“I cannot imagine myself being occupied with anything else if such a thing happened to me,” Lydia admitted.
“Thank you for your words,” he said with a smile, feeling a strange tenderness towards her. He wanted to take her by the hand, to feel the touch of her warm skin against his, but he resisted the temptation. They should be merely pretending to be courting. Allowing himself to cross that line would be dangerous.
“You are very kind to offer that, but I do not wish to be a bother,” Lydia said defensively, pulling away.
“You could never be a bother,” he corrected her. “You have already helped me so much…”
She smiled. This time, he could not resist the temptation. He took her by the hand and squeezed it gently. Her fingers were trembling in his hand. He wanted to bring them to his lips and kiss each and every one of them to pacify her. But he did exactly the opposite. He released her from his grip as if her touch scorched him. In a way, it did. She was so close to him now.
Too close.
He cleared his throat and quickly resumed speaking. “Besides, that would mean that Anna would be out of London. That wretch will not know where she is. Even if he does somehow find out, I assure you that neither he nor any word of him will reach Anna while she is at my countryside home. She will be safe there. You can rest assured of that.”
Lydia seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Are you certain that we won’t be a bother? Because you will need to invite all three of us.”
“The more, the merrier,” he smiled mischievously.
The moment she looked back at him, those strange, unwanted sensations rose from his very depths. As much as he loved spending time with her, he dreaded it now because she awoke things inside of him which he didn’t even know he could feel.
“Besides,” he walked over to her, diminishing the distance between them, “we need to establish the idea that we are courting… seriously.”
“Do we now?” she chuckled.
“I’m afraid that there are still people who do not believe us,” he said, gazing at her as heat flared in her cheeks. “If you and your sisters join me there, no one will doubt us.”
Standing so close to her, he inhaled deeply. Her scent was mesmerizingly feminine. He could smell lemongrass and lily of the valley mixed with the scent of her skin. It was overpowering. Being alone with her felt as if he had too much brand, and just kept on having someone refill his glass. His head was filled with wondrous thoughts of her which thrilled him and petrified him at the same time. But he knew that he was not able to control himself right now.
“Perhaps all of this wasn’t a good idea to begin with…” she told him, her voice a mere whisper.
At that moment, his fingers grabbed hold of hers. The touch of her skin felt like a bolt of lightning searing through his entire being. He could not deny how much he wanted her, especially after that kiss they shared.
Now, she was near him, so near that their noses were almost touching. The hems of her gown brushed gently against his trouser legs. He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest, raising then lowering quickly. He knew that she had many layers to her clothes, too many to count. Yet, that did not prevent him from imagining the soft pinks of her nipples, hardening underneath his fingers, his lips, his tongue. The very thought made his manhood jolt in his pants.
“I don’t know much,” he told her, amazed that he could still muster a coherent thought and aim it in her direction. “But I know that we are exactly where we need to be. Without you, I would still be lost, I wouldn’t be an inch closer to finding Rachel. You brought me here, Lydia. You…”
She lifted her free hand and rested it upon his chest. He feared that she did it so she could push him away, but no such thing happened. He could feel her fingers trembling against his chest. He used his own hand to wrap her willowy waist and pull her even closer. Her lips were right in front of him.
All reasonable thought urged him to sever their connection before it was too late. He should simply stop touching her. However, that was easier said than done. His mind was in a haze. Reason would not penetrate it. Common sense would not either.
“You helped me,” he reminded her. “Now, let me help you by keeping you and your sisters safe.”
“You do not owe me anything,” she said, not taking her eyes off of him.
“On the contrary, I owe you everything,” he corrected her. “When we find Rachel, it will be because of you…”
The more he spoke, the faster his heart was beating, the more adamant his lips were to kiss her again. But he wanted to make this moment last. He knew that someone might knock on the door to his study at any moment. The magic would be broken instantly. However, for the time being, he had her all to himself, and he had no plans of letting go.
“We were working together,” she tried to remain objective, but her cheeks, her eyes, and her quivering lips were assuring him otherwise.
“We should most certainly continue to do so,” he told her as his hand traveled from her lower back, upwards. Her body instantly felt pliable to his touch, and he thought she would melt into a puddle. The thought made him smile. He never had such power over such a woman. It felt better than anything else he could ever imagine.
Without thinking, his mouth was on hers. This conversation made no sense in any case. They could continue talking and talking all day long, but he would rather be doing something like this. Instantly, they both forgot all about their discussion. They could not think about anything else.
She kissed him back with much more ardor this time. Their kiss seemed even more forbidden and more delicious. He kissed her desperately, fearing that he would never again get the chance to do so. He had to make this kiss count.
There was nothing inside his mind, nothing but her image. He could not resist the magnetism of her eyes, of her lips, of her entire being, drawing him constantly near to her. To be honest, he didn’t want to resist. He wanted to let go, to lose himself completely in her embrace.
He felt her tongue slide into his mouth. He smiled. She knew what she was doing this time. She even went so far as to take his lower lip between her teeth and nip it gently. Then, she tugged at it. He groaned against her lips, grabbing her by the buttocks and pulling her so close to himself that she could feel his manhood pressing against her belly. It was all too intense, too forbidden. They should not be doing this.