Chapter Thirteen
Charlotte’s warmth was seeping into him. And Charles could feel her softness against his arm and then his chest. A moment later, she was laughing once more and walking past him toward the back windows.
He swallowed, and even the nothingness of air stuck in his parched throat.
The infuriating woman had no idea how splendid she was or how much he wanted to snatch her to him and taste her lips again. Doing so would strip him of any claim to being a gentleman, especially since she’d invited him as a friend.
He was quickly discovering there was such a thing as too much friendliness where Charlotte was concerned.
“Oh, look there,” she exclaimed, and he had no choice but to follow her and venture within the circle of her attraction.Too close. But she was correct — he was not an animal who couldn’t be trusted.
Striding to theotherrear window, he peered out to see what she was looking at. It wasn’t much of a view actually. Neither was the front of the confectionery, which despite facing St. Paul’s in the distance, offered nothing but an intimate look into the shops across the street. And at the back, he could see only the alley and more buildings.What had drawn her interest?
In a heartbeat, she moved to stand beside him. He felt like growling, not like an animal, but merely a man meeting with too much temptation.
“I’ve never seen the view from up here. I can see Hyde Park, or at least its treetops, and Green Park.” She opened the window and leaned out. “And if I stretch my neck,” she added, “I can even see the Thames in the distance.”
Leaning out farther, her feet suddenly left the floor and her body teetered on the window sill. Charles grabbed for her as she yelped with surprise. Tugging her back inside, he held onto her tightly.
“What on earth! Miss Rare-Foure, if I hadn’t been here, you would have plunged to your death in the alley below.”
She looked sideways down at the mews. It was clean as far as alleys went, but still, it contained the trash from the various Bond Street establishments, along with dropped chunks of coal from deliveries that missed their mark through the chutes on the bottom floor. He shuddered to imagine her lying broken on the cobblestones.
“That would have been an ignominious end,” she agreed, seemingly entirely undisturbed. “However, I don’t think I would have made it through the opening without catching myself with my hands against the frame.”
He begged to disagree. Not only was she on the shorter side, she was what he would describe as top-heavy. The laws of gravity would have ensured she toppled out and had a quick descent.
He pulled her closer as he imagined it. Wrapping his arms around her, he closed his eyes and rested his chin upon her ... her prickly hat. It was uncomfortable at best. Moreover, she was resisting his embrace, as she should, pushing against his chest.
Quickly, he dropped his arms from around her and stepped back.
“My apologies,” he said. “I was briefly overcome with a picture in my head of what would surely have happened. Promise me you won’t do anything so foolish again.”
Charlotte had frozen in place, staring up at him. “That was the sweetest thing,” she announced. “Your rescuing me and then embracing me. I am sorry for worrying you.”
Again, she was drawing closer. Before he could react, she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him in return.
The whole situation had got out of hand, and now, they were in an untenable position. Clasping him to her, she gazed up, and he knew what it meant to fall deeply into a woman’s eyes. For that was what he did, her deep-brown eyes welcoming him into her soul. His stomach lurched with the sensation.
Without thinking, he lowered his head and claimed her lips.
CHARLOTTE GASPED AGAINST Lord Jeffcoat’s mouth, and then relaxed. Her entire body had been tingling since they’d entered the suite of rooms, and she knew she’d been teasing him to distraction. Although nearly falling out of the window, possibly to her death, had been an accident.
Nevertheless, it had achieved her goal. He was finally kissing her again with a long, blissful kiss.
“Mm,” she said against his lips, and felt his response in the way his fingers squeezed her waist and how he deepened the kiss, his mouth seeming to caress hers. After a long while, he drew back.
She opened her eyes and watched his own gaze go from faraway into sharp focus, and then his features tightened.
“Blast it all!” he swore and strode away from her, down to the end of the room and through the archway to the other set of windows.
After recovering from his surprisingly sharp reaction, she hurried after him.
“Lord Jeffcoat, is something amiss?”
He wasn’t looking at her, but staring out the window. Daring his displeasure, for he was radiating annoyance, she stood beside him.
“This view is more familiar, but it’s still hard to see over the rooftops across the street.”
