“Yes. Perry said it best. Vermin.”
“Most apt.” Kitty’s breath left her as Max whisked her through a door and into what looked like a large closet. “Max…mmmpf….”
His lips were on hers, his arms around her, and he kissed the dickens out of her before she could catch a breath. “I have been aching to do that for quite some time. You were brilliant with that woman, my sweet. I really do have an amazing wife.” He grinned from ear to ear and then kissed her once more, forcefully, preventing her from doing more than moan as his tongue met hers.
Her arms went up around his neck as his hands bunched her skirts and raised them, allowing his fingers to seek and find her sex. Heat swept over her, followed by the sensual chills of her arousal. She thrust herself into his hand without even realizing it.
“God, Max. We’re in a cupboard, for heaven’s sake…” She moaned again as he found his way to the exact spot that always drove her wild. “Oh…sweet lord…”
He drove her up and over without pity, drawing her release from her as easily as he had kissed her, breathing in her cries and holding her upright. It might have been the excitement of the day, or the erotic nature of their location, but Kitty’s orgasm exploded rapidly and rocked her from her upswept hair to her elegant slippers. All from the touch of his hand.
She sagged against him, breathing hard, amazed at what they had just done. “God. Just…oh,hell.”
“Well that covers the religious portion of the evening.”
She poked him with her fingers. “If you’re going to make me feel foolish…”
“On the contrary, love. I want you thinking about this moment until we get home tonight. Because it was just the first course…”
She groaned and straightened her gown. “I might not survive to try dessert.”
“You will. I’ll make sure of it.”
*~~*~~*
He waited patiently outside the ladies’ withdrawing room, while Kitty tidied herself.
He hoped he wasn’t smiling too much, but the thought of what they’d just done, and where, was amusing, to say the least. He was hard, of course. He was always hard around Kitty, but he could wait. Tonight was for them as a married couple.
Unfortunately, he sensed that Kitty would want to talk about their future as well, which—since he hadn’t got that far with his plan yet—was a bit vague. His mind turned to the matter of Dancey Miller-James. Why would he think that Max had one of his carriages? Were they that similar?
In truth, Max would have been hard pressed to identify the manufacturer of any particular carriage, but then again, it wasn’t his business. Nor was it Dancey’s, although the man liked to dabble in it, was as competitive as they come, and didn’t worry about things like morals or ethics when it came to business practices.
No, he had been convinced Max owned a Kanehall carriage. And that assumption suddenly led Max to an almost unthinkable notion.
“Come on,” he said to Kitty as soon as she appeared in the hallway. “We have a stop to make.”
They were given their cloaks and handed into the coach before Kitty had chance to say more than “What?” but once they were seated and on their way, she let loose. “Max, you do realize we have just insulted the Chorleys. We left before dinner, too. A bit much, don’t you think?”
He waved her protest away. “The Chorleys, and by that I mean Lady Chorley, will be quite pleased with us, I have no doubt.”
She clutched his arm. “The Prince Regent…” Horrified, she stared at him. “If he arrived and weleft…”
“I don’t believe he’s attending this evening.” Max looked uninterested.
“But…” Kitty struggled with her words. “But Max, you said…”
“We’re here.”
She looked out the window and saw a grand house lit up to the roof, with carriages everywhere. “And that would be where?”
“Back where it all began. Steenmere House, and the evening of the DuClos masquerade.”
Sure enough, Kitty recognized some of the statuary. “What on earth are we doing here?” The coach moved slowly, in stops and starts.
“I’m going to ask you to wait here for a minute or two, Kitty. There’s someone I’d like to find, and if I can do it quickly, so much the better. All right?” He glanced at her. “Trust me.”
“Of course.” Her answer was immediate.
