Page 52 of The Last Chance
“No.”
“She’s not in the orangery or the Chinese pagoda.” Mr Daventry noticed their clasped hands. “We’ll wander upstairs and conduct a thorough search. If we’re caught in a bedchamber, we won’t find ourselves fumbling awkwardly.”
“Avoid lingering in the drawing room.” Mr Chance spoke like he was late for an appointment. “We’ll check the garden again in case she’s hiding and meet back on the terrace in half an hour.”
He didn’t wait for a reply and descended the stone steps, pulling Joanna through the garden towards the tall boxwood maze. “Say now if I’ve misjudged the situation and you have no desire to continue what we started.” Before she could reply, he said, “Do you want to kiss me again? Would you like me to touch you the way I longed to do the other night?”
Her body flamed, hot like the braziers spread around the garden to chase away the late autumn chill. “You know I do. And after that heart-stopping kiss, you’ve earned the right to call me Joanna.”
He drew her to a halt outside the entrance to the maze. “You played the part well. Too damn well. I’ve a cockstand like you wouldn’t believe. But that’s not why I’ve brought you here.”
“Oh?”
“You’re strung as tight as a bow. While Daventry hunts for Venus, I need to ease your tension.”
“Ease my tension?”
“I need to make you come, Joanna. I’ll go out of my mind if I don’t. Tell me it’s what you want too.”
She swallowed hard. “You want to touch me in the garden?”
He jerked suddenly and cursed. “Damn. Not the garden then.”
“Why not the garden?” It was quiet, secluded, and she was desperate to explore this irresistible attraction. She had never felt so desired in her entire life.
“You know why.”
He was referring to Lord Howard’smistake.
“If we’re to kiss, I would rather it was in the garden.” Mr Chance was not Lord Howard. And this was an affair, a delicious dalliance involving mutual feelings and the utmost respect. “You can help to erase the bad memories.”
His arm snaked around her back. “You said we can be anyone we want tonight. That we might indulge ourselves and not worry about it tomorrow.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “We’re just two people seeking comfort, nothing more.”
“From a life neither of us planned,” he agreed.
“Nothing beyond this moment is guaranteed.” She released him, held his large hand and drew him into the dark maze. “Let’s disappear. Let’s pretend we’re living a different life. One with no responsibilities, where the rules do not apply.”
Chapter Eleven
Aaron followed Joanna into the darkness, convincing himself that whatever happened here would have no bearing on the case or their friendship. He rarely lied to anyone, least of all to himself, but if he didn’t sate this need to touch her, he’d be a candidate for Bedlam.
“Hurry,” she whispered, excitement lacing through her voice as she drew him further into the gloom. “How far should we go?”
Her hand was soft and warm in his, the charge of attraction an electric pulse beating between their palms. Her eagerness kept his cock hard, a solid strain against his trousers. She enjoyed this game as much as he did. When were they ever this carefree? When had they ever indulged their desires or acted on a whim?
Never.
“Just a little further,” he said. The maze was small but he would hear the gravel crunch if someone entered. “Walk to the end of the avenue and turn left.”
The dense evergreen walls loomed on either side, their shadows swallowing any light from the house. The thrill of anticipation hung in the air, along with the sweet, earthy scent ofboxwood. It was the perfect place for a secret liaison, a place where nothing mattered but the woman he adored.
“Shall we stop here?” She came to a halt, facing him, her hands moving to his chest like she was desperate to touch him, too. “We’re still wearing our masks. Should we pretend we’re strangers? Would you like me to play the good girl, sir?”
Aaron pressed her against the hedge, cradling her throat gently, tracing her lips with his thumb. “I like the strong woman, not the good girl. I like it when you make demands on me. I like the fire burning in your eyes and the sting of your sharp tongue.”
She sighed softly. “It sounds like you want us to be ourselves.”
