Miss Kendall’s tight expression relaxed. “I could not trouble you with my brother’s affairs. You have assisted me more times than I can count. And what did you expect me to do, stand there and watch that maniac monkey scratch out your eyes?”
“Maguire could have hurled the blade at your heart before you had time to fire.” The thought froze the blood in his veins. “What would I do then?”
Her bottom lip trembled. “I don’t know what you would do. I only know that I could not stand back and see you hurt. In a few short days, you have become my dearest friend.” A sob caught in her throat. “The only person I trust.”
Perhaps her distress stemmed from the sudden realisation that she could have died tonight. Perhaps her revelation about her parents had brought painful memories to the fore.
Valentine crossed the carriage to sit beside her. All traces of fear and anger dissipated, leaving nothing but an abiding affection for this woman.
She shuffled around to face him. “I am so sorry, Valentine. I did not mean to embroil you in this whole sordid affair.”
“Sordid?” He cupped her cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “There is nothing shameful or immoral about the way we feel. Lust is a perfectly natural emotion when two people are as close as we are.”
It was more than lust, and he damn well knew it.
She gave a weak smile. “I wasn’t talking about us.”
“No, you were talking about the fact I was attacked by a monkey and will be the talk of the ton should anyone discover what occurred. You’re talking about the fact I must pay Maguire thirteen hundred pounds if we want rid of him for good.”
With trembling fingers, she touched the scratch on his cheek. “And what of your handsome face? What of the precious watch left by your father? The watch you gave away to save me the pain of losing another family treasure.”
“I witnessed the distress in your eyes when Lady Durrant showed you the ring. I couldn’t bear to see it again.” He would come to her aid in a heartbeat should another opportunity arise.
“Oh, Valentine.” Her tears fell more rapidly. “Never have I met a man more honourable.”
“Honourable? Miss Kendall, currently my thoughts might be considered disreputable.”
“They are?”
“Most definitely.”
Her luscious lips curled up in amusement as she blinked away the water droplets clinging to her lashes. “Are you in need of excitement, my lord? Do you wish to behave as recklessly as you did that night in the mews?”
“You know damn well I do.”
Her breathing grew shallow as she gazed at his mouth. “Then know you’re the only man I desire.”
“Then you have no objection if I kiss you?” He removed her top hat, gloried in the way the silky locks tumbled down around her shoulders.
“No, no objection.”
A raging desire for her flared. Blood flowed too quickly through his veins. He was in danger of ruining the moment, acting like a green boy fresh from the schoolroom. Drawing on the discipline that had kept him sane for most of his adult life, he inhaled deeply.
With gentle hands, he cupped her cheeks and pressed a chaste kiss to her warm lips. The briefest contact sent a rush of euphoria from his head to his toes. Her potent scent stimulated every nerve. God, he wanted this woman in every way possible. He wanted to feel the heat from her bare skin. He wanted to watch her face as he entered her body to fill her full. He wanted to hunt for her lost treasures, see the glow of happiness in her eyes upon their safe return.
Valentine drew back and then kissed her again, just as soft, just as tender.
“I have never felt desire like this.” Her words breezed across his cheek.
He could not lie. He had felt the thrum of desire many times, although never as potent. Never as powerful. And so he searched the once cold and lonely organ beating in his chest.
“You’re the only woman ever to find a way into my heart, the only woman I want to cherish and protect.”
She leant forward and kissed him, once, twice. The third time it was as if a dam inside had burst and she could no longer contain the flood of emotion.
“Kiss me as you did in the mews,” she panted, threading her arms around his neck. “Kiss me in the frantic way that made me dizzy.”
Needing no further inducement to ravage her senseless, Valentine captured her mouth, teased her lips apart and plunged deep.