“I don’t care if you’re a viscount’s son.”
David closed his eyes a moment, as if he was determining the right thing to say. “Then does that mean you would allow me to kiss you?”
He wasn’t prepared for what happened next. For her to suddenly be pressed against the front of his body, for her arms to wrap around his neck, and her face to be mere inches from his. For her lips to touch his.
His opened more from shock than from his intention to kiss her, but he managed to capture her lips at the same moment his hands encircled her waist.
At first, the kiss was slow and gentle. Only a hint of passion existed as their lips moved in perfect harmony, melting into one another’s. A moment later and he lost any awareness of their surroundings. Lost himself in the sensation of the soft pillows of her lips pressed to his.
David felt her heartbeat increase against his chest, its rhythm matching his as warmth surrounded him. When he finally pulled away, the effects of the kiss lingered. Aware his cock had responded to her even before she had launched herself at him, he was glad her skirts and petticoats would prevent her from feeling his arousal.
“I suppose that means the answer was yes,” he whispered.
She blinked but didn’t pull away. “Yes,” she agreed.
Determined to pour every ounce of passion into his next kiss—he knew he wouldn’t be able to put it into words—he once again captured her lips with his own. As if a fire had ignited between them, the gentle touch quickly deepened, the intensity increased, and for several moments, he was lost. As their lips moved in perfect sync with one another, first his tongue and then hers explored and tangled in tentative touches.
At the same time, one of Rose’s hands slid into his hair, her gloved fingers ruffling the silken strands. One of his hands moved to the small of her waist to pull her harder against his body while the other moved up and over the swell of her breast.
While the kiss seemed to last an eternity, it was less than a minute when they both broke away and stared at one another.
“I really wish I wasn’t starving right now,” David whispered as his breathing slowed.
Her eyes rounding in delight, Rose grinned. “I suppose that depends on what you’re hungry for,” she teased.
“Well, food, of course,” he replied, realizing too late she was hoping for a different response. “Because, although I am hungry for something else, I don’t dare try anything more out here. With you.”
Rose swallowed and lowered her feet back to the ground, but she kept her arms around his neck. “Do you wish to go back inside?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No.” He placed his hands on either side of her face, much like he had seen the sultan do with Charlotte, and placed a kiss on her forehead. He allowed his lips to linger there before he reluctantly pulled away. “But we’ve been out here too long. I don’t wish for your reputation to suffer on account of me,” he murmured.
Rose blinked and glanced around, as if she had forgotten where they were. “Of course,” she whispered.
He offered his arm, but before he led her back around the house, he pondered what to say. What to do next. He remembered what his sister had told him to do.
“Would you like to go riding with me in the park tomorrow afternoon? I could come by at two-o’clock,” he offered.
She nodded. “I’m supposed to have tea with your sister at three—”
“She’ll understand,” he interrupted. “I’ll make her... understand,” he stammered.
Rose giggled. “All right. Two o’clock. But Father will probably require a groom to ride along with us,” she warned.
David grinned. “Perhaps not,” he replied.
“What makes you say that?” she asked as they approached the French doors leading back into the ballroom.
“I believe I have your father’s permission to court you,” he said.
Rose stared up at him in confusion. About to ask when he would have managed such a feat, she couldn’t when they were once again amongst the crush of attendees, surrounded by fine fabrics, the scents of perfumes and colognes, and the strains of orchestral music.
