“I believe this means you must kiss me.” There was a tremor in her sweet voice. Tipping her head back in offering, she pursed her lips. Her lids lowered, thick black lashes veiling her eyes. “I haven’t been kissed by a handsome man in so long I might not remember how.”
He stared at her. Had she called him handsome? He didn’t realize she even noticed him at all. He was a man with no family, no title and no tangible wealth, completely taken in by Lawrence’s family. And somehow he’d become one of their own. Hell, he even worked for the earl, though not for long. And Urswick certainly didn’t treat Damien like a servant.
Lawrence’s family adored him and treated him as if he were a long lost son. And yet he wanted Celia. Naked beneath him in his bed, her hair spread across his pillow. Her lips swollen and red from his kisses, her body ripe and yielding to his…
“Kiss me, Damien. They’re starting to chant.”
Her family—Lawrence’s family—was in the sitting room. The entire lot of them gathered for the Christmas holiday annually. And indeed, they were all starting to chant. Kiss her, kiss her, they repeated with giant smiles on their faces. The Countess of Urswick’s eyes were wide, her lips parted as if she was surprised, and the earl cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, “Just do it, boy!”
Damien’s cheeks heated, and he grimaced. He hadn’t blushed since he was a lad in short pants.
“Do it,” Celia gritted from between clenched teeth. She glared at him as if she wanted to strangle him. At the least, slap him upside his clouded head.
He’d been given this chance, and he was ruining it.
Grasping her by her slender shoulders, he pulled her close. She gasped, resting her hands on his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his waistcoat. He swallowed hard at her touch. Desperately he tried to ignore his stiffening cock.
It was damned difficult.
He bent down, his mouth hovering above hers. Her lips pursed once again, and her lids drifted completely closed. Anticipation sliced through him.
This might be his only opportunity. He wanted to do it right. But not too right.
After all, the family was watching with avid interest.
Hell. And they still chanted.
Damien took her lips in a soft, openmouthed kiss. Her lips parted easily beneath his, and he swore he wouldn’t use his tongue. He couldn’t, not in front of everyone.
No matter how much he wanted to.
She was so warm and soft in his arms, melting against him as their lips clung. It was quick, their first kiss. No more than a few seconds, but it felt like a blessed eternity.
It was a kiss he never wanted to end.
Damien yanked away from her so quickly she swayed on her feet and stumbled when he stepped back. Celia’s eyes flew open, and she blinked at the sound of thunderous applause. All of it coming from her in-laws and cousins, who sat watching them.
She blinked again and placed her hand against her chest. Her heart raced beneath her palm, and her skin tingled with awareness, as did her lips. She stole a glance at Damien, who was no longer by her side. He headed deeper into the sitting room, completely unruffled by what transpired between them. He laughed at something the earl said, and the rich sound wound through her, warming her insides.
Heaven above, he’d kissed her. And it had been the simplest and most devastating kiss of her life.
“Mama! Mama!” Theodore ran to her and tugged on her skirts. She bent and enveloped her son in her arms, holding his sturdy little body close. He squirmed out of her grip, a big smile on his sweet face as he reached out and clutched her cheeks with sticky hands. He looked so much like Lawrence it used to take her breath away, especially right after his death.
But that had been almost two years ago. Time had marched on, and she needed to live her life rather than be a mere observer of it.
Damien’s kiss, it still shook her. She’d always adored him and considered him a part of the family. But she’d become aware of him as a man months ago, during one of his many visits to the estate when she was also in attendance. The last visit had been during the fall. The weather had been still warm in the day, and they’d taken a walk in the barren apple orchards on the estate.
She’d caught him looking at her with such yearning in his gaze more than once. It surprised her—and aroused her. Heat bloomed within her body at the realization. She’d feared she’d been the only one who believed they shared something special.
Perhaps she’d been wrong. His kiss only reconfirmed her beliefs that perhaps he did feel something for her. Shaking her head, she forced her attention back to Theo. “Have you been sneaking treats again?” she asked her son.
His hands fell away from her face, leaving behind a sticky residue. The same stickiness also smudged Theodore’s mouth.
He dropped his gaze. “Sorry, Mama.” His expression solemn, he looked back up at her with wide brown eyes.
“Oh, I forgive you, don’t fear. I wouldn’t want you to get a stomachache.” She smiled and hugged him once more, squeezing him tight.
He wrangled out of her grip yet again. “You kissed Uncle Damien.”