She felt the tingling sensation between her legs beginning to build, and her breath came in sharp pants. She could not help crying out as a wave of pleasure swept over her, and her whole body shook. He pushed himself deeper inside her, letting out a moan of pleasure, then sank down to lie on top of her.
He let out a sigh. “I have been imagining doing that with you for a while now,” he murmured.
Isabella found herself giggling. “I must confess that I have thought about it too, although I did not know quite what to expect.”
“I hope that you enjoyed it, My Lady,” he said, a glint in his eye.
“Indeed, My Lord,” she whispered.
He moved from on top of her to lie next to her, reaching up with one hand to caress her breast. “You are a magnificent woman, you know,” he said softly.
“And you are not like anyone I have ever met before.” She pressed her body against his, feeling his skin against hers. This was a moment to cherish, she thought. She did not think there could be a better feeling than this in all heaven and earth.
All too soon, though, she remembered the reality of their situation. “Sebastian, we must go to bed,” she whispered. The threat of discovery was ever present, and their situation now was more compromising than ever.
He nodded. “I wish we could stay here all night and take our pleasure again and again, but you are quite right.” He stood up, passed Isabella her clothes, and began getting dressed.
Once they were both fully clothed, he took her in his arms and kissed her. “I do not know what to say,” he said softly, staring into her eyes.
“Nor I,” she replied. “Perhaps sometimes, we do not need any words.”
He nodded and kissed her again. She felt the passion rising inside her, but before she could succumb to it again, she pulled away. “Good night, Sebastian.”
“Good night, Isabella.”
Isabella pulled her cloak around her and left the library. There was a chill in the air now, and even the heat of the memory of Sebastian’s embrace was not enough to prevent her from shivering. She could still smell his essence on her skin and breathed it in deeply as she hurried along the corridor.
She had a strange sense of being watched, and her stomach clenched at the thought that someone had seen her and Sebastian in the library together, that they might have deduced what had happened between them.
The scandal that would result from any discovery of what they had done would be so great as to envelop Isabella’s family entirely. Her reputation would be destroyed. The duke, of course, would not marry her, with her honour in tatters. And would Sebastian save her from scandal? He had never broken his word to her until now and never let her down. But he had never spoken of marriage, not even tonight, when she had given herself up to him in the most extreme and irreversible of ways. Had she just ruined her life in one moment of passion-fuelled lust?
She shivered again and looked around cautiously. She could not see anyone, and she could not hear any footsteps or any other noise. Surely she was just being paranoid.
She hurried back to her chamber, praying that she was simply imagining things.
***
Felicity remained hidden behind the large tapestry that hung from the wall outside the library. She had followed Sebastian downstairs, having been hiding outside his room for most of the night to see if there was any opportunity to compromise herself with him. When he entered the library, though, she had decided to hang back for a while, before going inside to be alone with him.
But of course, Isabella had arrived before she had had a chance to go in. And now they had both emerged, looking rather flustered, and Felicity had a good idea what had gone on between them behind the closed library doors.
Her heart burned with jealousy that Isabella had had such an intimate experience with Sebastian. But now, as reality sank in, she realized the situation’s potential and a sly smile crossed her face.
Their secret liaison could be exploited; there was no doubt about it. If she did something to set the rumours alight, then before long, everyone at the house party would know what they had done.
Then all she had to do was entrap Sebastian in a scandal herself, and she would win her prize. Sebastian would have to marry her, and Isabella’s reputation would be in tatters. The duke would not marry Isabella, and Sebastian would not be able to, as he would already have had to promise to marry Felicity.
Isabella’s life would be ruined. After all these years of watching her cousin’s perfect life unfold, Felicity now had the power to pull the rug out from under her and watch as her life collapsed. She could not wait to put her plan into action. And she knew that she would enjoy every moment of enacting it.
Chapter 22
Sebastian rushed towards his chamber, his mind full of competing thoughts and feelings.
He should have stopped himself; he knew it. He should not have allowed things to go as far as they did. But the fervent nature of her kiss had been too much to resist. And she had clearly wanted him; there was no doubt about that. He would never have proceeded had he not been fully convinced of her desire to take things all the way.
And her body had felt so good under his hands. He had never known a feeling like it. The softness of her skin, her delicate scent, and the way her body responded to his touch. He did not regret it, not really. But what if he was wrong? What if he had simply been swept away with the intensity of his feelings?
Perhaps she would regret it in the morning. There was more at stake for a young lady, of course. But no one else on Earth knew what had happened between them. Their secret was safe. But he resolved he would do something to make things right between them. Could he put everything behind him, as Adrian had now told him to on countless occasions?
