*
Disaster loomed.
He could feel it in his bones. He should never have followed Saville and Leeds into the house. The moment he saw a maid open the door, not a butler, and no footman in sight, he should have run.
Now she was the one dashing off, leaving him with parting words that brought an odd tightness to his chest.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
Warrick stopped his pursuit in it tracks at the soft voice. He spared a glance at Lady Leonora, whom he had forgotten about.
Right.
They’d been caught kissing.
In. The. Act.
Christ.
This was why he hadn’t wanted to run into Selena. Why he’d tried his best to hold back. One look, one word from her was all it took to draw him in and provoking this sudden lack of control he found himself exhibiting. But her earlier words had triggered the beast inside him. The kiss hadn’t troubled her? Truly? While he had been extremely pained by notonlytheir kiss but his reaction when their lips touched?
He suddenly understood what she meant by feeling insignificant. A truly ghastly feeling, that.
She thought he’d kissed her out of anger. So had he. But the truth was even more shocking. Deep down, he just couldn’t help himself. Hewantedto kiss her.
Badly.
Madly.
And utterly incomprehensibly.
He had wanted to unravel the threads that tangled Selena up. He’d just hoped to God that he wouldn’t unravel along with them. But the moment he had—as he’d feared he would—he’d panicked. Which led to the current circumstance of being caughtin the act. And his dread hadn’t subsided yet. With each passing second it seemed to grow stuffier right at the center of his chest.
But before he could deal with that, he first had to deal with Selena’s friend.
“I trust you will keep this matter a secret?”
Lady Leonora inclined her head. “I will. However, if I were you, I’d allow some time for Selena—and yourself—to cool down.”
Warrick nodded. “Noted. If you will excuse me.”
“Of course.”
Warrick strode from the room. He probablyshouldgive her time to settle her temper. As well as time for his own body, which still throbbed with heat, to calm. He cursed his own thoughts. Hadn’t he moments ago said he was done? What the hell had happened to his resolve?
You know what happened.
Shehappened.
At the very least, he ought to apologize, shouldn’t he? Perhaps he shouldn’t have beendonein the first place.Confound it.He needed to clear his head.
He nodded at the maid that stood at the entrance of the door, striding through the door she opened and hurrying down the three steps before marching to Saville’s carriage. Forget Tattersalls, forget Saville.
Saville could walk home.
He wrenched open the door of the carriage and froze mid-enter. Two pools of blazing fires stared at him from within. “What are you doing? This isn’t your carriage.” Selena’s voice was dark.
“I clearly remember arriving in it.”
