“They will let anyone come to these things now. What was Lady Yardly thinking to let Miss Jamieson and her friends in?”
Vivian’s smile slipped away. “That is Lavinia Tolbert, I am sure of it,” she hissed.
Miss Tolbert and her companion must be walking through the garden right below them.
“She is the granddaughter of an earl, my dear, and look who her aunts are,” Lavinia’s companion said.
“She is also the daughter of a pirate, I hear. Scandalous, if you ask me. And that companion of hers, an American and half-Creole to boot. A grasping, backwater nobody.”
Lavinia’s acid tongue sent Vivian’s temper boiling over. She pushed away from the balustrade, her eyes snapping with fire. “That horrible bitch! I am going to set her straight on a few things. How dare she talk about Gabrielle like that.” She stalked down the terrace.
He caught up with her in two strides. Jack grabbed her around the waist, plucking her off her feet.
“Jack! What are you doing?”
He carried her around the corner, setting her down against the side of the house, and caged her in with an arm on each side.
“Saving you from making a scene. You can’t let people like that woman get to you. Who cares what she says?”
She looked up at him, eyes flashing with anger. “Lavinia Tolbert was a viper all last season. She didn’t manage to land a husband, no surprise, and she is always saying mean things about any number of girls. I am so sick of her.”
Suddenly all the anger drained out of her, and he was dismayed to see a weariness settle around her eyes. His own temper sparked. He would thrash the dreadful Miss Tolbert himself for causing the defeated look on Vivian’s face.
She laid her forehead against his chest. “I am so tired of all of it, Jack. Can’t you please take me home to the Bahamas? I want to go home.” She wrapped her arms around his middle.
He instinctively put his arms around her, pulling her body close. He caressed the back of her neck. “Darling, is that really what you want, to give up? To run away? Besides, I have promised to stick around and watch out for my siblings. I couldn’t possibly leave now.” He put a finger under her chin, lifting her face. Then he framed it with both his hands, gazing into her eyes, drowning in their sea blue depths.The road to hell is paved with good intentions. He bent to kiss her.
Just a little taste. He brushed his lips gently across hers. She let out a little hum of pleasure that set his whole body afire. He adjusted his angle to deepen the kiss. When he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, she immediately parted for him. He groaned and dipped his tongue into her sweet mouth, teasing and tempting her to respond in kind. She matched him thrust for thrust, their tongues dueling. His hands still framed her face, but her hands were moving, exploring the hard ridges and planes of his back.
Having her body so intimately pressed up against his made him rock hard. He caressed the side of her neck with his fingertips. Then he slowly trailed his hands down her arms, enjoying the shiver of pleasure his exploration elicited. He wrapped one arm firmly around her waist, then he pulled his mouth away from hers to trail kisses across her jawline to her ear. He lightly nipped at one earlobe. How could the delicate shell of her ear be so erotic?
A warning bell rang somewhere in his head but was muffled by the thick fog of his desire. His other hand found its way up to cup one of those perfect breasts. He ran his thumb along the rise of smooth skin above the neckline of her dress. She let out another small sound of pleasure, and her roaming hands made their way down to his backside and squeezed him playfully. In response, he pulled her tighter against him, pressing his cock up against her.
“God, Vivian,” he whispered in her ear, right before he swooped down to capture her mouth once again.
****
Vivian was glad Jack held her so tightly—she doubted her legs would support her. She ran her hands over his body, touching everything, taking what pleasure she could while she had him in her arms. His hand caressed her breast, and she bit back a moan. Who knew her breasts could be such a source of pleasure? She moved her hands up over his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. Indulging her impulses, she ran her fingers through the dark, silky hair at his nape, dislodging his hair tie. He pulled her closer. She was shocked to feel the hard length of his staff pressing into her stomach.Oh Lord. He captured her mouth once more.Let this feeling of being cherished and desired never end. Please, please…
Then Gabrielle’s voice penetrated her thoughts. “George, I don’t see them down here. Perhaps they went back inside.” Gabi pronounced each word very loudly and slowly. She and Jack froze, breathing heavily, still locked in their embrace. The footfalls of two people walking in the opposite direction died out.
Jack pulled back abruptly. “What was I thinking? We could have been happened upon by anybody. Lord Almighty, I would have ruined you.”
“Jack, I agree this is not the place to be doing what we were doing. But listen, I am here too…it’s not all your fault.” She put a hand against his cheek. His chagrin, so obviously written across his face, made her lips twitch in amusement. “Besides, no one saw us. In my opinion, it was certainly worth it.” Being wrapped in his embrace and realizing his passion for her had been worth the risk.
His face relaxed. He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You minx.” He straightened his coat and cravat. Then he assessed her appearance. “I don’t think I mussed you too badly.” He fixed one shoulder of her gown and smoothed a curl which had broken free from her coiffeur. “Do you feel ready to head back in?”
No, she did not. She wanted to grab his hand and run away into the night. Forget her careful plans to marry someone sensible and settle down. Forget that she had friends and family who would be worried, who would miss her. Perhaps there was more pirate in her then she realized. She took a deep breath and reigned in her foolish instincts.
Instead, she nodded. Jack peeked around the corner to see who was around. Discovering no one in their direct vicinity, he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her back around the corner. Walking as though they had merely been out for a casual stroll, he escorted her back to Gabi and George.
“Thank you for a lovely stroll, Miss Jamieson. If you will excuse me, I best go look for Caroline.” He bowed over her hand and disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter Eighteen
The morning sun slanted across Jack’s face. His first thought this morning was of Vivian. He should be appalled at himself for pawing at her last night like an animal in heat. Yet he couldn’t seem to muster the proper amount of guilt. Apparently, his cock didn’t feel guilty either—he was hard and ready, remembering how passionate and responsive she had been to his kisses. He groaned and rolled out of bed, heading for the washbasin to splash cold water on his face.
He had bungled last night, letting his lust control his actions. Vivian deserved to be wooed and courted properly. A picture of Jamieson, eyes narrowed and pistol drawn, appeared in his mind. The captain would gut him if he knew he debauched his daughter up against the side of a house. Jack reached for a towel to dry his face. Surely he could have had more finesse than that. Of course, a real gentleman wouldn’t even consider seducing a nice young lady like Vivian without offering marriage.
