“Dammit,” he bit out as the whiskey seared his injured skin.
“Sorry!” Phoebe cried, but she didn’t sound very sincere as she pressed harder. “There, that should help,” she said after a few moments.
As she pulled the handkerchief away, Will had the urge to keep her hand there. It would be worth it even with the pain.
“The bleeding’s stopped but you may need a stitch or two.”
“You arenotdoing them.”
Phoebe smiled fully for the first time since they entered the carriage. “Agreed. My sewing skills leave much to be desired.” Then the smile slowly faded.
Will blinked. He had gone and done it. He waspressing her hand to his temple.
“Sorry.” He immediately dropped his hand, but she didn’t pull hers away.
“It’s all right,” she murmured. Then, ever so slowly, she brushed her thumb along his cheekbone in one long stroke. It was the lightest of touches, but Will felt it flicker through his body, setting off the desire he had been trying so hard to keep banked.
Now it flared to life with disturbing speed until Will could do nothing but offer himself up to the white hot flames. Her breath caught as Will leaned toward her, but this time she didn’t pull away.
Eleven
As Will gently set his lips against hers, Phoebe could barely leash her chaotic thoughts. He waskissingher.Willwas kissing her. Lord it was even better than she had imagined—and Phoebe had whiled away a significant part of her youth doing just that.
Once she had fully recovered from her shock, Phoebe pressed her hands to his remarkably firm chest. Now was her chance to push him away and let him make some excuse. Blame it on the blood loss. The whiskey.Anything.
He was nearly engaged. He was a duke. He wasn’t supposed to want this. Wanther. But all those very reasonable points slammed up against that tiny part of her that had never quite managed to let Will go, no matter how unreachable he became. Phoebe’s fingers curled against his cashmere coat and she parted her lips, as she finally relented to the furious storm of desire building inside her. A low moan rumbled through him as he kissed her harder, exuding an authority that would have been irritating in any other situation, but here it only drove her desire higher. It was clear he knew exactly what he was doing—far more than she did, anyhow—so for just this once Phoebe decided to follow his lead.
One large hand cupped the nape of her neck, drawing her closer and adjusting her head to a more comfortable angle.Something about the movement, the care in his touch, set off a swirl of unwanted longing. It was one thing to lust after him, which she had been doing since the moment he appeared in front of the music hall at her request, but this tenderness was too much. It wasn’t something she could contain. An old, familiar ache began to spread through her chest, growing stronger by the second, as the pain of an unrequited girlhood fancy mingled with whatever it was she felt for him now. The pain of lost opportunity and an impossible future. Those reasonable points grew louder and louder, badgering Phoebe to put a stop to this nonsense before she lost all control. Before she gave up her heart once again.
Just as his tongue tentatively touched her own, Phoebe reared back. They stared at each other for a long moment, their heavy breaths filling the quiet carriage.
“Sorry,” Will finally rasped as his hands slid down her body to settle at her waist. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You didn’t,” she insisted. Though it was quite gratifying to her ego to see he was just as breathless as she was, Phoebe lifted her chin and ignored the mess of emotions battling it out inside her. “Besides, I’ve kissed men before.”
The words were out before she had time to think. His kisses must have muddled her brain.
But Will merely raised an eyebrow at her admission. “Have you now?”
The hint of skepticism in his deep voice caused Phoebe’s cheeks to blaze, but she refused to play the ingenue with him.
“Yes. Several. So don’t flatter yourself thinking you’re the first,” she added.
Forget muddled. The man must havemeltedher brain. She wasbeing outrageously rude in response to a few kisses, but he only smiled.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare,” he murmured as his fingers flexed at her hips and his eyes grew even darker than usual. He was teasing her. And she liked thatfartoo much. She should look away and return to her seat, but Phoebe simply couldn’t will her legs to move.
“Well, good,” she said flatly. “Glad that’s settled.”
Phoebe then shifted at the needy ache building between her thighs, and Will glanced down. When their eyes met again, his gaze grew even hotter.
He pushed the cap off her head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Phoebe’s heart fluttered faster, but she couldn’t find the strength to pull away this time. Instead, she pressed her cheek against his open palm. As Will drew his thumb along her bottom lip, his eyes seemed to glow in the lamplight.
“Show me what you know.”
Phoebe’s heart stuttered at the low command.
It was true, shehadkissed a few men. But two had been stolen kisses during her London season. Sloppy and, thankfully, quick. The third was from her friend Richard, who didn’t even like women. That had been nothing more than a friendly peck at a New Year’s party last year.
