“No!” Felicity hissed at him.
He chuckled. “I’m not an exhibitionist. Have no fear.”
“You’re a wretch is what you are. A scoundrel.”
“Perhaps, but you don’t look so sad anymore, so my devious plan worked.”
Felicity shook her head at him and fought a smile. She lost the battle and bit her bottom lip as she grinned. He did have a way of bringing her out of her thoughts. He could always tell when she was drifting out to sea in them.
He switched to her seat and took off his hat.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
“Here? In the carriage with these open windows?”
He reached across her and jerked the curtain closed. “There. Private.”
“This is scandalous.”
“This is our day out of the Den, and I want to make the most of it.”
“Our day? You said you had an errand?”
“I do, but there is no reason not to spend as much time as we can running that errand. It could take all day.”
Felicity flinched as she looked down and saw she was already gripping his coat lapels. When had she done that?
“What if he stops? What if someone opens the door?”
“What if none of that happens and we just enjoy ourselves, Flick? What if I kiss you senseless and spend the day treating you to ices and walks under the shade of trees in bloom? What if we buy meat pies and watch a puppet show in Covent Garden?”
“We can’t do all that.”
“We can. We can do anything we want.”
She swallowed, her amusement fading. “We can’t. Not everything.”
He leaned closer. “Right now, that doesn’t matter. Right now, if we want to believe it, everything and anything is possible. Just for today.”
Her throat tightened. “For today.”
He tilted his head slightly, his breath fanning over her lips as Felicity tipped up her chin just enough to meet his kiss. Their mouths fused together as if they’d been doing this for years, as if she were an expert in kissing Tristan Chase even though she’d done it less than a handful of times. Kissing him was as easy as breathing, as right as the sun setting in the evening and rising again at dawn. He made everything simpler, and she didn’t know how he did it.
She opened her mouth at the first teasing swipe of his tongue, and he slipped inside, caressing hers. They played and teased until they were restlessly pulling at each other, hands everywhere.
Tristan broke the kiss, dabbing kisses along her jawline and Felicity melted into him. He hadn’t done his yet. She lifted her chin, exposing more of her neck and cupped her hand around his nape. His mouth was divine, his tongue wicked and hot, as he licked and sucked at her skin lightly. Her body reacted with tingles and throbbing between her legs. She pinched her thighs together, shifting her hips to appease that aching need.
His mouth drifted lower, meeting the demure neckline of her bodice. His hands went to the buttons, the shifting of his fingers and the brush of the fabric making her nipples tingle. She stiffened and he immediately pulled away.
“Flick, I’m sorry. I got carried away. That isn’t an excuse, I know.”
“No, it’s not that.” She met his gaze. “I felt something unexpected.”
“What?”
She blushed. “I can’t explain it.”
