs to tell my brother the good news. You’d better come with me.”

And as he said this, the carriage ground to a halt in front of the doors.

He smiled. “Shall we go inside?”