“Oh.” His voice came out much too low. “I’ve just seen the way my drunken friends are with women. They aren’t very respectable, and that is when they are sober. I don’t want to see how they would act around a woman as lovely as yourself when they are filled with liquor.”
This time it was her turn to move closer as she placed a hand on his chest. Her touch almost shot the breath right out of his lungs as warmth spread through him, starting where her hand rested.
“Then indeed, you are my knight,” she said.
He took hold of her hand but kept it against his chest as he stared deeply into her shadowed eyes. Desire stirred in him like never before. This wasn’t good, but for the life of him, he didn’t want it to go away. “Miss Bastian, you shouldn’t say such things to me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have never felt more like a man than I do right now in your presence.” He slid his free arm around her waist and closed the space between them. “And that, my lovely, could get very dangerous out here, all alone with me in the moonlight.”
A small gasp sprang from her throat, but she didn’t move her hand or pull away. Her head tilted back as she gazed up into his eyes. Heavens, she looked so lovely. He really needed to get control over his emotions. Feeling like this for her would eventually destroy him. But being with her had indeed made him feel more like a man than anytime he could recall.
The smile remained on her pleasant expression. “Once again, Mr. Lee, your words have warned me to stay away from you, but your actions speak something entirely different. Do you or do you not want me to leave?”
Chuckling softly, he shook his head. “I wish I knew my own mind right now, but I fear I cannot even govern my thoughts because although you should leave, I want you to stay in my arms.”
He leaned in further, wanting to kiss her so badly, but he fought the urge. Instead, he closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against hers. Skin as soft as silk smelled faintly of roses. He could easily get lost in her fragrance. Her other hand slid up his arm to his shoulder, then to his neck as her fingers threaded through the hair resting on his nape. The warmth from her touch melted him, and although he knew this shouldn’t be happening, he had no power to stop it.
A quiver rushed inside him, and her body trembled. Smiling, he continued to rub his cheek against hers, but soon his face dropped to the curve of her neck. Her delicate skin was so close to his mouth that he just had to rub his lips over her flesh.
Another gasp escaped her. This time it was much lower than before. No more were her hands stroking over his prince costume, instead, they were grasping the material as if she didn’t want him to pull away.
Her breathing grew heavy and breezed against his ear. This woman definitely knew how to make him come alive, which had never happened before. He didn’t know if it was their costumes, their roles of Cinderella and Prince Charming, or just because he was looking for a distraction from the stress happening in his life right now, but Miss Nicole Bastian was certainly affecting him in ways he could not comprehend. Perhaps he should worry about it, but right now, he would just relax and enjoy the moment.
“Ashhh-ton,” she sighed deeply, “what are you doing to me?”
The sound of his name on her lips was like heavenly harps playing in his ears. He wanted to laugh with delight, knowing he was affecting her the same way she was doing to him. But laughing would only ruin the mood right now, and he could not have that.
He lifted his head just enough to peer into her face. Her eyes had been closed but then opened slightly as she met his gaze. His heartbeat pounded fiercely like a runaway railway, and he knew he must kiss her or collapse.
“What am I doing to you, Nicole?” he whispered.
The smile touched her eyes seconds before her mouth stretched wider. “Because of you, I believe in fairytales. You are making me think dreams really do come true.”
Releasing a groan, he pressed his mouth against hers. Immediately, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she responded to his kiss just as he hoped she would. He had never experienced such an explosion of fireworks inside his body from just a woman’s kiss, and heaven help him, he wanted more...more kisses from her and only her.
Ashton tilted his head, preparing to deepen the kiss, when voices from a man and woman echoed through the night, sounding closer than he wanted. Inwardly, Ashton cursed the interruption because that meant he had to stop the excitement pumping through him. But he didn’t want Nicole to be caught with him in such an intimate embrace, either.
She must have heard the woman’s loud laughter because she quickly pulled away. Her fingers fumbled with her mask as she placed it back over her eyes and tied the strings behind her head.
Following her lead, he replaced his mask as well. The other couple’s voices were getting closer. He couldn’t let the couple catch Nicole with him, which meant they’d have to make haste now.
He grasped her hand and led her back around some trees, making his way toward the manor. He scanned the perimeter for anyone with prying eyes, but thankfully, he didn’t find anyone else in the shadows.
As he neared the lit walkway, he slowed his steps. When he was certain nobody would see them, he tugged Nicole onto the trail. With a straight back, he hooked her arm around his elbow and escorted her back up the slope.
He glanced down at her. Her shoulders were pulled back, and her chin raised, as she gracefully floated beside him. He could tell from the rise and fall of her bosom that the heated moment between them was still fresh on her mind. He was relieved to know he wasn’t the only one feeling such emotions.
“Miss Bastian, I want to apologize—”
“Don’t.” Her gaze snapped up and met his. “Unless you are really sorry for kissing me.”
He didn’t have to ponder the answer, but would he be any less of a gentleman for admitting he had wanted to kiss her and enjoyed doing it? “No, I’m not sorry. Are you sorry for what happened?”
A tiny laugh bubbled up from her throat, and she shook her head. “Not in the least. Believe it or not, Mr. Lee, I needed this to happen to me. It was quite pleasurable feeling that someone actually wanted to rescue me and that I was special—if only for one evening.”
It shocked him to hear her words. Why wouldn’t such a lovely woman feel special? His curiosity grew. Certainly, this was one lady he needed to figure out. Getting to know her secrets would make his life seem less stressful. And keeping company with such a beautiful woman—and even stealing more kisses—might be the very thing he needed.
