“If he found his daughter alone and in a compromising position with a humble solicitor, you might have to change your mind about that statement,” cautioned Richard, easing her off his lap and onto the couch next to him.
She straightened her gown with an air of delightful unconcern. “I’m not a child. I am a woman grown, despite my chronological age, and you know it. I pride myself on my education, and that has included a full and comprehensive study of what happens between a man and a woman. Of course, it is supposed to be restricted to marriage, but—as I hope I’ve already stated—I am not a fool, and therefore accept that such matters occur when and where they will, regardless of Society’s rules.” She paused. “And I shall not even bother to comment on that ‘humble solicitor’ nonsense.”
“Ah.” Richard blinked, unsure of how to respond.
“So let’s just say that I find kissing you to be a very pleasant and arousing experience, and I would very much like to do it again.” She stood and shook out her skirts. “However, you are right in that we have an important task to complete, so we should probably get started on that, and save the rest for later.”
He swallowed. “Uh, yes. Yes indeed.” His mind recognised the practicality of her statement. His body, unfortunately, took a bit longer to catch up, and he rose uncomfortably to follow her into a connecting room, where a large desk was centred in front of more windows.
“Right. You can work here.” She fussed a little with drawers. “Paper. This should do, it’s from Papa’s stock, and he uses it for business matters.” Another drawer revealed ink and pens, and finally she opened a door in the side of the desk and removed an artist’s case, which held brushes and colours.
“What else might you need, do you think?”
“Hmm…I’d like whatever maps you have of this area from as long ago as possible, especially any copies you might have of the one on the wall in the library,” he managed to settle his disorganised thoughts into some sort of coherence, even though sitting on the hard chair was still causing some discomfort within his breeches.
“And lots of light.”
“Er, yes, that would be very helpful.”
Within twenty minutes, Richard had everything he thought he would need to re-create the original map, and he nodded in satisfaction. “This is excellent. Thank you.”
Holly smiled at him. “Do what you can. We can ask no more than that.” She leaned over his shoulder, grinned at him, then placed a light kiss on his cheek.
“From friend to friend,” she said. “For now.”
He breathed in her scent once more and sighed. Either keeping his distance from Holly—or the agony of the hard chair against his arousal—might well cripple him before this night was over.
*~~*~~*
Having stoked up the fire, lit every candle she could lay her hands on, and found a thick woollen blanket she’d forgotten she’d tucked away in a handy chest, Holly made herself comfortable on the couch in the adjoining sitting room, while he began his assigned work.
She knew she should be considering the dangerous nature of this task, the risks to Richard as he all but forged an important document, and the shadows posed by the presence of Samuel Blackstone at Forest Grange.
But oddly enough, all her thoughts were currently swirling around the moments when they’d kissed.
She’d fought for, and mostly achieved, a level of composure that felt appropriate. But inside? Dear God above, her mind had been turned upside down, her body shaken to the core, and there were strangely exciting flickers of something new and pleasurable darting through odd places that made her shiver.
His kisses were—well,deliciouswas the only word that she could think of. His taste lingered on her tongue, and she stared into the flames, allowing the memories to shimmer their way over her skin, bringing goosebumps in their wake.
She had been kissed before, but never like this. The tentative pecks on the cheek, or the quick touches of lips that dotted her limited experience with such matters, had immediately paled into nothing the minute Richard had taken her in his arms.
It had been a life-changing moment for Holly, and she recognised it as such. But was it the same for him? He didn’t strike her as the sort of man who went around kissing women willy-nilly. And she thought she was a fairly good judge of character.
Sighing, she tucked her feet up on the sofa beneath the blanket and rested her chin on her hand. The practical part of her cautioned patience, and some moments spent in seriousconsideration. The rest of her was screaming to run over, plop herself down on his lap and make him kiss her again, insisting that this time he would not stop.
She blinked, caught by surprise as the realisation of what shereallywanted filtered into her brain.
She wanted his arms around her. She wanted his scent and his taste to overwhelm her. She wanted to feel his tongue against hers and his hand on her skin again, in a variety of places—none of which would be interrupted by annoying things like clothing.
Those facts assembled into a conclusion that hit her like a bolt of lightning out of the darkness. She wanted him.
Somehow, she had gone and fallen in love with this man, without realising it. How ridiculous a thought that was, given the brief moments of their acquaintance, and yet it persisted, sitting firmly in her mind, arms crossed and feet placed neatly on the floor of her brain. There was no moving it—it simply was.
She took a ragged breath and glanced through the open door at Richard, bent to his work. Wholly absorbed, he never raised his head from the paper he was working on, and she felt confident that he would accomplish their goals.
“Why?” she muttered. “Why am I so sure that an almost impossible task is, in fact, possible?”
The answer was there before the sound of her whispered question had faded.
