“Please don’t make a match with him until we know the truth. Or better yet, don’t make one at all.”
He gave her a curious glare. “But I thought you came to meet him. He’s the first man you’ve seemed interested in since your mother—”
She didn’t want to discuss her mother. She was so close, she needed to focus on the task at hand. “Papa, I must use the powder room. I’ll be back shortly.” If she could just get those stones back, maybe she could think of her mother without hurting quite so much.
With that in mind, she slipped down the hall toward the guest quarters. When Will hadn’t returned to his room, she’d searched out Lady Bridgeton’s suite by pretending to be lost. She easily found it now and pulling a pin from her hair, inserted it into the lock.
“What are you doing?” Will’s voice from just behind her sent shivers racing down her spine.
She stilled. “I could ask the same.”
He covered her hand with his, pulling it away from the handle. His body pressed against her back. “You promised.”
She huffed, “So did you.”
His breath tickled the back of her neck. “I, unlike you, am keeping my promise.”
Shivers raced down her body as his lips tickled the back of her neck. “I don’t know that.” She bit out.
“I’ve caught you breaking your promise. Did you catch me doing anything?”
Drat, he had her. There might be a way to get him to confess, though she doubted it. She couldn’t think straight as his lips trailed down her neck and even if she could, he was exceptionally good at verbal sparring. “Where have you been all day? I needed—”
“Is that why you were in my room? Did you need me?” He licked the sensitive skin behind her earlobe and it was all she could do not to moan.
“I’d hoped we could discuss what to say to my father as to how we ended up at the same party as my mother’s jewels.” Her insides began to tingle in the most delicious way.
“What did you tell him?” He sucked on the flesh and she couldn’t hold in her cry of pleasure.
“That…that I came to meet you.” She barely got out the words. He caressed her arm and his hand had arrived dangerously close to her breast.
“Excellent choice,” he murmured. “Very clever.”
She shook her head, which forced him to stop peppering her with kisses. “Not that clever. Not nearly clever enough to win whatever game we are engaged in.”
He stilled against her. He even seemed to stop breathing, which was only punctuated by the fact that her own breath was coming in short gasps.
“We are a team, so there’s nothing to win between the two of us. But as my teammate, you made me promises. We cannot be victorious if you don’t keep them.”
She almost cried out in frustration. He knew everything about her, practically. Yet, mystery shrouded him still. “I can’t trust you if I don’t know you.”
He dropped his head onto her shoulder. “You know me, love. I swear you do. And I’ll tell you everything else, but not tonight.” Then he spun her and his lips descended onto hers. Far rougher than their previous two kisses, he claimed hers, demanded her attention. It was glorious. Her hands wrapped about his neck as she pulled him closer. It was so wrong. She didn’t trust him and yet she pressed against him with every inch of her body touching his.
She gave herself completely to the kiss, matching him stroke for stroke and when he groaned into her mouth, satisfaction rippled through her.
The kiss went on and on and Rose grew less satisfied with each passing moment. The kiss was magnificent but she wanted more. The clothes between them irritated her, she wanted to feel his skin and touch his body.
She let out a cry of protest when he lifted his mouth from hers. “You’ve got to get back before you are missed.”
She humphed. “I don’t want to.”
Will gave a low chuckle. “No more sneaking off. The next time, your punishment won’t be a simple kiss. It will be far more…involved.”
She pressed her body closer to his. “It’s like you’re encouraging me to break your rules.”
“Now love, you don’t want to go too far with me yet. You don’t trust me, remember?”
Before she could respond, he gave her one last soft kiss and then disappeared.