“If you continue along your line of conversation, you will make me blush.” I inched my way closer to where she stood and rested my hip against the table. We were alone, and if she weren’t engaged to Lord Kendrick, I might have courted her myself. She’d such an amiable nature, despite the initial awkwardness I had experienced in her company.
Lady Lillian offered a shy smile, her eyes lit with suppressed desire. “If it makes you feel better, you made me blush multiple times on that wonderful night in the library.”
“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” I said.
Lady Lillian was marrying my employer, the man I loved and lusted after. Truth be told, I also lusted after her. “You are an engaged woman.”
She slipped into the chair and typed a few words, her fingers moving with more speed. The lady was an accomplished typist. I glanced over to see what she was writing.
Lady X met the sultry gaze of her handsome suitor, his eyes a haunting amber, the color of autumn leaves.
“You are writing about me.” I stared at the words, my throat going dry.
Lady X had ached for Lord Golden to kiss her the second she entered the room. After she dismissed the rude visitor, she liftedher chin in invitation to her lover. He came around the table and fulfilled her wish ...
Like a moth to a flame, I moved to her side. My earlier resolve to wait for Lord Kendrick dissolved in a trice. She sat in the chair, her head back, lips tempting me to fulfill her request. I cupped her jaw and lowered my mouth but stopped shy of touching hers.
Images of her breasts and glistening cunny revealed the need that rested under the surface of my outer calm. My body was in a heightened state since our encounter, and I wanted to lift her skirts and sink into her damp heat. I wasn’t at liberty to do so. The privilege belonged to her future husband.
The realization was like a dash of cold water, and I glided my thumb over her chin instead. “Lord Golden apologizes for neglecting to kiss Lady X, but Lady Lillian is an engaged woman; one I am not at liberty to kiss lest her fiancé takes exception, no matter how tempting.”
Disappointment created tiny lines between her brows. She turned her cheek into my touch and pressed a kiss to my palm.
“I am sorry.” I dropped my hand and stepped back in case I failed to follow my own advice.
“I suppose you are right.” With a resigned smile, she settled her fingers on the typewriter keys. I continued to read what she wrote.
A movement from beyond his shoulder revealed the dark lord, his brooding countenance sending a shiver along her spine.
My pulse still humming, I turned to see if Lord Kendrick had entered. He had not. She never glanced up, but the flush on her cheeks deepened. It was more than apparent that she was uncomfortable with the subject. She was a virgin, after all.
“You are a very talented writer,” I said.
The dark knight rested his hand on my suitor’s broad shoulder and turned him around. A low growl issued from his throat as the two men shared a longing glance. Their forbidden desire intrigued Lady X.
“I beg you hold judgment until you read the chapters. Do you mind if I keep writing? You have given me inspiration.” Glassiness from our almost-kiss still glittered in her eyes, and her lips remained parted.
I curled my fingers to stop the urge to follow through with the kiss. Her blush had died down, but the desire in her gaze couldn’t be misinterpreted. The subject and her love of writing showed through.
The mantel clock chimed the hour, and I swallowed a groan of frustration. Lady Lillian continued typing with increased speed. The words were flowing, and I envied her artistic outlet.
I resumed my seat, but my mind was no longer on my work. A steamy night in the library changed nothing. I still had plans to leave my post, but my resolve was wavering. I lifted my pen and fiddled with the end, staring at her bent head.
Lady Lillian had stirred an unexpected emotional upheaval in my chest. Allowing her a place in my heart would complicate things further. It was time to face my future head-on. I began drafting my resignation letter.
The words wouldn’t come. The intelligent thing would be to leave his employ forthwith. Lord Kendrick was marrying Lady Lillian, and their future was resolved.
Mine was still up in the air.
