“You did not run away, Daniel,” Lucy argued, reaching for his cheek. He leaned into her touch. “You left your home in the hope of keeping your sisters safe. Victoria said you had no choice. You had to obey Marianne, and she knew what was best for all of you.”
“I’m still a coward, Lucy. I chose the easy path. I distanced myself from our father and traveled the Continent while my sisters lived in fear.”
“You are Victoria’s hero. She told me. You provided for them when you came into your inheritance. You did your best in each situation you found yourself in. And your sisters? They are happy. They do not hold any grudges because they know you meant well. Why would you insist on torturing yourself?”
Daniel stared at her intently. “I wonder why there aren’t a dozen men falling at your feet, Lucy Coulson. You are a marvel,” he murmured.
Lucy felt her cheeks burn at the praise. It was her turn to look away. She was not used to being the center of attention. Wearing the midnight blue dress had been torture enough.
“Do not be absurd. Look at me, a spinster! Men don’t notice me when I’m in a room. If they do, my brother would quickly assert his presence!” she exclaimed self-deprecatingly, her hand dropping from his cheek.
“Most men are blind fools, then,” Daniel scoffed. “But in truth, you can have any man you want. You can have a man with a clean, safe life. Someone who will marry you, instead of exposing you to scandal.”
“But what if I want you?” The words were out before she could stop them. Her heart beat furiously in her chest.
What had she done? Why did she say that?
Daniel let out a shuddering breath, as if her question pained him.
“I can’t hurt you, not when my life is complicated. I am not even certain what the next month will bring. What tomorrow or next week will.”
She sighed, feeling his resignation in her chest. “Then, if you must go, I want to ask you for one last thing.”
“What is it, Lucy?” he asked eagerly. “Anything.”
“A kiss. Please?” she pleaded.
Oh, did she beg. Here she was, vowing to be a free woman, but she wanted to be tied to him in more ways than one. But if they could have one last thing, then this should be it.
“One kiss. Then, you can leave.”
Daniel’s restraint was already frayed. A part of her knew it well. They barely had any sleep, and the torture of not knowing what the other thought was enough to send anyone over the brink.
It snapped.
He grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her. This kiss was not careful or tentative. It was a kiss fueled by moments of torment. It was hungry and raw, and Lucy had to clutch the lapels of his coat for balance.
Next, he peppered kisses from her cheek to her jaw. Then, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hot on her skin.
Lucy, always a picture of propriety, could not help but moan.
“God, Lucy,” he groaned, his words sounding like praise and a curse. “I want to keep making you moan like that. I want to hear it over and over for the rest of my life. But I can’t ruin you. No, I can’t.”
“I don’t care,” she whimpered, tipping her head back in surrender as he kissed the pulse at her throat. “I want more.”
Daniel rarely lost his self-control. But tonight, in someone else’s greenhouse, his hand frantically slid beneath her nightgown, seeking her heat. As he did, she leaned against the potting bench, crushed herbs surrounding them like an incantation.
His fingers found her core. He slowly slid one finger into her, and she whimpered at the feeling. His thumb found her nub, and he rubbed it in circles over and over, until her thighs shook and she cried out.
“Daniel,” she moaned, her vision blurring.
He increased the pace, and her moans grew louder and louder. He lifted his other hand and covered her mouth with his palm to stifle her sounds.
She didn’t mind it. Not all. All she knew was that if she died, it was a wonderful way to go, with his fingers doing magic inside her, nudging sensitive nerve endings that made her body move wantonly.
Yes, it would certainly be a wonderful way to go, she thought, as her mind blanked and her walls fluttered around his finger.
Chapter Twenty-Five
