Page 60 of One Wicked Secret
What would have happened had the footman and maid not crept out of the house with similar intentions? Luckily, the servants headed for the shelter of the barns, but the interruption had ruined the moment.
“Do you think I would have kissed you as madly as I did today?” he said, an irresistible smirk curling his lips.
“Lord, no! I never knew a kiss could be so enthralling.” It was like he had awakened the part of her soul left dormant in his absence. “If you’d kissed me like that, I’d have lost my mind.”
“Now you know why I left The Grange on our wedding night.”
The sudden stab to her heart was profound. “Let’s not talk about that night. It’s too painful to contemplate.” The memory clung like a shadow that daylight couldn’t banish.
“I’m sorry, Elsa.” His sigh was deep enough to make the heavens tremble. “I didn’t know what else to do. I knew I had to leave but didn’t want you to think you’d done something wrong.”
“I spent months feeling inadequate.” Her throat closed so tightly it was hard to breathe. “The higher the joy, the steeper the fall. That’s what they say.” Happiness had made the pain unbearable.
This was not the romantic night she had envisioned. While the scent of roses and honeysuckle lingered in the air, this conversation soured the beauty.
Daniel stopped walking and faced her, the torment in his eyes unmistakable. “I hurt you. It’s no excuse, but I did it to protect you. Don’t give up on me, Elsa.”
She had come close to leaving him, leaving him forever. But the connection that bound them years ago was impossible to sever.
She placed her palm on his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat. She wanted to crawl under his skin and make her home there. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought your actions were self-serving.”
“You said you’d never stop looking for a way to leave me.”
“When you’re hurt, you’ll say anything to reclaim your power.”
He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her closer and pressing his forehead to hers. “Why did you risk your father’s wrath to meet me in the garden?”
She would have risked the wrath of God Himself just for a minute of this man’s time. “Do you want the truth?”
“That’s what we agreed.”
She swallowed past her nerves. “Perhaps I hoped you’d marry me if we were caught.”
He captured her chin, raising her eyes to his. “That’s not why you risked ruin or walked with me wearing nothing but a nightgown under your pelisse. Do you know what that knowledge does to a man?”
“After our kiss today, I have some idea.”
“Would you like a better idea?”
She nodded. This fierce passion between them chased away the nightmares. It was a truth neither could deny.
He clasped her hand, smoothing it over the solid ridge inhis trousers, not once, but back and forth as it grew larger against her palm.
“Out of sight is not out of mind. Do you know how many times I’ve imagined having you, Elsa?”
“How many?”
If our thoughts are aligned, it’s a thousand times.
“Too many to count.” He rocked his hips, pushing himself against her hand, his mouth parting on a sensual hum. “Why did you accept my midnight invitations? Tell me the truth.”
“Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Because the need to feel close to him overrode rational thought. Because she hungered for the soul-deep connection only he could give her. “Why did you want to speak to me alone?”
He smiled, a slow, sinful expression. “While your touch brings me to my knees, with you I find a peace I cannot find elsewhere.”
“What if I had married Lord Denby?”
She recalled her father slamming his fist on the desk, cursing the lord whose temporary loan came at a price.
