It took all his strength to tug her away from the windows and not push her up against the wall and claim her right there and then.
“We need to go before someone sees us,” Deerhurst commanded, his voice brooking no argument. Really, they had to go before he took her on the pavement in the street.
He pulled her toward the narrow gate that led down the side of her house. He didn’t have time to smooth over any of her sensibilities that had probably shocked her into immobility. The masked ball was one thing, this quite another.
And it was all his damn fault.
Because he couldn’t stay away from her.
“I was not hallucinating, was I?” her low voice came.
“If I say yes, would you believe me?”
“No.” She shook her head, and whispered, “My aunt said she had a secret. I just never thought it would be so scandalous. No wonder she didn’t want to spill the details when I asked.”
That was one hell of a secret.
“I never imagined...”
Neither had he.
It appeared the Sharp women were creatures of great passion. He glanced at Phaedra. Would she be just as passionate? He thought so, thinking back on their embraces.
She gripped his arm. “Did you recognize the man?”
Had he?
He’d glimpsed the scene as a whole, not catching any minor details. The man could have been anybody.
“Deerhurst?”
He cleared his throat. “No.”
“I wonder who he is. He must be someone my father would not approve of if my aunt is keeping him a secret.”
Deerhurst could think of a host of reasons why her aunt would keep her lover a secret. None of them had anything to do with Huntly.
“He is younger, I think.”
Deerhurst frowned. “How do you get that?”
“His back seemed taut and powerful. A man in his prime.”
“You looked at his back?”
“Didn’t you? It was hard to miss all the naked flesh.”
Deerhurst scowled. “You weren’t to see that scene at all.”
“Well, now that I have, it cannot be unseen. Lord, how am I ever going to look my aunt in the eyes again? All I’m going to see is that man’s hips—”
“Please stop,” Deerhurst choked. His restraint hung by a thread. If she kept talking about thrusting hips, there would be more thrusting to be had tonight, thrusting that would thrust that image right out of her mind.
“Oh, right, I completely forgot. You must be just as disturbed at the scene as I.”
“Yes,” he breathed because he could manage nothing else. He was so bloody disturbed he wanted to set fire to that drawing room. Paint the windows black. Carry off Phaedra to his bed this very second.
“I should have listened to you. I never should have peeped. Some things truly are better unseen.”
