He grinned. Who needed sleep anyway? There was an intruder, and he fully intended to handle that fool himself. Country living left little for entertainment in his life, and this prowler would definitely be shocked by the owner of Easton Abbey. It didn’t take him long to descend the stairs, and he stalked toward the library. The doors there led to the garden. It would be faster using that route to intercept the person frolicking in the flowers.
Declan took several determined steps in the direction of the primrose section of the garden. He stopped when he spotted his would-be thief. Why... it was a woman. The skirts were a dead giveaway, but he couldn’t make out much else. She had the good sense to don a hooded cloak. She leaned down and plucked one of the primroses and lifted it toward her face.
“Tell me,” he drawled. He kept his tone light and playful. Partly because he hoped it was a woman he could have his wicked way with. “Is its scent as lovely as the woman breathing in its sweet fragrance?”
She stilled and stood up straighter. Had he frightened her? Declan could use that to his advantage, and that had been his intention when he spoke. Clearly she was somewhere she didn’tbelong and she full well knew it. Would she try to run? Wouldn’t that be fun? He wouldn’t mind a merry chase.
“Is that anxiety flowing through you right now?” Declan moved toward her. He wanted to know who had dared to come into his garden, and he refused to let her leave before her identity was revealed. “Have you lost all ability to speak?”
She took a step as if to run. He shook his head and chuckled lightly. Declan almost begged her to do just that but held his tongue. Instead he reached for her and pulled her toward him. Her back hit his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Going somewhere, love?” Still she remained silent. Why was she so frightened? He wouldn’t hurt her for stealing one little flower. “Do you like primroses?” He leaned forward and flipped her hood off of her head. Honey blonde curls glowed underneath the moonlight. He groaned. Of course it washer. He cursed under his breath. “Lady Charlotte,” he began through clenched teeth. Hewasn’tgoing to have a sweet time with a woman that night. “Didn’t I tell you to stay off my property?” Disappointment filled him as he continued to hold her against him. His body tightened in response, and he inwardly cursed. Damn her...
She wiggled in his arms, and his cock hardened to a maddening degree as her arse brushed up against it. He barely held back a groan. “Let me go,” she demanded.
“Not yet,” he said in a harsh tone. She was going to unman him if she kept moving her sweet arse against him in such a fashion. “We need to discuss your failure to understand simple directions.”
“We don’t have to discuss anything,” she told him in a defiant tone. “I’m not a small child who needs to be ordered about.”
“And yet you’re exactly where you’re not supposed to be.” He took a deep breath and let her go, but only long enough to spin her around to face him. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
Her chin jutted upward. Defiance sparkled in those gold eyes of hers. Why did she have to be so utterly lovely that it stole his breath? “Because I want to be.” Charlotte’s tone was as full of petulance as the expression on her face. She didn’t believe in holding anything back. He almost wanted to applaud her for it. At least she didn’t cower before him.
Such simplicity, and he wanted to shake her for her cheekiness. He would never act on that impulse. Even if she would have deserved it. He would not reward reckless behavior. “It doesn’t matter what I want, then?” Declan desperately wanted to understand her. More importantly, he wanted her to fully comprehend how her actions affected not only her, but him. Didn’t she realize the scandal she might cause by being at his estate unchaperoned? In the middle of the night no less.
“I’m glad we understand each other,” she told him. Her lips tilted upward into a mischievous smile. She lifted that bloom she’d plucked from his garden and waved it under her nose, then she held it up to him. “Tell me, my lord, is its scent as lovely as the woman holding it?”
He closed his eyes and groaned. Shewouldremind him of his asinine words a few moments earlier. “As I don’t see a woman but a young girl, I’d have to say no.” She was too bloody lovely though, and if he were forced to admit it, he desired her more than any woman he’d ever met in his life. Declan craved Lady Charlotte, and he’d like nothing more than to claim her. Something he would never do. Somehow, he would have to resist the temptation before him. Otherwise, he would do something they both would regret.
She pursed her lips in displeasure. “You’re insufferable.”
“Then you should have stayed where you belong,” he rebuffed her. “Now I am going to have to escort you back to the school.” He should tell her to find her own way home, but he didn’t trust her to actually return to Havenwood.
“You don’t need to do anything of the sort,” she told him. Lady Charlotte sounded appalled at the very idea of spending any more time in his company. Well, that was too bloody bad.
He tilted his lips into a half smile. “I insist.” Declan nodded toward the path that led out of the garden. “Ladies first. Start walking, Lady Charlotte. I plan on following you until you reach the school. I have to ensure you don’t get lost, don’t I?” Declan lifted a brow, mocking her. She was the one that had trespassed. If she didn’t like the results, she should have stayed inside the school. “What are you waiting for? If it’s a kiss, I must remind you that I’m not the man for you. My kisses are never sweet, and you, love, need that from a man.”
“I don’t want a kiss from you,” she insisted. Her gaze traveled over his lips, and he felt the heat spread over him.
Her eyes definitely told a different story. There was desire there, and he almost gave in and kissed her. Declan barely refrained from sinking into her willing lips and losing himself. “You do,” he said softly, his voice hoarse with his own need brewing within him. “But I’m not the fool you believe. Start walking, my lady. It’s already too late for you to be out for a stroll, and I would like to return to my own warm bed. Alone.”
She huffed, then spun on her heels to start heading back toward the school. Declan trailed behind her, his cock aching with each step he took. It was going to be a damned long night. He might just have to stop long enough to swim in the frigid pond before returning home. Declan drew in a deep breath and prepared himself for an unpleasant evening. All thanks to the tempting lady sashaying before him. God help him, he might not be able to resist her for long.
Chapter Four
She’d almost gottenaway with her little adventure. “Almost” didn’t count though, did it? Of coursehehad discovered her in his garden. Why was the marquess so bloody gorgeous? She’d never seen a more beautiful man in her entire life. Something about him drew her to him, and she didn’t like it, or perhaps she liked it a little too much.
He was behind her. Shadowing her every step as if she were a child that required supervision. Charlotte might find him attractive, but he didn’t seem to feel the same way about her. Oh, he might like how she looked; however, he clearly disliked her. He’d said pretty words until he had realized she wasn’t a woman he wanted to spend time with. When he recognized her, his entire demeanor had changed. It had aggravated her. She did want him to desire her, and yes, she had hoped he would kiss her. Maybe not that night, but one night soon. How could that be wrong?
“Are you always this quiet?” he asked.
She had no reason to speak to him. Should she even reply? Charlotte gritted her teeth. He had made his feelings known. Would speaking to him change his mind? She doubted it would. Everything came back to one inescapable truth: He didn’t want her, and nothing would alter that. “Only when I have nothing to say.” Her tone was mulish, and she’d sounded like an ill-mannered child. She should have kept her mouth closed.
“I see,” he said in a tone that belied his words.
“Do you?” she mocked him. “Why do you care if I’m quiet? Haven’t you made your intentions clear? You don’t like me. I’m to keep my distance because you find me so distasteful.” Why did that have to hurt so much? She barely knew the Marquess of Easton. What he thought of her should not matter to her.
“I never said I found you distasteful,” he drawled in that husky voice of his. “But that doesn’t mean I wish to spend time with you, either.”
And the disappointment kept hitting her where it hurt most. “I see.” It was her turn to utter inadequate words as if they had any real meaning. “I’m not distasteful, but I’m definitely unworthy of your time.” She stopped and spun around to face him. “Then, pray tell, my lord, why are you following me back to the school? This endeavor seems to be a contradiction of every word you’ve said since we’ve met.”
