A hand waved through the air, the owner of said hand, however, was out of Gabe’s view. “You just want to take Miss White for yourself. Bastard.”
Who was that?Lord Kerr? Lord Boxton? Mr. Jackson?Blast. He couldn’t tell.
“If we will not eliminate the man, then at the very least we should continue to watch him, eh wot? Make a note of anything suspicious and let me know.”
“It is late, and I have a soft, young woman waiting for me in my warm bed. Let us move along.” Lord Hale picked up several pieces of parchment from the tabletop and gazed at each one in turn. “I must admit that your craftiness has well and truly surprised me. These documents are a testament to our strength. We will succeed if we remain united and focused.”
Gabe glanced down at Mary where she peeked through the crack below him. He knew she was taking mental note of what those documents looked like. Good girl.
“This meeting, where will it be?” Lord Hale continued to flip through the documents as he spoke. “Lord and Lady Sheffield are hosting a ball at their house in town on Thursday next. My damned wife demands my attendance…”
“A great many of us will be in attendance, as well. Quite the thing, eh wot?” Piper heaved a great sigh. “Very well. Thursday next after the ball, at the Crowned Pig’s Grunt.”
“Ugh,” the unknown man scoffed. “I do detest that place. Filth and rats everywhere.”
Hale slapped his hand hard on the table and Gabe could feel Mary flinch. “It is the only place!” He pointed his finger at the out of sight man, then roared, “I hear you complain once more and I’ll reach down that curst bothersome mouth and rip your throat out!”
Bloodthirsty blighter. Quick to temper, as well.
Several rumbled replies rose up through the small room, confusing Gabe as to who was speaking and how many men occupied the room. One man rose, his chair scraping across the wooden floor.Damn! He and Mary were about to be spotted!
Gabe gripped Mary’s hand and scrambled to find a place to hide. Mary pulled him to the study’s door, then silently pressed the latch and swung it open, leading Gabe through it before closing the door behind them.
They had no chance of fleeing down the long hall without being noticed when the traitors left the study.
Mary released his hand and felt her fingers along the wall in the hallway. Apparently satisfied with what she found, she pressed the wall, sliding a hidden panel open to reveal a linen cupboard.
Further scraping of chairs could be heard faintly from the hidden room and Gabe’s heart began to pound against his ribs. They had mere seconds before they were discovered!
They clambered into the small cupboard, the space only affording them enough room to stand with their fronts touching intimately. Gabe slid the panel closed, leaving them in total darkness.
Everything was silent, but for the huffs of their breaths and the thundering of his heart in his ears. He twisted his neck, aiming his ear toward the study across the hall, and listened for any sign that the traitors had left their hidden meeting room.
Then he heard it. A faintclickfollowed by distinct footfalls and hushed voices.
He turned his head back toward Mary to make a motion for silence, but what he saw arrested him. Through the darkness of the small space, Mary’s grey eyes glittered with what Gabe could only interpret as desire.Desire fer me. It could just as easily have been fear or anxiousness, but Gabe was certain he saw need in her gaze.
Mary’s breath hitched, her breasts pressing firmly against his chest. Her gaze locked with his, and his body gave an answering tug of need. Lord knew how long it would be before they had a clear opening to escape this closet…and there was something that Gabriel was burning to do.
Quelling the urge to release a beastly growl, Gabe pressed his lips against hers.
This kiss was no less delicious than their last. As impossible as it was, she still tasted of sweet tea and lemon curd.
Her slender fingers stretched out and gripped his lapel, crushing the material within her tightly clenched fists.
Gabe cupped her jaw, running his thumb over her chin. With a gentle nudge, Mary opened for him, and Gabe slid his tongue between her teeth to dip inside the warmth of her mouth.Oh Lord, save me from this woman! His gut clenched, his skin tightened, and his cock veritably screamed for release. Instead, he dipped his tongue inside her molten mouth, lapping and tasting over and over again
Unable to assuage his need with just a kiss, Gabe covered her bombazine-clad breast with his hand and kneaded it through the fabric.
Oh yes!She responded in kind, running her hands over his chest and waist, pulling agitatedly at the fabric that separated them.
He fumbled with the material of her modest décolletage, tugging until he freed one glorious breast.Ah! Without torturing himself a moment further, he crouched to take her nipple deep into his mouth, as he had so desperately fantasized about doing.
Her fingers clenched, her nails digging deeply into the flesh on his side and the back of his neck, but she remained blessedly silent. He smiled against her breast before sucking in earnest. He sucked, nipped, licked, and scraped her with his teeth.
But he was still desperate for more. He wanted her. He needed her. Hemusthave her.
Her hips undulated against the hard ridge of his tightly restrained erection, the motion sending his eyes rolling in the back of his head. And that was all the invitation he needed.
