Page 53 of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane
Was she, though? At the moment, she felt quite caged in, and it did not matter that the bars were gilded.
Kit continued. “I was thinking... After we are married, we could take my coach and travel to Kentwell House... the family estate. It’s three hours outside of the city, and I have not yet visited it since my return. It would give us time to be together without fretting about my other concerns here.”
She did like the idea of getting away from the city. “I didn’t know you had a country estate.”
“It’s closed most of the year—or it was while I was away from England, but my father was buried there, and I would like to pay my respects. I also need to see what needs to be done about the estate’s restoration. It’s an old home, but its bones are good. With money and love, it could be grand again.”
Her heart lightened at the thought of restoring something old and broken into something beautiful. “I would like that.” Perhaps Kit would allow her to redecorate it. She would certainly enjoy an artistic endeavor like that.
“So, tell me about your day. What did you think of Octavia and Lady Somerstone?”
As they ate, Suzannah shared her adventures in the realm of Bond Street. Rather than becoming bored, Kit seemed delighted by her tales.
When they finished their meal, Suzannah’s heart raced as Kit escorted her upstairs to his bedchamber. They stopped just outside his door, and the quiet, lamplit hallway seemed charged with an intensity that deepened both her excitement and trepidation. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted him to insist that she share his bed again or if she wanted to be taken to her own room down the corridor. Kit’s face was unreadable. He wantedherto be the one to ask about his intentions.
“Shouldn’t I sleep alone in my own room?” she finally asked. “Isn’t that considered proper?”
Kit lifted her chin with gentle fingers. “It is. But is that whatyouwant?” There was no challenge, no accusation, just a soft and concerned question. His eyes were gentle as he gazed down at her, and they asked her to speak the truth.
What did she want? Ever since she’d kissed him, she longed to be in his arms, to feel that wonderful blend of excitement and contentment that he’d brought out in her. Yet this need for intimacy, for this man who was in so many ways still a stranger, scared her.
“What do you want?” she dared to whisper.
Kit’s eyes were intense now. “I want to hold you in my arms, but my desires should never come before yours. I believe that marriages... intimate relationships should be built on trust. Partnerships. Do you agree?”
She let his words sink in. “Yes.” The man was too good to be true, she knew that, but shouldn’t a woman trust someone she was starting to love? She cleared her throat. “Let’s sleep in your chambers.”
He leaned down and stroked his thumb over her bottom lip before he kissed her. She tasted his hunger, his need, and rather than simply endure it, she embraced her own need for him and let it feed her own desires in the kisses she returned. He gripped her waist roughly with one hand and fumbled to open his door with the other. His clear excitement for what was to come next stirred an excitement in her too.
“Kit...”
“Yes?” he breathed against the back of her neck as he urged her to step into his bedchamber.
“Are you going to take me tonight?”
He gently herded her toward the bed, his mouth still playfully landing kisses upon her neck and shoulders. She gripped the post of his bed and rested her head against the strong wood as his fingers eagerly dug into the laces of the back of her gown. He removed her clothing quickly, though not roughly.
“Kit...,” she said again. “Are you?” She demanded an answer this time, even as she faced the fact that she was completely naked while he was still fully clothed and standing right behind her.
Kit gripped her upper arms, nuzzling the tangle of her hair that tumbled down her shoulders and back, which made her shiver with longing. She should be frightened. Any sensible woman would worry about taking things so quickly, but Kit’s manner, the way he kissed her, the way he touched her, left her dizzy and wild with need instead. He was like an animal seeking his mate, needing to join himself to her, and he had no thought past that primal need to connect. He played no games of seduction. He simply wanted her, and she wanted him back.
“Tell me I can have you, Suzannah,” he demanded. “Tell me you’re mine.” His hands slid down her hips, slowly exploring her body.
She wanted to be his when he asked her like that. To belong to this man was a promise to surrender to his desires and demand her own be satisfied. But it was more than that, and she knew it. This man had been alone for so long, craving someone to be his in all ways of the body and heart.
She turned in his arms, her bare breasts brushing against his waistcoat, her nipples hardening into points at the gentle abrasion. She raised her gaze to his and knew what she wanted.
“I’m yours.”
A fire lit within his dark eyes, and he cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her. This kiss was different than the others. It was as though before now he’d been holding himself back, and now he was unleashing all of his passion into her. She felt consumed by it, as though she was the only thing sustaining this powerful, beautiful, and wounded man.
He lifted her up and set her on the side of the bed, his mouth never leaving hers. Suzannah’s head spun as she clawed at his chest, trying to find the buttons of his waistcoat before she gave up and simply tore at the silk. Buttons shot everywhere, and Kit laughed softly against her lips.
“Minx,” he breathed in delight at her show of desire. “Showing your claws at last.”
“Get out of your clothes...now,” she growled at him. Some distant, well-behaved part of her would be scandalized by her behavior later, but at this moment she didn’t care.
Kit shrugged out of his waistcoat, and then he pushed her flat on the bed. “There will be time enough for that.” He grasped her legs, gently opening them as he bent toward her. He moved quickly, and before she realized what he was planning, the blasted man had his mouth between her legs. She shrieked at the unexpected sensation of his wicked tongue flicking against her in ways she hadn’t even dreamed of.
