This woman.
The moment he’d stepped into her classroom, he’d been doomed.
Lost.
Felled to his knees.
Being trapped in the stairwell was not the catalyst that had changed the course of his life; meeting this woman had.
Gazes locked, he gathered the material of her skirts and dragged the hem upward. Only when he’d run out of fabric did he allow himself to glance down at the sight he’d revealed.
Slim and shapely legs bent just enough to reveal the tops of silky white stockings. Not silky enough, however, that they were any rival to the tender flesh above them.
He pressed his palm along her inner thigh, drawing slow circles on skin as soft as a butterfly’s wings. “Just kiss me and I won’t be afraid of anything.”
“I’ll kiss you here.” He’d chase all her fears away.
She nodded.
So willing—trusting. Her unquestioning innocence sent his heart racing.
He inhaled, conflicted. She’d said yes. She would taste sweet and delicate but also warm and musky. He dragged his fingertips higher and brushed them over her soft mound of curling hair.
“What are you going to show me?” Her question was barely a shuddery breath.
“Your body is aching, isn’t it? I want to take that ache away.” He tugged her closer, his fingertips teasing buttery-soft flesh.
His cock was hard and ready, but it was going to have to wait. Another thought, more of a conviction—a knowing—insisted he’d only find his own contentment knowing she was in want of nothing.
He shifted his weight so that she lay partly beneath him along the settee.
“Yes?” He massaged between her folds, his hand slick and wet. Oh, hell. Better than he’d imagined. Tight but also soft and welcoming.
“Yes,” she whispered, pressing into him.
He slid in and out, teased by her juices, taunted by her sharp little gasps. If they were anywhere else…
Just as he curled his index finger, stroking deep inside her body, a sound at the door froze him. Collette rotated her hips around his hand and then…
Addison caught her moan in his mouth at the same time he withdrew and covered her quivering mound with his palm.
“Tea will be served momentarily.”
Addison met Lady Chaswick’s all-too knowing but not completely disapproving glance over the back of the seat. Thank God the settee wasn’t facing the door.
“Have the two of you come to a decision?” Her gaze flicked from him to Collette, who was sitting up now and appeared delightfully flushed, her eyes bright and her lips shining.
She twisted around, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then smoothed at the wrinkles he’d caused to her skirt.
“We have,” she said. “I’m going to give it a go.”
Engaged
Five days later and Collette had yet to change her mind about marrying Addison, even if he did also happen to be the Duke of Bedwell.
How could she, when her every waking hour was suddenly filled with shopping, social visits, wedding planning and studying? He’d come twice for tea since, looking more handsome with each visit. On one of those afternoons he’d even taken her driving—but there had been no stopping or long talks in a tea house as Polly, of course, had been sent along by Chase to act as chaperone.
On those two days Collette didn’t see her fiancé, she unrepentantly relived every second that she’d spent with him, over and over again. She imagined his voice as it had sounded in the stairwell, strained but still proud, the cautious excitement in his eyes when he’d shown her his books, and the sweet sincerity when he’d proposed.
