What am I saying?
Panic filled his chest as he realized that he had allowed lust to take over in the heat of the moment. Did he really think of her as a wanton lady of wiles? Or was it simply his longing to touch her that drove his words?
Her words were softer when she spoke, creating a thick atmosphere between them as her eyes dropped to his lips. “You reveal more than you intend, Your Grace,” her voice faltered as she took a deep breath, almost gasping in the process. .
Does she have the same kind of thoughts that I do?
The question sent a wave of heat shooting to his loins as he fought the urge to shift on his feet. She was far too close for his liking. There was no telling what he would do if they remained in this position for much longer.
Cassian’s restraint thinned to a razor-edge. “You should not speak of impropriety,” he said lowly, stepping forward until she had no choice but to step back. “Not when you seem to harbor an unhealthy fascination with scarcely dressed men.” His eyes raked over her body again, adding to his arousal that was becoming far too much for him to bear.
She straightened, offense lingering in her eyes, yet the dark look of something almost carnal remained.. “That is absurd, and you know it.” She breathed the words with bated breath.
“Do I?” he murmured, taking another step. She backed up until the wall met her shoulders. His voice dropped to a gravelly whisper. “Is that not why you stared at my body that night? As though you’d forgotten how to breathe?” He lifted a hand, using his thumb on her chin to angle her face toward his.
Heat rose violently up her neck and cheeks.
Her lips parted, and her eyes widened as her breath came in sharp, labored gasps.
Cassian’s control snapped at the hungry look in her eyes.
He cupped her face in his hands, his thumb brushing the flushed skin of her cheeks, and pressed his mouth to hers. Roughly, hungrily giving in to the fire raging through his veins.
Isabella melted against him despite her anger, her fingers curling into his coat as if she despised herself for wanting more, and his hand slid to the nape of her neck, pulling her closer as their bodies melted into one.
Her soft gasp broke him, and he deepened the kiss, unable to help himself as he searched the depths of her warm mouth with his tongue.
Moans of pleasure filled the air as he leaned into her, parting her thighs with his knee as he placed his weight firmly against hers. Her body was pinned between his and the wall when he dropped his hands to her sides and allowed them to trace the shape of her body. His thumbs stopped short of touching her breasts, brushing instead against the bottom swellings of the plump rounds.
Even through the stiff fabric of her corset and the ruffles of her dress, he could feel the plump fullness of her perfect bosoms.
A loud gasp escaped her throat when he left her lips, moving his kisses over her jaw until his tongue darted a path over the tender flesh of her neck.
“Cassian…” She breathed his name beside his ear as if it were the last breath she would ever breathe.
Her hands snaked up the back of his neck, pulling him closer before tangling her fingers in his hair.
He was losing control on the path to her chest. Each passionate kiss grew more and more eager with every flick of his tongue…
Until a door creaked, and they both pulled away instantly.
Snapping his head in the direction of the sound, Cassian struggled to regain control of his breathing.
A footman hurried into the ballroom, skidding to a halt mid-step, eyes widening as he looked from Cassian to Lady Isabella. “Your Grace—my apologies—b-but the actors are outside demanding their settlement…”
Cassian straightened at once, growling as he turned to the footman.
“Leave,” he snapped and jabbed a finger toward the door.
The footman vanished as though chased by wolves, and Cassian turned back to Isabella, only to find that she had slipped away from him as well.
She had run to the door and vanished before he could stop her, her footsteps silent in her haste, allowing him only a glimpse of her dress as it disappeared from view.
Cassian stood alone amid the silence of the ballroom, his breath uneven and heart pounding, left with the taste of her on his lips.
And it enraged him more than anything else had done in recent years.
Chapter Ten
