Page 14 of Celestes Forever Marquess
He studied her carefully. “Celeste, I’m enjoying this game, but I don’t expect anything from you tonight.”
She ran her hands along his chest, knowing his words were true, but she’d already decided. “All we have is this one night. Normally, I have other responsibilities that keep me occupied, but right now I’m free.”
“I want more than this,” he said quietly.
Celeste brushed her lips against his. “This is all I can give you. It is your choice, Caleb.”
He pulled her firmer against him and kissed her deeply. His tongue prodded hers open and then slowly teased and tempted moans from her. Celeste allowed herself to be seduced and enticed. She liked it far too much to resist. Still, warning bells sounded in her head that she was playing with something that would have serious repercussions.
Yet, that didn’t stop her from leading him inside and up the stairs. After all, it was the Ball of Sin—the one night where those in London could indulge and be as decadent as they liked. Why should she deny herself what she wanted most?
Chapter 6
Caleb stepped into Celeste’s apartment, intrigued and excited to be in her space. He wanted to learn everything he could about the many sides of her. At the house party, she’d stood out as an independent woman, and tonight, dressed as Thumbelina, she appeared both playful and seductive.
Yet, he suspected the décor of this room explained her more than anything else. It was masculine, with deep, rich colors, but then there were places where her feminine side came out. He picked up a pillow with elaborate flowers and lifted a brow. “You needlepoint?”
A blush covered her cheeks as she removed her mask. “We all have hobbies.”
He pulled his bandana off. His lips twitched upward. “I like it. You, Celeste, are a contradiction of so many things.”
She poured them each a brandy and handed him one before pointing towards the sitting area. “Aren’t we all? You are both a lord and a self-made man.”
He supposed, but why did she seem so different than any other woman he’d ever met? Caleb studied her over the rim of his glass. She sat with one leg folded over the other. The fabric of her dress emphasized the shapeliness of her stem. He suspected this was how she sat after a long evening of work, reflecting on the day.
“True. You said hard work helped you become a part-owner in the club. How did you start working here?”
Celeste was quiet momentarily, and he thought she would not respond. Eventually, she said, “My mother died, and I was desperate for a job. I didn’t have many options, and the ones I had were worse than working at a scandalous club. There was an advertisement seeking men for employment at the Den. I begged Derry for a position. To this day, I still have no idea why he hired me.”
While his father had been tossed out of his home, he’d taken an inheritance with him. Caleb had truly never known desperation, and fury filled him, imagining what Celeste must have endured. She shook her head. “Don’t feel bad for me. I survived and have done quite well for myself since then.”
He didn’t deny he was upset. “You don’t have any other family?”
Her mouth twisted with distaste. “Not that would claim me.”
Caleb realized that Celeste’s father was likely a lord. If he knew his name, he would make the man’s life a living hell. “Who is he?”
Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t need a defender. He knows I’ve flourished. Trust me. He simply doesn’t care.”
Sadness coursed through him. The lord in question was a damn fool. His intense gaze connected with hers. “It is his loss. Not yours.”
Celeste shook her head. “I never talk about such things with anyone. Why are you so easy to talk to? Maybe it is because you are American?”
He snorted. “Trust me. There are plenty of my countrymen you wouldn’t find so affable. It isn’t that. You like me, Celeste. That is why it is easy to share things.”
A pretty blush bloomed on her cheeks. There was something about the sweet color on her face when she was such a force to be reckoned with that tempted him.
“What about you? Have you always dreamed of returning to England and wedding a proper English lady on the marriage mart?”
“I have no interest in any of the young ladies being presented this Season. None of them have what I’m after,” he said, perusing her intently.
Celeste sucked in a breath, and he stopped himself from reaching across and pulling her on to his lap. They both sipped their drinks, and she asked again, “And returning to England is that what you have always wanted?”
Caleb was quiet for a moment, pondering her question. He would stay here indefinitely, but it wasn’t the pomp of being a marquess that called to him. It was the land. “My father, when we were children, used to talk to us about the estate, specifically about the fields of crops and the people. He held such a deep level of respect for it all. It was evident he missed it. In New York City, he was a businessman. Venturing out to the countryside was for holidays. Even as a child, I remember him always appearing as if he were a caged animal being forced to perform at all the pompous society events, but when we left the city, he was so different. He was free to be himself.”
“Did he admire you for journeying out west?” she asked, sensing a similarity in personalities between father and son.
Caleb laughed loudly. “No. My brother, Cory, and I proposed buying land in the western territories to expand the family’s portfolio. My father was furious. He at first refused to invest in the idea.”
