“Right, sorry, I must have the wrong person. Ready, Mary?” He held out his arm to her.
“Save me a seat please, I shall be along shortly,” Phillipa said.
“And us,” Caldwell added on behalf of him and Moulin. “And I will say again, my dear lady, you look beautiful this evening.” He then bowed to Mary.
Zach and Phillipa both growled.
Mary placed her hand on his arm, and he started walking.
“What was that about?” Mary said out of the side of her mouth. “And I was quite happy chatting with Mr. Moulin. The man is very knowledgeable about poetry, and especially Wordsworth.”
“I liked your old dresses,” Zach said, moving to the right. “And what fool actually likes Wordsworth?”
“Me, and don’t be ridiculous, no one liked those.”
He’d reached the door before she realized and nudged her through it.
“Did you know Mr. Moulin is Caldwell’s distant cousin on his mother’s side?” She was babbling now. “This is his first season in London.”
“Shut up, Mary.”
“I most certainly will not! Where are you taking me, Zach?”
He took her wrist and walked.
“The seats are that way.”
“Be quiet.”
He opened a door that led into a hallway. Once there, he continued walking. Reaching another door, Zach opened it to find a parlor. Entering when he had checked it was empty, Zach dragged Mary in behind him. As luck would have it, there was also a lock. He turned the key.
“Zach,” Mary warned.
He faced her. She backed up a step, but he followed.
“What is this about? Have you had word from Geraint?”
“Mary, do you care for me?” His hands cupped her cheeks.
“Wh-what?”
Her lips were inches from his now, and Zach gave up the fight and kissed her. Just a brush of his mouth over hers, and fire ignited inside him.
“Do you?” he whispered against her lips.
“Why are you asking me this?”
“I’m kissing you, Mary. I’ve touched your body, and things have changed between us. I need to know that whatever madness this is, it is not my madness alone.”
Her dark eyes softened, and then he felt her fingers brush his cheek.
“I care for you.”
His kiss was harder this time. He took her mouth and devoured it. His hands moved down her sides, one sliding lower to caress the curves below. She moaned into his mouth as he pulled her into his hard body.
His Mary was no shy wallflower, but he knew that. She was a brave warrioress—it had just taken Zach time to realize that.
“I don’t know why it took me so long to see you.” He said the words into her neck.
