Page 16 of Lady in Ruby
The person began walking around the room. She heard the rustle of items being moved on the small desk, and of clothing being lifted, rifled, and dropped back down.
Ugh, how long did they intend to take? Her body was uncomfortably squashed into the space, her muscles protesting the position. The side of her head was pressed to the floor. Snowdon noticed her discomfort and shook his head once, warning her against any movement that could give them away. She nodded. She certainly didn’t want to get caught in such an embarrassing situation.
She strained her ears, wondering what was happening. A maid might come into a room to straighten up or lay the fire. But she’d never unlock a door to do so! And these were not the innocent sounds of a servant about their daily chores. The furtiveness and the frustration was altogether different.
Someone was searching his room.
Caroline bit her lip, thinking hard. Why would someone search his room? Had she not been the only person to see him smuggle something away from its rightful place? Was Snowdon some sort of imposter? And why did he smell so good?
She heard the doors of the clothespress being opened, and the desk drawers, one by one. The person began to mutter, and Caroline was now certain it was a man. She looked at Snowdon’s face, and saw no anger, just concentration, almost as if he expected this.
Then bedspread flipped up on the far side, and someone yanked out the traveling case, the edges scraping loudly as it went. Caroline’s heart heaved against her ribs, and Snowdon pulled her closer, tucking her head into his chest.
“Still,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear. From the way he inhaled, he seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he kept silent. She felt his hand cupping the back of her head, as if he could shield her from sight that way.
The searcher popped open the traveling case and muttered a low curse, evidently because it was empty. The second case was yanked out too, with the same result. Then both were shoved back underneath. The corner of one struck the small of Caroline’s back, and she bit her lip to muffle her startled yelp of pain. Luckily, the noise of the case scraping the floor seemed to cover her small sound. Snowdon was staring hard at the gap between the fabric and the floor.
The bed ropes sagged as whoever it was sat down heavily on the corner of the mattress. “Nothing,” a voice muttered. “God damn.”
There was a distant sound from somewhere else in the house. The man got up and moved swiftly to the door, no longer bothering to be quiet. He paused, then walked out, pulling the door shut again. Footsteps stomped away down the corridor toward the stairs.
Caroline exhaled, starting to shift her limbs.
“Wait,” Snowdon whispered. “Let’s be sure he’s not coming back.”
“Why would he come back?” she hissed, her anger taking over her fear.
“Later.”
“I demand to know what—”
He silenced her with a kiss.
His lips slid against hers, and she opened her mouth in a gasp. Caroline’s heartbeat trebled as heat surged through her, and she pressed her mouth to his.
He made a sound low in his throat, something guttural and primitive and wildly arousing. He pulled her even closer, his mouth hot on hers, tasting her with abandon. The icy Lord Snowdon never gave a hint that such a heat raged inside him, and yet now Caroline was being seared by it, and loving it.
When his teeth tugged at her lower lip, she moaned at the unexpected jolt through her body. Heat began to pool in her belly, and she curved her hand around his neck, encouraging him to continue.
He broke the kiss and pulled away to look at her. Fingers of one hand threaded through her hair, and with the other hand, he ran his thumb along her jaw, then paused at the point of her throat where her pulse thrummed, revealing just how excited she was. He smiled slowly, and kissed her again. This time, his lips brushed against hers as gently as a snowfall, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations coursing through her.
She was being kissed so sweetly, no mistletoe needed.
And the man kissing her was a stranger with more secrets than she could imagine.
Caroline’s eyes flew open, and she put the flat of her hand against his chest, pushing into him.
He broke the kiss immediately, his eyes dark as he took in her new expression.
“I don’t think anyone is coming back,” she said.
“Probably not.” Abruptly, he rolled out from under the bed and flipped up the bedcovers once more. He stood and then unexpectedly reached down to offer a hand to help her out. Caroline took it and scrambled up to her feet.
She immediately glanced in the mirror. She was a mess. Her hair was falling out of its knot and her gown was wrinkled, with little snags in the top skirt where the rough floorboards caught at the fabric. “Oh, what am I going to do if anyone sees me?”
“I’ll look out, and when the hallway is empty, you’ll go to your room. You can change and fix your hair then. It’s three doors down, you’ll make it.”
“You are well acquainted with the layout of the house, sir,” she said, glaring at him in the mirror.
