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Vivian had approached and watched him. “Oh, I’m sorry, I couldn’t see clear enough to notice your eyes were closed.”

Chapter 8

Vivian ached to reach out and touch Alexander. For the first time since meeting him, he seemed approachable, vulnerable even. She wasn’t sure if he’d been praying or simply thinking, but when she’d walked closer to him, she noticed that not only was his head bowed but also his eyes were closed.

Then the darkened gaze met hers, and she found herself at a loss for words. What did one say to someone whose life was in danger? What would have happened had he been staying at his own home instead of at his dearest friends’?

Although tall, young, and healthy, he would have succumbed to poison, and his death would have been a tragedy.

“I came out here to think.” He peered up at the sky. “I see you found the perfect place to stargaze.”

“I can leave you alone,” Vivian said but didn’t move. “Allow you time to yourself.”

“Remain with me,” he prompted. “I would very much like your company.”

A shiver of awareness raced down her spine, and Vivian wondered if it would be possible to keep from kissing him again. The thought was silly, of course. He continued to sabotage any chance of her finding a potential husband while not declaring himself.

This was not the time for such thoughts. Surely the last thing on the man’s mind at the moment was kissing.

When he pulled her close, his mouth covering hers, Vivian was abruptly proven wrong.

She clung to his shoulders, enjoying the solid feel of his strong body against hers and the circling of her waist by his arms. Vivian’s eyes fluttered closed when his lips trailed kisses from one corner of her mouth to the other.

At the pressing of his tongue at her lips, she allowed her mouth to fall open so he could proceed.

Unable to keep from it, she threaded her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of the soft locks as they slipped past. He was a combination of soft and hard, warm and sometimes cold. But in that moment, the only thought she could harness was wanting more than a simple kiss.

His hand slid from her waist to cup her breast, and Vivian gasped at the instant heat trailing from there to her most intimate place.

Lifting to her toes, she pressed against him, needing relief, while at the same time wondering how it was possible for something so simple as a touch to send her reeling.

Alexander circled the very tip of her breast with his thumb, the sensations were indescribable. That he could bring her to feel so much through the fabric of her dress made her dizzy.

Alexander continued to kiss her. The kiss was different from before, almost savage. She’d no doubt have bruised lips and would be at a loss as to how to explain it. Not even the thought of others knowing what happened made her pull away. Instead, she pressed closer to him.

He released her breast, leaving her breathless and wanting to cry. When his tongue traced circles down the side of her throat, however, relief filled her. His hot breath blew over the damp trail as he moved down her right shoulder, toward the top of her breast.

Vivian’s head fell sideways to the left to give him more access as she gripped his shoulders, not wanting him to move away.

Then he reached her right breast. This time his hand dipped into her bodice to free it. To her delight he took the pink tip into his mouth, Vivian had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying out as the most exquisite of sensations overcame her.

“Oh,” she gasped when he pulled the nipple into his mouth, suckling on it and sending rivulets of heat to pool at her very core. “Oh,” Vivian repeated as her head fell back.

He’d have to stop soon, she considered. Someone could walk out and see...

All thoughts vanished as something strange happened. Her entire body stiffened, the heat pooling to the point that it was as if it would explode.

Once again, he kissed his way back to her mouth. His hand took her breast, and he pinched the tip of it just as his tongue drove past her lips.

Vivian swooned, her body becoming limp, then something marvelous happened that she’d never be able to explain. It was as if all the stars above them moved in circles.

Her fingers dug into his coat as she feared falling. “We must stop,” she finally managed to say.

Alexander pulled her against him, his breathing as labored as hers, and she wondered if his heart hammered as hard as hers did.

“You should release me,” she finally managed. “It is not proper.” The words were silly, of course, but what else could she do? Now that she’d allowed the man much too many liberties, there was nothing to be said that could repair it. That he’d still not declared his intentions made her angry at herself.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever kissed,” Alexander said, pressing a light kiss to her lips. “I wish we could continue forever.”