Page 41 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
Another loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, followed by a flash of lightning. It was so dark now that he was having trouble seeing properly.
“Catherine!” he called again, a little louder this time.
Where the deuce was she?
He pressed on, swearing under his breath. It was just like her to do something like this. She was so headstrong and willful. His irritation mingled with his desire to find her. He was going to give her a piece of his mind when he finally found her.
He took a left turn. His heart almost stopped when he saw a flash of white disappearing around another corner. He had found her. He started to run, following her, calling her name.
Suddenly, the heavens opened, and the rain started to fall. It was so heavy that he could barely see two paces in front of him.
“Catherine!” he yelled. “Stop!”
She was just ahead of him. Thankfully, the minx listened to him this time. He caught up with her, taking her arm firmly.
“What possessed you to come into this maze when it was about to storm?” he cried, staring at her. “And why have you been ignoring me? I know that you have heard me calling you.”
Her green eyes flashed. “I can find my own way out. You did not need to follow me and try to rescue me!”
He shook his head incredulously. “Come with me,” he growled, tightening his grip on her arm. “Now.”
He painstakingly found the path out of the maze, gripping her hand tightly, dragging her behind him. The rain was relentless, and it was only getting worse. There was another loud clap of thunder.
Thomas saw a gazebo in the distance and ran for shelter. When they were safely out of the rain, he turned to her, his breath coming in shallow bursts. His heart seized.
Her hair had come loose, falling in thick, dark clumps down her back. And her white gown was completely saturated, clinging to her figure in the most breathtaking way. His eyes couldn’t help but feast on her, traveling from her full, heavy breasts with nipples hardened from the cold, looking like two tiny pebbles, to her slim waist, curvaceous hips and long legs.
He couldn’t breathe. She looked like Venus risen from the sea. The most delectable goddess known to man.
“You are breathtaking,” he whispered huskily, taking a step towards her, feeling a rush of desire so intense that it almost made him dizzy. “I cannot resist you, Catherine.”
She looked startled, and she took a step back. “You must resist,” she said in a frantic voice. “It cannot happen. I refuse.”
“Why?” he asked, running a hand through his wet hair in the grip of intense anguish now as well as desire. “Why not?”
“You know the reasons,” she cried, looking distressed. “We have discussed it so many times! Why must you continue to do this?”
“What are you afraid of?” he asked, taking another step towards her, as if being tugged on by an invisible rope. “I know you feel it too. It does not have to be forever. We do not have to even think about tomorrow.”
He reached out, trailing a finger down the side of her face. She looked startled but didn’t pull away. Emboldened, his hand drifted lower, over the delicate line of her collarbone to one full breast, the hard nipple clearly visible beneath her wet gown.
He couldn’t breathe as he squeezed it, his thumb flicking over her nipple, and he felt himself harden further. He was so hard that he felt as if he was going to explode.
The effect was instant. She shuddered, making a strangled noise in the back of her throat. He felt a flash of triumph. He had meant what he had said. He didn’t care any longer. Let tomorrow take care of itself. If he didn’t have her soon, he was going to die.
I will take her right here. Right now. On the floor of this gazebo with the rain falling…
“Catherine!”
They both jumped, startled by the voice. Thomas cursed under his breath. It was her brother, the Viscount, running into the gazebo. He was drenched from head to toe, his hair plastered to his head.
“There you are!” the Viscount cried and then nodded at Thomas in greeting before turning back to his sister. “I have been searching for you everywhere! Where did you disappear?”
“I… I found a maze,” Catherine mumbled, her cheeks reddening. “I got distracted. I am sorry, Oliver.”
Thomas stepped back, sighing heavily. His heart filled with sour disappointment. Once again, the moment had been lost. And he was so close this time that he could almost taste it.
He gazed at her, not even bothering to try to disguise the hunger in his eyes. She refused to look at him now. He turned away from them, gazing out, watching the falling rain without seeing anything at all.
