Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
He had to stop.
He backed away, put her skirt back down. He turned her around to face him.
“My God, you’re so lovely.” He touched the tip of her forehead, slid down her temple to her high cheekbone over to her beautiful lips, where he slid his thumb over the full lower one. “Please do forgive me. I shall do the honorable thing.”
“The honorable thing would be to not leave me wanting you.”
God, did she think he was made of steel? He shook his head, rubbed his fingers through his long hair. “You shall be the death of me, Lady Patricia Price-Adams.”
She touched his cheek then, and fire slipped through him. “I never wanted to be the death of you, Thomas. I wanted only to give you life.”
Thomas’s heart nearly stopped.
Damn it all. Her words betrayed her. The woman fancied herself in love with him.
Well, he could certainly do a lot worse. He was wildly attracted to her, and she was a perfectly beautiful young lady.
Was he in love?
No, of course not. Thomas had never been in love.
He couldn’t begin to know what love even felt like.
But contrary to her apparent belief, he was not made of steel. His cock had an ache. An ache he hadn’t satisfied in so long. He took his mourning period for his father seriously, and he had remained celibate throughout.
So he would take her now. Do as he had planned on a whim only moments ago.
And then, being the honorable man he was, he would take her to wife.
But he couldn’t bear the thought of her facing the wall, her beauty hidden from his view. He craved to see her face, to look into her eyes as he entered her. To witness the mix of pain and pleasure on her features as he took what was hers to give. The image of her innocence being destroyed ignited a primal hunger within him, driving him closer to the brink of ecstasy. The ball would go on for several more hours, and though his mother was probably wondering where the hell he was, at the moment he did not rightfully care.
“Come with me then, my sweet. We shall go to my chamber.”
Her lips trembled.
“If you do not want this, tell me now. It is all right if you’ve changed your mind. But you must tell me now.”
Changed her mind? Had he gone mad? Tricia couldn’t believe her luck. She was about to experience what it truly meant to be a woman with the man who was himself her heart’s desire.
She opened her mouth to say as much when—
“But if we do complete the act, I shall be obliged to take you to wife.”
Her jaw dropped. This should make her ecstatic. It was what she’d been yearning for, after all. But…
“I… I don’t wish to marry a man who does not love me, Thomas.”
Thomas cocked his head. “You shall have no choice in the matter, I’m afraid. At this point, the kisses I’ve stolen have bound us together. I didn’t know this, but Lord Polk witnessed the kiss at my father’s gravesite. If he tells your brother…”
Tricia swallowed. “Who told you that?”
“My cousin. He found you outside with Polk.”
Her cheeks burned. “My lord, I assure you I’m not in the habit of kissing every gentleman who dances with me.”
“Believe me, I know Polk well enough to know that he instigated anything that happened. Jonathan told me as much as well.”
“But is Lord Polk not your friend?”
“He is. That doesn’t mean he’s a gentleman. Not that I’ve been acting gentlemanly toward you either. Two stolen kisses…”
“They were not stolen, Thomas. I gave them to you freely.”
“You did not. I initiated both of them.”
“And I did not stop you.”
“You did last year. At the gravesite.”
Tricia absently brought her hands to her lips that still bore a lovely sting from the earl’s kiss.
He was correct, of course. She had pushed him away. But not because she didn’t want the kiss.
Because she knew it was improper, and frankly, she’d been frightened.
But tonight she felt no fear. She felt only longing and yearning.
“Perhaps,” she admitted, “but that doesn’t mean—”
He shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “How did I let this get so out of control? Go, now, Tricia. Return to the ball. Your mother is no doubt worried, and so is your brother.”
“But I—”
“I said go!”
Tricia’s eyes widened, and this time a slice of fear coursed into her. The earl had become belligerent, and she turned and scurried down the narrow staircase.
Once she was back on the third floor, she stood, her back to the wall, her breath catching.
What had she been thinking? She’d been ready to give herself to a man outside of wedlock. A man she loved, no doubt, but a man who clearly felt nothing more for her than a lustful attraction.