Page 21 of Too Wylde To Tame
A special license. They would marry by special license because he couldn’t wait three weeks for the banns to be read.
Forcing himself to break the kiss, he spoke despite his labored breathing. “You will marry me. Because after one kiss, I cannot let you go.”
She smiled, her kiss swollen lips curving upward. “You haven’t asked me.”
“Will you marry me, Charity, and do me the great honor of becoming my viscountess?”
“I think this has been inevitable from our first dance…Yes. I will marry you.”
He seized her mouth once more. This was no slow introduction to kissing. Instead, it was hot, hungry and possessive. The softness of her flesh yielding against his own, the sounds of pleasure that escaped her—they all fueled the fire that raged inside him. A fire that burned only for her.
Without thought, his hands which had been resting at the curve of her waist, moved—roaming over her generous curves and mapping the contours of her body. Every gasp of surprise that transformed into a moan of pleasure was like a symphony to him. And when he shifted his hand over her rib cage, his thumb brushing the soft curve of the underside of her breast, her back arched. That subtle movement only heightened the contact. Emboldened by her response, he let his hand slide upward, cupping that soft mound completely, feeling the hardened point of her nipple against his palm.
Dragging his lips from hers, he kissed his way along her jawline, down her neck. When he reached the hollow at the base of her throat, he licked lightly at her skin and felt her shiver against him. Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him to her. It was a welcome touch, but unnecessary as there was no place he’d rather be.
A sound reached him, penetrating the haze of desire. Quickly, he set her away from him and rose, putting an appropriate amount of distance between them. Before she could even formulate a question to ask what had happened, Lady Agnes Milford and Mrs. Whittinger appeared, walking the path arm in arm and giggling like school girls. They saw him, nodded in greeting and went on about their way. They had not seen Charity courtesy of a particularly tall rose bush that flanked the summer house. But that concealment wouldn’t serve her well when they completed the loop in the path and were heading back to the house.
Once the ladies were out of sight, he turned to her. “We need to get you back to the house before they see you… I should like to speak with your aunt about our marriage before a scandal makes that unnecessary.”
Without another word, he hastily repacked the hamper and and they left the summer house. They were almost back to the small Roman folly, when she halted him by placing a hand on his arm. “Are you upset about what happened?”
“I’m upset that I allowed things to progress to that point when we risked such a chance of exposure. I had intended only to kiss you, but my intentions and my desires were at cross purposes."
She shook her head. “I should be sorry for what we’ve done today. At the very least, I should feel a modicum of embarrassment or shame. But I do not. I regret nothing other than the very abrupt ending of our all too brief interlude. And if just kissing is that divine, I can only hope that we will have a very short engagement.”
He was left in the garden, staring after her in a dumbfounded manner as she hurried back to the house.
FOURTEEN
Frederick waited until they were gathered in the drawing room before dinner. The moment Charity entered the room, his eyes were drawn to her. She looked stunning, her gown a deep indigo silk that perfectly complemented her hair and her complexion. Beside her, Cordelia and Lady Marguerite were all but invisible to him. Still, he managed to pull his attention from her and acknowledged the other ladies with a smile before crossing the room to join them.
“Good evening, Miss Charity, Miss Wylde… Lady Marguerite,” he offered.
“Good evening, my lord,” Marguerite replied, though her tone was somewhat cool. She was not entirely convinced of his blamelessness in what she saw as his disregard for Charity. He could certainly appreciate her concern. He could only hope that the conversation he meant to have with her would allow him to persuade her of his feelings for Charity.
“Lady Marguerite, if possible, might I have a private word with you after dinner?”
Marguerite’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “That will depend upon my niece, my lord. Do I need to have a private word with him, Charity?”
Charity smiled. “I would very much appreciate it if you did. I am aware of what the viscount wishes to discuss with you and have given him my answer already.”
Marguerite’s lips firmed. “I see. Why don’t the three of us step onto the terrace? We can discuss the matter now and get things settled before dinner. I will speak with Felicity and be certain that she delays the meal for a moment or two.”
When Marguerite had stepped away to speak to her other niece, Frederick turned back to Charity. “Your aunt detests me.”
“She does not. If she detested you then she would have refused to discuss the matter with you,” Cordelia said. “But she is concerned. Charity’s feelings were terribly hurt when you didn’t show up as planned. Of course, now that we understand why, that makes all the difference in the world!”
“Well, I am happy to have your forgiveness, at least… and Charity’s.”
Cordelia laughed. “You have my forgiveness, my lord, but on a trial basis only. Should you give my dear cousin cause to regret meeting you ever again, it will go very badly for you. That I can promise.”
With that Cordelia walked away, leaving him staring after her bemused. “I would not have imagined she would sound so savage. I do believe she would actually do me bodily harm.”
Charity nodded in agreement. “Oh, she would. Cordelia is quite protective of all of us… and we are equally protective of her.”
“As you should be,” he remarked. He’d never had that sort of relationship with Jameson. Even when they’d been very young, Jameson’s resentment of him and his position as the eldest son had always been a bone of contention between them. “I must confess to being quite envious. I have never been close with Jameson. And given what has occurred, I fear we never will be.”
There was no chance for Charity to respond to his confession because Marguerite returned. “Felicity has recommended that we speak in her study which is just at the end of the corridor. We shall go first, and then you may follow momentarily,” she instructed. “There is no need to call attention to ourselves just yet. Nothing is decided as of yet, after all.”
