Still trembling from the force of his kisses, she murmured, “Of course I wrote them.”
“I knew it,” he said, sounding fierce in his satisfaction.
She would have made some hot retort, but then he bent to kiss her again, blotting out her thoughts about anything but the taste of him and how masterfully he held her. He was conquering her like the bold officer he was, and she wasn’t even trying to resist.
Lord save her.
* * *
Heywood realized what he was doing was wrong. Even knowing that Cass had written the letters didn’t change that. Kitty was the one he needed to court, so the last thing he should be doing was kissing Cass.
Then why couldn’t he stop?
Because her lips made him ache and burn. Because he’d spent years wondering about the woman who’d made him laugh countless times. The woman he had thought was Kitty. But it had been Cass all along. Now, despite the late hour, he wanted to keep on kissing her. He didn’t care why. He just wanted to explore every inch of her luscious mouth, to revel in its sweet taste, to soak in her scent—something flowery that made him harden.
Or perhaps his reaction was fueled by the sensation of her soft body against his.... Damn, but it felt amazing.
He tugged on her lower lip with his teeth and relished the moan she uttered.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered.
“You’re right. And yet I don’t want to stop. Do you?” He went back in for more, wishing he could kiss her for hours.
Suddenly, the door behind her was opening. She pushed him away, and he backed up to allow the door to open.
He was still fighting for control over his impulses when one of the maids peeked out. “Beg pardon, my lord,” she mumbled, her face reddening. “I-I wasn’t sure if the young miss was downstairs or—”
“I’m here.” Cass smiled soothingly at the maid. “His Lordship was just telling me about the Christmas traditions of the household.”
“Ohh!” The maid’s face brightened. “It sounds as if it will be very lovely, Miss Isles. The family brought back some interesting Prussian customs. You will enjoy your holiday here, I’m sure.”
“So our customs aren’t too foreign for you?” Heywood asked curtly, frustrated at having his interlude with Cass interrupted.
“Oh, no, my lord. I mean, we haven’t had a chance to do the Christmas part of it yet on account of your family not living here a year ago and being in mourning for your father this year, God rest his soul. But with your brother and mother in charge, it should still be very nice. Or so the duchess promised.”
“Then I know it will be so.” He smoothed his features into nonchalance. “Now, if you would give us a moment, I have a few more things I must tell Miss Isles.”
“Of course, my lord.” The maid retreated into the room, although he noticed she didn’t close the door.
“In the morning,” he told Cass, keeping his voice low, “I want to hear all about how you came to be writing letters to Douglas while pretending to be Kitty.”
“You are very nosy,” she said with a hint of rebellion. “And what business is it of yours, anyway?”
“As Douglas’s closest friend, at the very least I should be looking out for his interests,” he said. “Am I right that he had no idea?”
“Of course he didn’t. Nor do I see why that requires you to be ‘looking out for his interests.’ ”
“Because knowing how sisters behave with their brothers, I assume you two were pulling the wool over his eyes all these years as some grand joke.”
“Don’t be absurd. We would never play a ‘grand joke’ on Douglas when he’s off fighting for his country.” She crossed her arms over her bosom. Her very attractive bosom. “I suppose you’re just angry thatyouwere fooled, too. But we didn’t know you had anything to do with it, or perhaps we wouldn’t have continued it for so long. In fact, I’d greatly appreciate it if you would keep our subterfuge secret now, too. And not tell Kitty that I revealed it to you. I promised her I wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I can’t discuss it tonight.” She looked back at the maid and lowered her voice. “I’m exhausted, and thanks to a certain individual, I won’t even get to sleep in my own bed. So I hope you’ll forgive me, my lord, if I retire.”
“Of course, my lady,” he said, matching her tone as he made an exaggerated bow. “By all means.”
A ghost of a smile crossed her lips before she squelched it. “Thank you.” Then she curtseyed and went into the bedchamber, closing the door behind her.
