“You didn’t see her?”
Miss Bunbury didn’t look at him. “No,” she murmured.
“Once we got that nonsense out of the way about her pretending to be you, she wasn’t a bit upset. She told me she’d been planning to end things with me herself.” Julian laughed.
Miss Bunbury smiled again. “That’s surprising.” She seemed shy tonight, reticent. Why wouldn’t she look at him?
He slid closer to her on the sofa. Their thighs touched, only the fabric of their clothing separated them. “Miss Bunbury?”
“Y… es?”
“I no longer have an arrangement of any sort with Miss Monroe.”
“You do not?”
“No, I do not.”
“Did she… give you an explanation for why she’d pretended to be… me?” Her voice cracked on the last word.
“She did but it doesn’t matter. She obviously didn’t know I’d already met you. Though why she would think I hadn’t when I’ve been at a house party with you all week… I must admit I briefly believed she’d taken complete leave of her senses.”
Miss Bunbury closed her eyes and nodded.
“I would like very much to kiss you now,” Julian said.
A small gasp escaped her lips. “Me?”
“Patience,” he breathed. Julian stared at her beautiful face. He did want to kiss her. Cassandra wasn’t here, after all, and Cassandra was in love with another man. Patience was here and lovely and wanted him. He could tell by the way she looked at him, the way she touched him, the way she tipped back her head and closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss.
Julian lowered his mouth to hers. The feel of her sweet, soft lips under his made him gasp into her mouth. It was better than he’d expected. Much better.
He pulled her close, her bodice pressed against his chest. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, lust flooding through his veins, making his cock hard.
Patience kissed him back with a fervor and energy that enveloped him. She made little moaning noises in the back of her throat and she rocked against him.
His mouth slanted over hers, hot, hard, demanding. He couldn’t get enough, didn’t want to stop. She was gorgeous.
Only she wasn’t… Cassandra.
Reality slammed into his gut. He pulled his mouth away and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing heavily. No. No.Stop thinking about Cassie.This isn’t the time. She loves another man.
He clenched his jaw. What the hell was he doing, thinking about Cassie at a moment like this? He pulled Patience against him and kissed her again. Would Cass smell like this? Look like this? Be this irresistible?
He pulled his mouth away from Patience’s once more, holding her by the shoulders. Damn it to hell, he couldn’t get Cassie out of his mind. He shook his head as if that might serve to dislodge her. It didn’t.
Miss Bunbury stared up at him with wide blue eyes… eyes that looked very much like his memory of Cassandra’s eyes. He shook himself again. Now he was truly going mad, wanting Cassie so much that he was seeing her in a completely different woman. It wasn’t just wrong. It was sick, and completely unfair to Patience.
She blinked up at him, looking entirely confused. Damn it. That was his fault. He hated himself for what he was about to say.
“I’m sorry, Miss Bunbury…” And then, “Patience. I thought I could do this but I cannot.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I understand, Captain,” she murmured.
Julian felt like a complete arse. He was a complete arse. What sort of man kissed a nice young lady like Patience Bunbury and then stopped? She didn’t deserve this. She’d already been jilted by her intended last summer. Now she had to endure Julian’s ungentlemanly behavior, as well. He wouldn’t blame her if she hated him forever.
“God, Patience… Miss Bunbury. I’m a complete scoundrel. I truly didn’t intend to lead you on or to hurt you. Do you have a brother? A father? I’m certain one of them will want to call me out.”
Her voice was small. “Please, Captain Swift, no more apologies. You’ve nothing to apologize to me for. Please, just go.”
