Page 40 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
She lifted her head slowly so she could pull back a little. “It was my fault. I should’ve steadied myself first.”
“Nonsense. I was the one who urged you to come down from the saddle, and I was the one holding you,” he insisted. “I should have made sure you were stable before I released your… um… waist.”
She was about to continue with the back and forth of blame, but the words stuck in her throat as she gazed directly into his concerned, undeniably kind brown eyes. Thanks to the way he was still holding her, their mouths were so close that she could feel the rush of every shaky breath he exhaled. She imagined he could feel the tremble of hers, too.
“Nora, I—” His gaze flitted to her lips before returning to her eyes.
Before she knew what she was doing, she gave in to the impulse that his subtle glance at her mouth had ignited. It had looked like permission, and she prayed she was not mistaken, for though she had been raised and taught to despise men, she had never met anyone like Liam before. He was not like those men, but nor was she like the women he probably deemed appropriate. But even if it was just one kiss, this one time, at least it would be on her terms.
Bringing her hands back around to his front, she ran them slowly upward from his abdomen to his chest, where one palm settled above the pounding beat of his heart. His breaths quickened as his hold on her tightened further, as though he wanted no distance between them whatsoever.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as she peered through her eyelashes at him, waiting for him to push her away. But he continued to gaze back at her, his strong arms enveloping her in his warmth. Taking that for certainty that she was not making a foolish mistake, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.
At first, they seemed frozen, both of their mouths unmoving. Then, to Nora’s utter relief, Liam opened his mouth slightly and kissed her again. Sliding her hands further up, until they looped about his neck, she returned the slow, sensual rhythm of his lips… a gentle, caressing dance that only they knew.
A kiss such as this was not something she had ever had before, for it was sweet and tender, and yet it did not lack for passion because of its softness. There was a thrill in every capture he made of her mouth, in every hot breath that mingled between them, and in his coy smile against her lips as their kiss deepened.
Indeed, she was so enraptured in his kiss that she almost did not hear the clattering sound of a carriage approaching.
Liam, however, seemed to notice a moment before she did. His lips broke away from hers, leaving her bereft of their touch, though she felt the absence of his arms around her more keenly as he moved toward the horses.
“Go to the side of the road,” he instructed, his expression somewhere between dazed and alarmed. “I do not want you to be run over if they do not see us in time.”
As the carriage drew nearer, he took the horses by the reins and also pulled them to the side of the road, where they would not be in the carriage’s path.
“Should we stop them?” Nora said, her stomach still fluttering from the kiss they had just shared. And yet, part of her wondered if she had imagined it due to the delirium from her wound, for Liam was not even looking at her anymore.
He hesitated. “We do not know who they are. They might be unsavory characters.” He finally met her eyes again. “Although, you cannot walk in your condition, and we are far from anywhere. Perhaps, in this instance, it would be worth the—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the carriage rattled to a halt of its own accord, just shy of where they stood. Liam immediately stood in front of Nora, protecting her with his broad, athletic figure in case there were dangers lurking within.
The near door swung open and two heads poked out. “There you are! We have been searching high and low for you, you reckless fool!” The grinning young man let his eyes rest on Nora. “Ah, but I see you have company, and absolutely exquisite, infamous company at that. This is most unexpected. I trust you are not defying your vows with Miss Black?”
“This is not the time for your nonsense, Carlton,” Liam retorted. “I have a long and rather unpleasant tale to tell you both, but I would urge you to make haste and help Nor—uh, Miss Black, into the carriage. She is wounded and cannot walk any further.”
The second fellow, whom Nora recognized as Kenneth Denninson, the Duke of Hudson, gave a calm nod. “This way, Miss Black.” He held out his arm for her to hold, but Nora could only concentrate on Liam’s hand, pressing against the small of her back to help push her into the carriage.
Once inside, Nora settled upon the squabs closest to the far window and sighed with satisfaction, knowing she would not have to endure the saddle a moment longer.
“I will hitch the horses to the back of the carriage,” she heard Liam say outside. “We must return them to the inn where they came from, on our return to London.”
With that, the other fellow, whom Nora knew to be Mark Carlton, the Earl of Sinclair, retreated back into the carriage and plopped himself on the squab opposite Nora. From the way he was looking at her, she could tell that hewasone of those gentlemen she despised, though she was unsure about the Duke of Hudson. He was impossible to gauge with his stern demeanor and air of stoicism.
“And how, pray tell, do you come to be standing at the side of the road with our dear friend?” Lord Sinclair leaped into an interrogation, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips.
Nora met his stare with cool indifference. “My carriage was set upon by highwaymen, when he happened to ride by and come to my aid. He lost his horse in the endeavor, but I would have lost far more if it were not for him.” She lifted her chin. “I owe him my life.”
“Is that so?” Lord Sinclair rubbed his chin, clearly intrigued.
“But how is it that you are here?” Nora asked. “How did you know where you would find Lord Keswick?” Unlike Liam’s misstep before, she had no problem slipping seamlessly back into the use of honorifics.
Lord Hudson folded his arms across his wide chest. “The horse that you say was stolen—well, it was found early this morning, back in London. Word came to our good friend’s house, where we are residing, and we realized something was amiss, so we rode as quickly as possible to try and find him.”
A blade of terror cut through Nora’s chest. “The horse was found in London?”
“It was, Miss Black,” Lord Hudson confirmed. “We thought someone might have targeted our friend, but then we find you here. Did you say it wasyourcarriage that was set upon?”
Nora gulped. “I did.”
