Page 41 of Unmasking a Wicked Marquess
“Right, here is the hunt. I have hidden a golden horse at the end of the trail, a little treat for someone to take home and remember their trip to Ascot this year. The winning pair can discuss how to share the horse between them,” he added, glancing at Juliet and Lord Ashton, for they were the only pair who were not a courting or a married couple.
“The first clue is this … you will find me where reason lies, the goddess, beneath which I carry the spear of war. That is your clue.”
Most in the party looked between them all, so perplexed that nothing was said for a minute.
“Well, off you go!” The Duke of Darby waved them away with delight.
“This way,” Lord Ashton whispered in Juliet’s ear. She tried not to shudder again as she stepped off the steps and followed him. Whereas most of the couples headed towards the formal knot garden, he aimed for the cover of the trees and the parkland instead, and she willingly followed him.
“I am curious. Have we come this way for you know the answer to the clue, or is it an opportunity for us not to be seen?”
“Can it not be both?” he asked the moment they were in the cover of the trees. He turned towards her, and she backed up in surprise, falling against a tree as she laughed. He stood in front of her, his hands on the bark behind her.
She was so reminded of the night he had kissed her at the opera house that this time, she didn’t hesitate. She reached up towards him, finding the edges of his waistcoat, and pulled him down towards her. He kissed her at once, his lips melding to hers.
He stepped forward, clearly gaining confidence when she was the one who pulled him to her. As before, their bodies pressed together, yet this time, Juliet was not so worried about the pair being seen. Her hand hooked possessively over the edge of his waistcoat, her fingers pressing against his chest as his fingers splayed across her waist.
One of his hands moved down her hip and around her rear, cupping the cheek in such a way that she gasped into his kiss in surprise. She had not expected such a touch to be so thrilling, yet it made that ache between her legs even greater than before.
That’s when she felt it, a hardness pressing against her hip.
“Hmm!” she spluttered and pulled back from his kiss, looking down at their bodies pressed together.
He chuckled warmly, moving his lips to her cheek and kissing down it, then across her neck. Each light and firm touch of his lips, sometimes playful and teasing, other times nipping and firm, showing passion, made her palms clammy. She clung to him, not wanting it to stop, as he found a sweet spot at the top of her neck just beneath her ear and nipped her.
“I surprise you,” he whispered.
“You seem … you seem to know what you’re doing,” she marvelled as his hand slid up from her rear to her hip once more. He used it to brush their hips together, and she panted, wanting more of that friction he somehow created between their bodies.
“I have a little experience,” he confessed, lifting his head and looking her in the eye. There was a sudden hooded darkness in those blue eyes that enthralled her. She bit her lip, knowing somehow it should be wrong to stand here kissing a man who had known scandal, who had probably already spent nights with women outside of wedlock, yet it thrilled her further.
It suggested he knew what he was doing, that if she were ever to give herself to him, he would know exactly what to do to bring her pleasure. “Well, you’re not running from me yet,” he observed.
“Not a chance.” She shook her head.
“You’re curious,” he whispered, moving his lips towards hers. “You wish to know more.”
“I do …” She was on the verge of asking him questions, of begging him to show her something, even pressed against this tree, to relieve the ache she felt between her legs when he was near. His lips hovered over hers, giving her the scarcest of brushes when behind them, something moved.
Lord Ashton raised a finger and covered his lips as in the distance between the trees, two people moved.
“Oh, this is hopeless,” the lady of the partnership complained. “What on earth did that clue even mean?”
“I don’t know, but we’re not going to get anywhere standing still. Come on, this way.” The two disappeared again, and Juliet smiled up at Lord Ashton as he smiled at her.
“You know the answer to the clue, do you not?” she asked softly, and he nodded.
“On either side of the Duke of Darby’s track leading to the house, there are a number of white marble statues. Many are important figures, including Athena.”
“The Greek goddess?” At Juliet’s words, he smiled a little more.
“You’re learned.”
“I paid attention to my education,” she said in a challenge and folded her arms between them, though she didn’t move away from him, allowing him to touch her hips softly still. “Athena is the goddess of … Oh.” She connected the dots in her mind, and he chuckled. “The goddess of reason and war.”
“Exactly, so, shall we go and win this scavenger hunt? Just be sure to curse me when we go inside and insist you could have done the job in half the time if I weren’t holding you back.”
“Agreed,” she said and stepped away from the tree. When she stumbled on one of the roots, he caught her hand, steadying her. It was such a caring action that she looked at him twice before they hurried back to the drive.
