“Oh, Tristan,” she muttered against his lips, “I have never done this before.”
He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her throat. “My dear, sweet, Diana. Why can I not control myself around you?”
When he placed his mouth back to hers, the kiss turned wild. Never, had he experienced such desire for a woman, or had enjoyed kissing her so much.
Suddenly, the door rattled again as voices—both men and women—were at the greenhouse. Tristan stilled. Dread settled in his gut.We’re caught!
Chapter Ten
Tristan pulled awayfrom Diana and spun toward the door. Diana gasped and clung to his arm.
“Shh…” he told her. “Unless someone has a key, they will not be able to get in.”
“What if it’s your mother, or a brother?”
“Let’s pray it’s not.”
Tristan held his breath and focused on the door. Several long minutes passed before the group outside the door moved on and he was able to expel a relieved breath.
“Oh, Tristan,” she sighed and rested her head against his chest. “That was too close.”
“I know.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her head. “We must leave. I would not want anything to ruin your reputation.”
Nodding, she looked up at him and smiled. “I thank you for thinking of me. No matter how tonight ends, I want you to know I have had the most exciting evening.”
He grinned. “As have I—one that I shall never forget.”
She moved away, but then he realized her hair was a mess. “Diana, wait.” He pulled her arm until she came back to him. “We need to fix your hair.”
“Oh, heavens!” She gasped and brushed her fingers over her glorious mass. “If I’m seen like this, my name would be ruined, indeed.”
As best he could, he helped her wrap her hair back in the coil, but unfortunately, it wasn’t perfect and he knew if anyone saw her this way, they would definitely suspect what she’d been doing.
“Diana, I’m sorry but I was never a good lady’s maid.”
She chuckled. “Well, that’s a good thing, is it not?”
“I shall take you to the back of the house so that nobody sees you.” He stroked her cheek. “Although I do not wish to end our evening this way, I think it is best.”
“Yes, it is.”
Side by side they walked out of the greenhouse. Tristan glanced around the yard to make sure there weren’t others out here that would see them. Thankfully, the guests were further back toward the house.
He walked her to the house then took her to the servant’s entry. “Just follow the stairs up to the floor where your bedroom is located and you should be fine.”
“Once again, Tristan, I thank you for a lovely night.”
She looked adorable in the moonlight, and although the urge was strong to take her back into his arms, he couldn’t. Ruining her reputation was not a gentlemanly thing to do. “I will see you tomorrow at breakfast.”
“Yes, you will.”
He mocked a small bow. “Then until tomorrow…” He gave her a wink before turning to leave.
As he wandered back to his own room, his body still hummed with desire from that wonderful kiss. Diana was a very passionate woman. Her mouth and those tempting lips would be branded on his forever. Kissing her had been pure enjoyment and now he wished they were still in the greenhouse. Perhaps they should have been caught because then he would have to marry her.
Marriage?He stopped and brought his thoughts to a halt as well. Why would he think about marriage to her? Then again, the idea wasn’t so terrible. He had wanted to marry a woman he could fall in love with. He had always wanted his wife to be a woman he could converse with easily and one who could make him laugh. And of course, she would have to be more beautiful than he’d ever beheld.
He grinned fully. This certainly fit Diana.
