Clementine’s face darkened and Cadoc guessed she was the seeker for this round.
“I didn’t even want to play,” she sulked, confirming his suspicions.
“Don’t be a spoilsport, Clem,” chided Callista.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “You lot have until I count to one hundred to secure your hiding places.”
Jess whirled on her heel and headed toward the narrow staircase.
Cadoc was hot on her heels.
When she ducked into a dark wood clothes press in the corner of what appeared to be an attic, he followed.
“What are you doing?” She demanded, as she tried to push him from the wardrobe.
“Following you of course.”
“This armoire won’t hold the two of us.”
Cadoc winked as he pulled the door closed behind him. “There aren’t any shelves, dragonfly. There’s plenty of room.”
She pushed against his chest. “I’m not hiding in here with you. And stop calling me by that moniker.”
He pressed her against the corner wall. “You’ll not escape so easily. And I won’t stop calling you that - it’s how I think of you.”
She stilled in his embrace. “You shouldn’t think of me as anything besides a part of your ridiculous wager and your wards’ schoolteacher.”
“If only I could remain so detached,” he murmured into her ear just before he nipped her earlobe.
She shifted at the sharp pain. “Biting isn’t part of the wager.”
“All proper kisses should involve teeth and tongue,” Cadoc said as he clenched the taut muscle of her elongated neck.
Her snort was muffled. “If that is how you choose to torment me today, it will require very little effort on my part to resist your advances.”
“Allow me to demonstrate my skill before you scoff at its effectiveness, Madam.”
“The twins always win at hide and seek, so you don’t have long. You’ll have to settle for pawing at me over my clothes like one of my sister’s overeager puppies.”
Her attempt to dissuade him verged on the ridiculous. “I’ve never found it necessary to resort to pawing. Brace yourself, dragonfly. I’m determined to break through your cool facade.”
The light from outside barely filtered through the crack between the door and the wall, so he couldn’t make out her expression. But he felt the exasperation of her eye roll. He recognized her feigned outrage for what it was - a means of disguising her fascination. Cadoc would win this bout.
He lifted his hand to her hair and removed one of the pins that held it in place. When a heavy lock slid down the side of her neck and curled just above her cleavage, he grazed the tops of her breasts with his knuckles as he rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.
Her sharp inhale was the only indication she was affected by his touch.
He leaned forward and slid another pin from her hair. A much larger tangle fell to her shoulders and he let it glide through his fingers like a veil. This time, there was no audible inhale, but when Cad wedged his knee firmly between hers, crushing her skirt and crinoline behind her, her breathing became winded. She didn’t say a word, but her staccato little gasps filled the space between them.
He brushed the fallen coil of hair over her shoulder and bent to her ear. The moment his teeth closed gently on the tip of her earlobe, a slight tremor betrayed how much she was affected.
“It would seem you are not completely averse to teeth, dragonfly.”
“You merely startled me,” she huffed.
He slid his nose along her jawline, where her skin was soft with the scent of lilies.
She ground her teeth in response and he knew she was faltering. He wanted all of her iron resolve crumbled and burning at his feet. He wanted the willing surrender of her body, even if her heart and mind were still formidably opposed.
