“Will you come outside with me?” he asked.
She blinked, thinking of the last time he’d taken her to a terrace. He’d kissed her. And she knew she shouldn’t let that happen again, lest he get the wrong idea about her. But she found herself nodding anyway.
They exited the hot and crowded ballroom and she took a long breath of cool air. He said nothing, but guided her away from the main area of the terrace, into a quieter and darker corner.
She tensed as they came to a stop and he turned to face her. In the dark, she couldn’t read his expression and she wasn’t certain what he wanted or expected now.
“Aiden?” she whispered.
She felt him stiffen slightly next to her, then he turned her away so that her back was to him. He lifted his hand and pointed into the sky. She followed the direction of his finger and caught her breath.
A great ball of light streaked through the sky above, its long tail trailing behind it in a stunning display.
“A comet,” she gasped.
Clairemont smiled at the rapt awe in Celia’s tone. Even though he couldn’t see her face, he heard how thrilled she was by what she’d shown her and he almost puffed up physically at her excited reaction.
“Yes,” he said, knowing he was too close and that his breath probably brushed the back of her delectable bare neck. “Thecomet. It only recently became visible.”
“Oh, Aiden,” she said, using that other man’s first name again. But the tone of voice entirely belonged to him, so he softened to it a fraction. “It’sbeautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“They are not entirely uncommon,” he explained. “But this one is special. Normally they are not so bright. I thought you would like it.”
She spun toward him, and he saw pleasure written across her face. “I do. Thank you so much for showing it to me. What a treat to see something so real in the midst of such frivolity.”
He stared into her face, unable to stop himself from nodding. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Her lips parted, for she clearly took the meaning of his compliment. She was just too beautiful in the dim light and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek. She made a soft sound and leaned into his fingers, and he was lost.
Without thinking, he leaning down and pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips parted immediately and he swept inside, tasting her and filling himself with her sweet flavor the same way he had two nights before.
He wanted to go further. To crush her against his chest, to back her into the darkness and show her what pleasures they could share. Instead, he stepped away, his breath heavy and his cock throbbing.
“I’m sorry,” he managed to blurt out. “I-I shouldn’t keep doing that.”
“Why?” she asked, face upturned toward him.
He shrugged. “You’re a lady,” he whispered. “I am not being a gentleman and that is what Ishouldbe.”
She tilted her head. “Ilikeit when you kiss me, Aiden. Unladylike or not, I liked it before and I liked it tonight. I won’t lie and pretend I don’t…or that I don’t hope you’ll do it again.”
He groaned. Her utter honesty and fresh innocence were a dangerous combination. They could make a man forget all his duties. They could make a man throw caution to the wind and commit each and every sin he’d fought his entire life to avoid.
She could make a man feel alive. He so wanted to feel alive. With a curse, he leaned in and kissed her again. She smiled against his lips as she lifted her hands to his forearms and clung there. Her tongue darted out, gently tasting him, and his blood rushed hot and fast to very inappropriate places.
He pulled back. “You do test a man,” he muttered.
She smiled. “I’m not trying to test you.”
“Yes, and that’s the biggest part of the test,” he said, laughing despite his discomfort. “There is nothing disingenuous about you, is there, Celia Fitzgilbert? What I see with you is entirely what you are.”
She blinked, and for a moment she looked a little upset. But then she turned away. “I try to be honest,” she said softly.
He nodded. Certainly, she was that. Straightforward in a way he wouldn’t have expected a woman in her position to be.
“I should go back in,” she said, finally looking at him again. “My sister and friends will wonder where I’ve gone.”
“I’ll stay outside for a moment if you don’t mind,” he said, shifting in the hopes his erection would go away.
