Lady Natalie bit her lip again, and he held a groan. She drew his gaze to her mouth every time she did that. Was she asking for another kiss? Taking a breath, he loosened the horse's tether, and he climbed up behind her, taking the reins. She stiffened slightly, and he chuckled.
“You have nothing to fear, My Lady.”
“You are the Masked Rogue.”
Was that why she was angry with him?No, it cannot be. She didn’t know this last night.“I thought you had no care for your reputation.”
“I did not with a duke. You are a different issue entirely.”
He steered them onto the road that led out of the park. “But Iama duke.”
Lady Natalie sighed and shook her head, seemingly disinclined to continue the conversation. He rode steadily but the feel of her posterior very close to his groin, despite his cloak, made his heart pound and his blood rush. This forced him to ride faster.
“Where is your house?” he asked as they exited the park.
“Berkeley Square.” She sounded breathless, and it both delighted and hardened him.
Every minute of the ride was a challenge, and Jasper fought the relief he felt when they neared her home. A part of him wanted the sweet torment to continue. “Show me the house.”
Lady Natalie directed him and he guided the horse into the alley where the side entrance was located. He dismounted and helped her down, but he kept his hands at her waist, the temptation to pull her into his arms and ravish her mouth, growing.
Their gazes held, and she seemed to lean into him. “Your Grace,” she whispered, and he shook his head.
“Jasper. Call me, Jasper, please.”
“I should go, Jasper.” She made to remove his cloak, but he was still unable to let her go.
“Forgive me,” he murmured, before pulling her to him and claiming the lips that had consumed his thoughts since waking. He swallowed her gasp, and it turned into a sigh that seared him with need. Jasper drew her ever closer, his hand descending to cup her posterior, pressing his aching pelvis into her.
“I should not kiss you, Jasper,” she murmured as his mouth moved to her delicate neck. He wanted to kiss every inch of her if she would allow him.
“No, you should not,” he agreed, but he did not stop. He claimed her mouth again, exploring every inch with passionate determination. Every little moan excited him, and his fingers curled, gathering her skirts.
I have to stop,he told himself, yet all he wanted was to place her back on his horse and ride away with her. She was not the sort of woman he should do this to, but he could not help what she did to him. Drawing every bit of willpower he could, he stopped kissing her and pulled away.
Bloody hell!Her lips were swollen, and her eyelids were heavy. She was the very image of seduction, even though she was fully clothed and shrouded by his cloak. Lady Natalie started toward the door, but she paused and reached for the pin that kept his cloak in place.
Jasper inhaled sharply as he watched her pull the heavy garment away to reveal a luscious body that her wet dress still clung to. When she breathed, her neckline pressed tightly against her soft bosom, and he was sure that if he touched her, he would feel her nipples perking in response to the cold.
As she handed the cloak to him, their eyes held, and he saw her hesitation. She shared his wish to not part at this time. Jasper took the cloak at the same time that his arm snaked around her waist, drawing her back to him. She raised her chin, and he reclaimed her mouth as her eyes fluttered shut. Their passions interwove as his hand grasped her hair, deepening the kiss.
He moved them until her back was against a wall. Hiking up her skirt, he reached underneath and stroked her thighs, and her shivers heightened his fervor, causing every part of him to grow rigid with want.
A distant sound forcefully broke them apart once more, but this time, they remained close together. Her eyes gleamed, and although he could not tell whether she blushed, he knew she did. She also looked surprised. Leaning forward, he kissed her delectable lips one final time. When she spoke, her voice was soft—excessively so. “Good night, Jasper.”
“Sleep well, My Lady.” His voice did not quite sound like his. She moved past him to open the door, and he watched her disappear behind it, passing a hand down his jaw as he hoped to see her again soon. He had to finish what they had begun or thoughts of her would never leave him.
Jasper rode to the townhouse he dedicated to his nightly activities, and looking carefully around to ensure he was not recognized or followed, he moved into the alley where he secured his stallion before unlocking the door on the side of the house and entering.
Taking the stairs, he went to his bedchamber and removed his damp clothes before they gave him a cold. Then he left the house again, unmasked this time, and rode for an hour to Amsthorne Manor. Jasper made a promise to his aunt some time ago that he would always return to the manor and spend the night there if he was in town.
She disliked being alone, and she also worried about him, especially after the first discussion they had about the family’s curse two years ago. Jasper arrived and took the horse to the stables and made sure it was comfortably in its stall, then he made his way into the manor.
He found his valet, Smith, in his chambers, and the first thing he did was hand him his mask. The leather strap had snapped when Natalie—he could not think of her formally any longer—removed it.
“Have another one made,” he instructed. Smith was the only person who knew he was the Masked Rogue, and he was fortunate to have his confidence.
Jasper sat in a chair, thinking of Natalie. He had to see her again, and there was no question in his mind.
