“Do you do this often?” I asked, the movement of my mouth against his suddenly making me grasp what he was trying to teach.
“No, not often,” he murmured. His lips closed around mine, and this time I followed his lead, responding in kind, warmth flowing through me like a freshly heated rune under my blankets. I had no delusions that I was doing this kissing thing well, but it felt more natural, and he seemed to be responding. The kiss deepened and I found my body pushing closer to his, brushing against him, seeking further contact.
All sorts of strange feelings collided. There was a coiling in my belly, as if all the butterflies which had been fluttering there had been captured in a net and secured—their wings beating furiously in one tight package.
My body was feeling languid and relaxed, where it had been taut and strung tight. My embarrassment was a haze above me, fuzzy and distant. My bare fingers itched to touch him, but only with strong will did I keep them clutched to my tavern dress. The marks on my covered wrist felt heavy and warm.
“You can touch me, Marietta,” he whispered. “But then, of course, the opposite is true as well.”
I jerked back, not breaking our contact above but separating us everywhere below. His chuckle brushed my cheek. His hand at my nape tugged me closer, the other circling my waist and drawing me flush against him.His mouthsearedmine, the kisses shifting from languid and exploratory to demanding and sure.
Abandoning restraint, I clutched his sleeves—one glove on, one removed—as he forcefully opened my lips. Velvet and steel. My body leaned against him for more. His tongue slipped between my teeth and the jolt was absorbed by the bigger shock of something hard pressing against my lower body. His tongue brushed mine and his fingers stroked my nape, urging me torespond in kind. I tentatively pressed my tongue back against his. It was a strange sensation and I started to feel overheated and out of sorts—the rubbing of our bodies doing strange things to all the parts of mine.
I should push away from him right now.
I held on tightly, bare and unbared fingers twisting in his sleeves.
Did all men kiss this way?
Comprehension dawned of how women lost their virtue, of how they became pregnant out of wedlock, ofwhyit happened. Perfunctory kisses didn’t lead to that. Kisses like this—
I pulled back, breathing hard. Gabriel Noble smiled and the hand caressing my neck trailed along my throat, fingertips scorching my skin before dropping.
My hand pressed the exposed skin above my bodice, scorched and heaving. His eyes searched mine with satisfaction.
“Now we are ready to go.” He turned on his heel.
I followed him out, feeling dazed and winded.
I was, perhaps, in a lot of trouble.
~*~
The carriage pulled in front of a lavish four-story townhouse on Crescent Row.
Masked guests pranced through the arched open doors, light blazed from every window, and the steady melody of an orchestral piece ran over a deeper thump of enchanted drums.
Noble assisted me from the carriage and placed my gloved hand on top of his sleeve. The expensive fabric had been lush and strong beneath my bare fingers earlier. I was glad to have a barrier between us. I didn’t need any more stimulation from that quarter.
A man dressed in cloaked, masked black approached us as we walked through the doors. “Your brother said you were bringing a lovely guest.”
Noble smiled, cheekbones nudging up his mask. “Good evening, John. May I introduce you to my partner for the evening, Mistress Rose. John Alcroft.”
Alcroft’s shrewd gaze swung my way. “Enchanted, Mistress Rose. Long has it been since Gabriel brought a partner to one of my humble gatherings.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just echoed his greeting. I had met Lord First 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, Mistress Rose. Until eleven.”
Alcroft moved to greet the next guests, and Noble guided me farther inside. The masquerade already in full swing, people were dancing and chatting in an atmosphere freer than a strict gilded gathering—yet I saw more than one person I knew, more than one person who could identify me.
Noble’s hand ran down my back. “Don’t think about them. They won’t recognize you.”
