Damon didn’t hesitate.
He gathered my face in his hands and kissed me deeply,desperately. It was as if the dam that contained months of restraint had suddenly broken. His mouth moved against mine with purpose and passion.
He tasted of citrus and smelled of balsam.
I circled my arms around his neck and traced the lines of his shoulders with my fingers, memorizing their strength and slope. I never wanted to forget this moment so long as I lived; I would think of it every day and dream of it every night.
My knees became weak, and just when I thought they might give out from under me, Damon wrapped his arms around my waist and backed me up against the gazebo. He braced his weight on the post behind my head and feathered kisses on my lips, my cheeks, my jaw.
Consumed by the sensation, I lost sense of time and place and reason. All that existed was him and me and our kiss.
And then someone gasped.
Damon tensed but did not move away, instead shielding me from view with his body. But there was no point in hiding; we’d been discovered and now must face the consequences.
I gave Damon one last lingering look, then stepped out from behind him.
“Hannah?” Amelia said, her voice stricken.
“You need not worry, Miss Atherton,” Ollie said evenly, though he glared daggers at Damon. “What you see is only a charade. One with which my brother has taken far too many liberties.”
Amelia looked at me, her gaze pleading for me to give her some justification for what she had witnessed.
But there was nothing I could say to ease this blow. I could only offer her the truth and hope she would understand.
“It is not a charade,” I whispered. “Not anymore. Our feelings for each other are real.”
Her eyes widened with betrayal. “How could you?”
I opened my mouth to explain, but she held up a hand, stopping me. “I don’t want to know. You have hurt me enough already.” And she turned and strode away.
I stared after her, knowing she deserved a full explanation and apology, but first, I needed to explain my actions to Ollie before the rift between the brothers became a chasm. I turned back to Ollie.
“After all that he has done to tease and torture you,” Ollie said, “you must know that a daring dress and quick kiss will only entertain him for so long. How could you let yourself fall for his act?”
“It isnotan act,” Damon said in a stern voice.
Ollie trained his gaze on Damon. “Oh? Do you intend to marry her then?”
I knew Damon’s answer before he said it, but it still hurt when he said, “No.”
Ollie lunged forward, grabbing Damon by his lapels, and pushed him up against the same post that Damon had just braced himself on to kiss me. “You are a blackguard, Damon. A self-serving scoundrel and a cad. Just because you are a lord, that does not mean you can treat her like this. She is not beneath you.”
“You’re right,” Damon said, and he pushed Ollie off of him and stood in front of me. “I should not have dishonored you. I’m truly sorry, Hannah.”
“I know,” I said.
“Your apology counts for naught if you refuse to do the honorable thing and marry her, brother.” Ollie pushed past Damon, knocking his shoulder. “Come, Hannah. We must return if your reputation is to remain intact. I will tell Mother you have swooned and need to return home. I’ll have the carriage brought around straightaway.”
I glanced at Damon. His shoulders drooped, and his eyes were cast downward. I hated to leave him in this state, but Ollie was correct that I needed to return. I reluctantly moved toward Ollie.
“No.” Damon stepped forward, blocking my path. “I cannot endure this. We will find another way to save Summerhaven.” He said it only loud enough so I could hear. “Together.” He spoke with desperation, and it broke my heart, but I could not let him do something now that he would later regret.
“You know there is no other way. Please do not make this any harder than it already is. I will leave Summerhaven tomorrow morning at first light.”
I moved to one side, and so did he.
“Damon, if you care for me as much as I care for you, then you will let me go.”
