He looked entirely unrepentant.
And entirely dashing.
Charlotte rose a moment later, legs still unsteady. She pulled her skirts down and tried to compose herself. It was a lost cause. Especially when she glanced at him and caught the way he was looking at her.
Finally, she gathered the courage to murmur, “With… with my limited knowledge, I am conscious that what I have just experienced should be reciprocated. I am not aware of having done anything for you.”
Seth grinned, taking her hand and kissing it.
“Don’t you worry, there shall be plenty of time for that.”
Charlotte laughed softly, her voice still husky with the remnants of her pleasure. He watched her closely—her mussed hair, her flushed skin, the little satisfied curve tugging at her lips—and felt something deeper settle low in his chest.
Not lust.
That was still very much alive, yes, but it was more than that.
She’d undone him with nothing more than a touch, a look, and a breathless moan. And she hadn’t even realized it. He was hard, aching, and unspent—but oddly, he didn’t mind. Not yet. The real satisfaction came from the way she peeked at him beneath her lashes like an errant goddess.
Yes. Therewouldbe time.
“You are very confident,” she giggled.
“I saw the look in your eyes, just then. Yes, I am confident.”
“Then I should take care. I do not think it sensible to be too easy a...”
“Conquest?”
“Hardly. I do not believe I will ever allow myself to be so.”
“No, you are right. Perhaps it isIwho is the conquest this time. I was trying to drive you away, after all,” he reminded.
“Amelia. You were trying to driveAmeliaaway,” she corrected softly.
Seth stepped closer, stealing a quick kiss and rewarded with a pleased intake of breath that left a blooming smile in its wake.
“We should be careful what we say. Walls have ears, and it would not do for your identity to become public,” he whispered conspiratorially.
“Whyever not?”
She put her arms about his neck with a sense of proprietorship. She toyed with the hair at the back of his head, curling it through her fingers.
“Because I am committed to marry Amelia Nightingale, and until I can prove that she does not wish to marry me, any liaison with you would be classed as adultery,” he explained. “And Monkton would take the smallest opportunity to strip me of my inheritance, lands, and even title, and give it to his chosen heir.”
Charlotte frowned. She seemed to be studying his face, and he reveled in the scrutiny. It made him feel that she was interested in or even mesmerized by him, wanting to take in every line and mark.
“So, we must continue to present the world with the illusion of a courting couple…” she put in slowly.
“We must. No, wait a moment, I will not put it in such terms,” he swiftly amended.
I must be completely honest with her. She will not be pushed or manipulated, and I would not do either to her. She must be won over.
“Then what are your preferred terms?” She curled a brow.
“Until Amelia provides proof that she does not wish to marry me and it satisfies Monkton, I must appear to be on the path to marriage. And the world must believe that it is to Amelia.”
She moved closer, lips inches from his. Her nose rubbed against his, and her eyes closed.
