She was so close to him that her breathing mingled with his. Along with the scent of his boutonniere, he could smell the fragrance of her skin, her hair. Desire was clawing at him now, blurring with his reason, blotting out his good sense.
At last, she moved to withdraw, but it brought no relief. An agonized sound tore from his lips, his hands gripped her arms, and he shoved her back onto her own seat, but instead of letting her go, he followed her, falling to his knees as he maneuvered her body onto the seat of the growler.
He captured her mouth with his. Her lips parted, and at once the kiss was deep, open, and lush, unleashing all the lust he’d been battling since they met. The need for her that raged through his body right now shocked even him, and he couldn’t imagine what she felt. When she made a wordless sound against his mouth, he forced himself to slow down.
He cupped her face in his hands and gentled the kiss, tasting her in soft nibbles, suckling her lower lip. He pressed kisses to her chin, then her neck, but though he’d thought to work his way down, her high collar prevented him from that exploration. If he was going to inflame her as he was inflamed, he had to start lower and work his way up.
He slid his hand down from her cheek, over the full curve of her breast, cursing whoever had invented the corset, and moved farther down, over her thigh and down to her knee. Grasping folds of black crepe and linen in his fist, he slid her skirts up and slipped his hand beneath.
He cupped his hand around her calf and glided upward along the side of her leg to the top of her stocking, where his fingertips worked beneath her garter and stocking hem. When he touched bare skin, it was like hot silk.
Still kissing her, he grazed the back of her knee with his fingertips, and she moaned against his mouth. Her hands raked through his hair. She cupped his head, pulling him closer, wanting more.
He gave it, moving his hand higher, gliding his palm over her hip, and then moved to ease between her thighs.
She jerked in shock and broke the kiss, crying out. Her hands came down, flattening against his chest.
He went still, knowing that if maidenly panic impelled her to call a halt now, he’d have to let her go, and if that happened, he’d have to climb out of the cab and hurl himself into the path of oncoming traffic.
Given the confined space and her many layers of clothing, his options for arousing her were limited. He decided words were his best bet.
“Irene, I want to touch you,” he said, his hand working between her closed thighs in infinitesimal increments. “Just let me touch you. It’s all I’ve thought about.”
She relaxed a little, and then a little more, and he was able to push his fingers inside the slit of her drawers.
She was hot, slick, fully aroused, inflaming his senses. She moaned as he began to caress her, slowly at first, and then faster.
“Oh!” she groaned, her arms tightening, her hot face buried against his neck. “Oh, oh.”
She moved on the seat, her hip brushing against his groin, and a shudder of pure pleasure rocked his body, forcing him to stop. “Christ,” he muttered, and straightened on his knees, striving to hold back.
After a moment, he leaned down, pressing kisses to her face as he began to caress her again.
“Irene,” he murmured, saying her name as he’d been saying it to himself for a week of tortured nights, while the tip of his finger slid back and forth between the secret folds of her, spreading her moisture, until her body was moving in desperate jerks and her every breath was a pant.
She was close to orgasm, he knew, and he pulled back so that he could look into her face. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, a fine bead of sweat on her brow as she strove toward climax.
“That’s it, Irene,” he murmured, coaxing her, wanting more than anything to see her come. “That’s it. You’re almost there.”
He didn’t know if she knew what he meant, if she had ever pleasured herself, but when she cried out, her hips arching into his hand, he knew her face was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and the soft cries of her pleasure were the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.
He worked to give her every bit of sensation her body could derive, and when at last she sagged back against the seat with a sated sigh, he kissed her mouth again and pulled his hand from beneath her skirt.
He’d have liked to think he could have resisted taking her virginity in a carriage, but as many times as he’d reflect on this moment later, he’d never be absolutely sure he could be that heroic. Either way, Fate never gave him the chance to decide.
The carriage jerked to a halt.
Quick as lightning, he yanked her skirts down. He flung himself back, away from her, and it felt as if he were tearing himself in two. “Go in the servant’s entrance,” he told her as she sat up and he reached for her hat. “And up to your room as fast as you can. If anyone sees you and asks where you’ve been,” he added as he plunked the black monstrosity down on top of her head and tugged the veil into place, “you were working, and visiting with your father. Since you’re wearing mourning, you’ll have to make up a dead relative and wear black for a month, so let’s hope no one sees you. No matter what, you did not go to Camden Town.”
The carriage door opened, but she didn’t move to get out. Instead, she stared at him, wide-eyed and flushed, looking deliciously tousled and completely overwhelmed.
“Yes, I know,” he said, and leaned forward, grasping her arms and pulling her toward him. “It’s rather shattering, isn’t it?” He kissed her, hard, before she could answer and released her. “Go.”
This time she obeyed, clamoring out of the growler, crossing the sidewalk, and descending the steps to the servant’s entrance. He waited until she was inside and the door had closed behind her, then he looked at the driver waiting by the taxi door. “White’s,” he said. He needed a drink.
Chapter 16
The family was out, and the servants were having their evening meal when Irene entered the house, and she was able to traverse the downstairs corridor, pass the servants’ dining room, and race up the backstairs to her bedroom without encountering anyone.
