Page 41 of Indecent Desires of a Proper Lady
“Philip Winston!” she squealed. “How you tease me so! Please do recommend me to your friend!” She glanced down at her notebook. “I suppose I could show you just a little.” She passed it over to him, and he grinned with satisfaction.
Later that afternoon, Philip had stayed for tea with Margaret, joined by Leonard and Juliet and little George. It had been one of the merriest afternoons in his memory. One would think that Charles had not received a threatening letter, was not in debt, or that those of his acquaintance were not in danger by the happiness that had pervaded that drawing room.
Philip was happy to put all concerns aside, and when he heartily bid goodbye to Leonard, Juliet, and little George, he had felt the satisfaction of a day well spent. As Juliet left the room with her family, she nodded and winked, closing the door behind her.
There was one more thing on his agenda that he had not yet achieved. His days were dwindling, and he would now be leaving in two days. He wanted this so badly. It had been too long since he had kissed her last, and his body had been yearning and aching for it for many days.
Margaret stood quietly, a becoming blush covering her cheeks. “Margaret, I have something to speak to you of,” Philip said with a smile.
“Yes?” She moved close to him, so comfortable was she now in his presence. Her brows were lifted in that sensual, enchanting way of hers. His eyes moved to her mouth, and the memory of kissing her at the ball was still fresh in his mind.
“You should not make yourself so tempting, My Dear. Or else I shall have to kiss you endlessly.” He grinned at Margaret’s brief look of surprise. She smiled, her pink lips taunting him even more.
“I like to think of myself as tempting, Philip. Perhaps I should continue.” She spread the fingers of her one hand over his arm, and Philip closed his eyes as he tried to focus. Margaret giggled.
“You are quite the vixen, Margaret Whitfield. But first, I wanted to remind you that I leave in two days’ time. I shall try to come tomorrow, but the other day I will need to spend in packing and preparation.”
“Of course, Philip. Do not worry for me. I am not as fragile as you might believe.” She smiled and leaned into him a little, and he feared his breeches would tighten once more with his daily growing need for this woman.
He lifted his hands to take both of hers in his. “No, I would never have described you as fragile at all. Strong stuff you are made of, and that is part of the reason why I love you so dearly.”
He leaned down to kiss her hands, and Margaret gasped at the surprised intimacy. “You will be much missed, Philip. I know that.”
“And I shall miss you a great deal.” He leaned a little bit closer, and Margaret said, “I thought that we still have one more day. You act as if this was a goodbye.”
Philip glanced at the doorway, smiling that Juliet had given him his chance. He moved to kiss her, his lips unable to resist her any longer. Margaret sighed that light, contented sound that she had used at the ball. He moved his hands to the tops of her arms, and she slid her arms around his back as their kiss slowly deepened into something more.
A heat was building between the pair of them, and Philip could smell the faintest scent of lavender from her hair. It was intoxicating. Her lips were so soft, and they yielded to him as he gently opened him, wanting to taste more of her. His hands moved to her soft waist, and he pushed her gently so that her backside was against the drawing room table, and he fit his body to hers.
He could feel his mind blur in a deliciously, warm way. Images of Margaret as his wife able to join him in the marriage bed so that he could feel her skin, all of it without reproach. But he wanted to take what he could before he was gone from her for what would feel like an age. His lips moved from her mouth and caressed her cheek before moving to her ear and then slowly down her neck.
He savored the sound of Margaret’s slight gasps of pleasure, and he enjoyed the feel of her hands on his back. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Margaret Whitfield, I cannot wait until I can have you.” He kept going, unable to stop, placing a trail of kisses across her chest, and he could feel his arousal growing as his lips pressed against the soft tops of her breasts.
He pulled back and gazed into her blue eyes, full of heat, and he took her mouth again and his hands moved up and down her waist and his thumbs neared her breasts, spreading over the base of them. Margaret shivered underneath his touch, and he smiled against her lips. By God, what he wouldn’t give to spend a whole day with this woman, teasing, tantalizing, savoring.
His hands moved to her backside tentatively and slowly, and he grabbed her and lifted her a bit so that she could sit on the table. She gasped and pulled away, but her eyes did not leave his, and she said nothing. She merely breathed, her lips parted, watching for what he would do next. He stepped between her legs which had parted slightly, and he nearly drowned in his own lust as he felt the heat of her center against him.
As he kissed her again, Margaret pulled him tightly against her. His mind swirled with the possibilities of what he wanted to do to this woman who he loved with his whole heart and soul. It was like he couldn’t wait, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stand not being with her.
His hands roved as he kissed, wanting to savor the moment for as long as they had. They moved down the soft muslin of her back, over her pink cheeks, down the line of her neck and over her breasts. His thumb dipped below her bodice on the one side, and a groan of desire rose in his throat.
After a long string of passionate heated moments, Philip pulled away, his chest heaving, watching her with a wicked smile. He knew that he could not continue, even though his every vessel screamed for him to do so.
Flushing, Margaret said, as she sat down, “Philip, you must not kiss a woman so well when she has no support. She may suddenly faint into your arms.”
“I see our powers of temptation have switched places then. Well, fainting into my arms is exactly what I hoped would happen.” He sat across from her, moving a fingertip in the palm of her hand. “How lovely it would be if you did that?”
Margaret chuckled. “This was a goodbye, was it not? One does not kiss such a kiss on the day before a goodbye.”
Philip winced. He remembered his duty to Charles. He needed to spend at least some time searching out for reasons why Charles had gotten into so much debt and why the ones owed were threatening murder. “I fear that it must be so. There are some things I must attend to that I have just remembered.”
Margaret crossed her arms. “I do hope these things were not on your mind during that time. If they were, then I should have to commend you for your abilities. As for me, my mind was a complete dizzying blank.”
Philip grinned wickedly. “You should not pay me such compliments, Margaret, or else they should assuredly go to my head, and then you will be forced to suffer kisses from me again and again.” He reached for her and lifted her to her feet. She giggled, but pulled him in once more for a long, slow kiss, where their tongues met once again.
It left him breathless with need, but it was time that he left. He felt like it was like tearing a limb from his body. He kissed her hand lightly and said, “Goodbye, Margaret. Please write to me. I shall write to you. It will only be a couple of weeks.”
“Of course, Philip. It is achievable. I wish you all the luck in the world. You must be sure to remember each of your adventures and be able to describe them as entertainingly as possible upon your return.” She kissed him on the cheek.
