Page 34 of One Wicked Secret
Elsa felt Daniel stiffen.
“He’s only a bleedin’ marquess,” one thug whispered before addressing the lord. “We ain’t touched a thing, milord. Like I said, we’re here to make sure no harm comes to the place.”
“Well, while my coachman accompanies you off the premises, you will tell me who you’re working for and where you’re staying. Be warned, as suspected thieves and poachers, I’m well within my rights to shoot you.”
The men panicked and gave a list of fumbled excuses. The click of the hothouse door preceded the distant mumble of voices as Lord Rothley led the men away.
Daniel met her gaze. “Wait here a little longer. Whatever happens, Carver’s killer mustn’t know you’ve come back to Edenberry. Rothley will return for us when the coast is clear.”
She didn’t protest.
Why would she? She had waited years to feel the warmth of Daniel Dalton’s embrace. It might be months before she would be this close to him again. And she could feel every hard line of his body through the maid’s muslin dress.
“Are you angry with the marquess for intervening?” she whispered, aware his muscles were tense. “I know you told him to observe from a distance, but we were in danger of being caught.”
His eyes dipped to her lips, remaining there a second too long. “I’m not angry. Rothley knows protecting you is a priority.”
“Perhaps you want to leave me here and throttle the truth from the louts yourself.”
“I wouldn’t leave you alone in the dark, Elsa.”
“Well, something is troubling you.”
He searched her face, his hand moving in a slow, tantalising circle on her back. “Don’t you know why I’m gritting my teeth so hard they’re likely to break? Aren’t you the least bit curious as to why I’m afraid to move an inch?”
She inhaled deeply, her breasts rising against his chest. “Aren’t we hiding from those who want to hurt us?”
“Oh, we’re hiding,” he said, his voice husky and hot against her lips. “And we’re fighting, Elsa. We’re fighting hard to keep our desire for each other at bay. Tell me I’m not alone in this battle. Tell me your strength is faltering, too.”
Oh, she was a heartbeat away from surrender.
Every fibre of her being yearned for his touch.
Lust flowed between them like a raging river, unstoppable against their measly defences. But what if she allowed herself to be swept along with the tide? What if he set her adrift again? Or left her alone on a deserted shore while he sailed away into the sunset?
“I’m afraid to move, too,” she confessed. “I’m afraid to dip my toe in the water for fear I might drown.”
“Ask me to release you and I will.”
She heaved a breath. “I can’t.”
“Ask me to kiss you, Elsa.” He stroked her cheek, his voice insistent. “Tell me you want my mouth on yours and I’ll devour you the way I should have done on our wedding day.”
The temptation to taste him was too great. She couldn’t fight these powerful feelings. She couldn’t deny the truth or deny him.
“Kiss me, Daniel. Kiss me as if nothing or no one has ever come between us. Kiss me like this isn’t hello or goodbye.”
The tentative brush of his fingers against her throat made her heart skip a beat. They curled around the curve of her neck, holding her gently yet firmly. He tilted her head back, giving her no choice but to meet his gaze. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you like this.”
The air between them thickened as his lips hovered just above hers. A tremor of anticipation rippled through her. The moment she’d longed for was finally about to unfold.
I’ve dreamed of this, too.
She wanted Daniel Dalton.
She always had—always would.
Chapter Seven
