“I didn’t say you were an ox, merely as clumsy as one. At times. And with a kick like a mule!”
“Well, that will teach you to lunge at me,” she retorted, “you took me by surprise.”
“It should not be a surprise when an engaged man visits his betrothed in her bedchamber. Where is your head at if a kiss is not expected behaviour?” he exclaimed.
“Perhaps I am simply more innocent than you realized.”
“Innocent?” he scoffed, looking at her in a very direct manner.
“Do you imply otherwise?”
He seemed to have recovered. His laughter had died away, and he was staring at Charlotte in a way that was thrilling and uncomfortable, somehow both at the same time.
There are clearly gaps in my knowledge of Amelia’s life, but those gaps are not that big. I know she is innocent when it comes to men.
“No, I would not suggest it,” he finally said. “Once again, I am left wondering ifyouwant to be my wife or not.”
Charlotte looked away. She had challenged him with the same question. For him to be asking it meant he’d had the same thoughts.
“How may I prove it to you?” she asked.
Seth stepped closer, a smile on his face that was positively indecent. Charlotte’s heart raced. She looked into his eyes, captivated.
Perhaps it would not be such a sin if it serves to keep Amelia’s betrothed interested. A kiss is not so bad.
She wished she could make herself feel that she was doing it for her sister, but the excitement she felt was overpowering. Deep down, she could not deny that she was doing this because she wanted to, desperately.
Seth lowered his lips to hers. They touched. A warmth flooded Charlotte, beginning somewhere deep down within her, suffusing her. The kiss lingered and deepened. Seth’s arms went about her waist, pulling her body against his. Charlotte ran her fingers through his hair, tangling them in the blonde locks.
She reveled in the feeling of ownership that this gave her. For a long moment, she could pretend that this washerman—the very thought was intoxicating.
Suddenly, he picked her up by the waist. She squealed in surprise, her cry muffled by his hungry mouth. He carried her back to the divan and sat with her upon his lap.
Charlotte broke away from the kiss with a gasp, looking down at him from her perch. His excitement was palpable, she could feel it against her legs. It was both shocking and thrilling. She knew she should slap his face and stand, run from the room even.
But she did not.
The dream came back to her then. That sinful, wicked, scandalous dream... She grazed a hand down the front of his shirt, feeling the taut muscle beneath. Then she kissed him. Her hands explored the contours of his face, then the powerful muscles of his shoulders and chest.
She kissed his neck, even biting gently, marveling at her own boldness. He whispered her name.
Except it was not her name.
It was Amelia.
CHAPTER 9
Seth knew the feel and the taste of a woman. He knew the art of lovemaking and thought there could be nothing new to him in the sensual sphere.
He was wrong.
This was something else entirely. Amelia melted into his arms as many women had done before. He had not expected it, had banked on the opposite.
She is launching herself into passion when I thought she would push me away and slap my face.
He felt grating frustration and disappointment, but only momentarily. As her fingers wound through his hair, pulling it tight and holding his head, thought fled from a mind consumed by desire. Even the voice at the back of his mind, which told him that seduction was counter to all of his plans and would undo everything, was muted.
A thrill ran tingling through him at the thought of how proprietorial her touch was. Unbidden, he remembered her words to Baroness Eastwick. Calm, confident, and decisive.
