She should push away from him right now.
She held on tightly instead, her fingers crushing his linen sleeves.
Did all men kiss this way? She suddenly had the dawning comprehension of how women lost their virtue—and how they became pregnant out of wedlock. Of why it happened. Perfunctory kisses didn’t lead to that state. Kisses like this…
She pulled back, breathing hard. Gabriel Noble smiled and let the hand holding her neck trail along her throat, fingertips scorching her skin before dropping to his side. Her hand pressed against her chest, to the exposed skin above her bodice, which felt overly hot. His eyes searched hers and satisfaction appeared.
“Now we are ready to go.” He turned on his heel, and she followed him out, still feeling dazed and out of sorts.
The carriage pulled in front of a lavish row house in Hanover Square.
Guests were walking through the door and light blazed from the windows.
Noble helped her down from the carriage this time and placed her hand on top of his sleeve. She knew from earlier that the silky feel of his jacket was expensive and fine, and she was glad to have her gloves between them. She didn’t need any more stimulation from that quarter.
A man dressed in black, similarly to Noble, approached them as they walked through the door. “I just spoke with your brother and he said you were bringing a lovely guest.”
Noble smiled, his cheekbones nudging his mask. “Good evening, Alcroft. May I introduce you to my partner for the evening, Miss Rose. John Alcroft.”
Blue eyes speculatively swung her way. “Enchanted, Miss Rose. Long has it been since Gabriel has brought a partner to one of my humble gatherings.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just echoed his greeting. She had met their host, John Alcroft, before, briefly, but didn’t know much about him personally.
“I need to speak with you later,” Noble said to him.
Alcroft inclined his head. “I can slip away around eleven. Will that do?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Of course. Enjoy the evening, Gabriel, Miss Rose. Until eleven.”
Alcroft moved past them to greet more guests, and Noble guided her farther inside. The party was in full swing. People were dancing and chatting, a freer atmosphere than a strict ton gathering, yet she saw more than one person she knew. More than one person who could identify her.
Noble’s hand ran down her back. “Don’t think about them. They won’t recognize you.”
She felt the tensed muscles in her back relax. She knew it was true. She hadn’t even recognized herself in the mirror. “I’ve never seen you at a gathering, even though you seem comfortable enough here. Do you dance?”
He smiled suddenly, roguishly, and held out his hand. “I do.”
He pulled her onto the dance floor, straight into the middle of an already formed set. Bad form, but he somehow seemed above the censure.
And that reason was that he couldmove. There were three types of men in the ton. The ones who were forced to dance, the ones who seemed to enjoy it and were always available to dance, and the ones who made it an art form. Gabriel Noble was definitely one of the latter.
It was like dancing with liquid. Likebeingliquid. Every sweep and curl executed with precision and flair. Never had she had a partner who could move like this. Never had she been twisted and handled and shown off on the floor.
Never had she met a man like Gabriel Noble.
Was he lacking in anything? Besides some of his personal skills, of course—he was quite a bear most of the time. Although past the first few days, he had mellowed slightly toward her—not counting the barbs that he tossed every so often. But the affection he displayed for his brother and the people with whom he worked told a different story.
And even with the animosity, every time she had been in a situation where someone could have harmed her—her brother (not that he would have), the other prisoners, or the barristers—he had taken definitive action.
If you were in Noble’s circle, you were obviously under his protection.
He smiled as he showed her off in a turn. She knew she looked like a wonderful dancer at that moment, and even though she was passably good,hemade her look great.
He brought her close again and she could see something in his green eyes, unhidden behind the mask. They had carried that same look earlier when he had been about to kiss her. Heat swept through her, but he simply turned her again.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
