Chapter Thirteen
STAR BENT OVER her brother and adjusted the covers around him. She pushed a stray strand of hair off his forehead and dropped a kiss on his cheek. “There, you may be my elder, but you are far more trouble than I ever was to you or Papa,” she said on a giggle.
He grinned at her, but he was fast drifting off into the sleep he badly needed, “Go on, little sister. I am sorry I’ve ruined the ball for you, but I was so…convinced…”
“Never mind. You have not ruined it. You have quite made it the event of the season. I do believe the Seftons have never before had such excitement at one of their affairs. They are no doubt quite thrilled.”
Sir Edward smiled and touched her arm to say softly, “Come Star, I think he will sleep now.”
She allowed him to take her ungloved hand and lead her out of the room. However, he could feel her tense. She was worried about what he was going to ask her. He knew something now beyond a shadow of a doubt. Her brother was in dire straits.
He had suspected it earlier during the day when he saw brother and sister together and then tonight when he saw Vern walking into the ballroom.
It had not been a Berkley cousin he had seen that night in the Mermaid Inn, but Star. She had tried to pretend she was a male relative to cover for her brother, but when he looked into her eyes, he knew at once, the lad at the Mermaid and Star were one and the same. She was impulsive. She was heady and lively, but she would not have done such a horrendous thing had her brother not requested it of her, and he would not have asked it of her had things not been gravely serious.
What could possibly have sent her alone into such a place? What sort of tangle was the young lord embroiled in?
Hell and Brimstone, why should he care? However, he did care, probably too much. He couldn’t fathom why, but he did.
He took Star’s hand and felt a rush of heat infuse his blood. Every single time he touched her he was filled with wanting. When he looked into her dark eyes, he was filled with longing. What was that? Lust? For an innocent? That was not his style. He did not play with innocents. There was no need for that, but Star moved him beyond his normal needs.
Something about her made his internal temperature blaze. Something about everything she said, everything she did, made his mind feel fuzzy. He found himself staring at her when she walked, when she laughed and talked. He discovered that he desired more of her, not only sexually, but he simply wanted to be in her company.
This was not good.
Jules wanted her as well—or thought he did. Jules believed he might be in love with her. Jules was one of his dearest friends. He couldn’t take her from Jules even if she wasn’t right for his friend. He simply couldn’t…
Yet, he found that all he wanted to do was take her into his arms and kiss her, hold her, touch her in the most inappropriate way!
Hell! Bloody Hell! His cock was hard, so damn hard and…
He should just bid her goodnight.
What was driving him to get any deeper involved? He shouldn’t and yet, he found it impossible to leave.
“I don’t know how I can thank you for all your help this night,” Star said as they reached the central hall at the bottom of the stairs. She leaned into him, touched his vest and the pressure of her hand even through his waistcoat sent shivers through him.
It was all he could do to stop himself from taking her into his arms.
Drawn to her in more ways than he had ever thought possible. Her nearness made his manhood throb in his breeches and negate all logic. If she pressed in any closer, he might lose control, he might pull her in and hold her against that hardness…holy hell, what was wrong with him? He couldn’t do such a thing.
He said on a low husky note, “I could do with a glass of brandy before I leave. That will be all the thanks needed.” Damnation—certes! Brandy? That wouldn’t maintain his control. What was he doing? He hadn’t meant to ask for brandy when he opened his mouth. No, he had meant to simply bid her goodnight.
She smiled, evidently pleased, turned and led him toward the library. He watched her enter the darkened room and followed thinking he should run. Was he mad? He had to get away. This woman, who he had thought he was not even seriously attracted to when they first met, actually had him burning with a desire that was threatening to obliterate any good sense he had left in his brain. Back away from her now, he told himself and moved forward.
He heard Star chattering nervously to him about something inconsequential as she lit the candles on the sideboard table. She rubbed her arms and he said, “You are cold. I will light the fire.” Light the fire? He asked himself. What the deuce is wrong with you? You aren’t staying. She should go up to her room…to her bed. Bed? The thought of her naked in her bed nearly undid him. He felt breathless all at once.
He grabbed some kindling and set it in place in the grate as he worked to get the fire started, vigorously attempting to think of anything other than her lovely full breasts naked and ready to be…
Bloody hell. You are doing it again. Stop. He demanded of himself. He usually knew what he was doing. He usually knew how to escape when needed, but now all he wanted and needed was Star in his arms. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to put his hands all over her body and caress her. He wanted to pleasure her and watch that pleasure express itself on her face.
She came up to him and he unbent from the fire to take the glass she handed him. He stared at her over the glass as he sipped.
He was in control. His thoughts were wayward, but he was in control, he told himself. Damn, but hadn’t he said, she wasn’t even in his style. Yet, now he found he adored the way her short hair framed her beautiful face. He loved her frank manner of speaking, the way her full lips curved and the pertness of her nose…
Stop!
Not for you, Edward, he told himself. Your friend Jules wants her.
He sat on the sofa and patted a place beside himself and his pulse quickened when she did in fact, sit right next to him. He must be a glutton for punishment because her nearness drove him into a frenzy of heat.
Her dark eyes poured into his mind, leaving him hungry. He found he couldn’t look away from her. There was a depth of fire in her gaze that stirred him, yanked at his self control. Her full lips pursed inquiringly and he found he couldn’t speak for a moment. So instead, he pulled out the button he had been carrying ever since he found it at the Mermaid Inn, showed it to her and said, “Your button, Miss Berkley.” His voice cracked with the words he forced out of himself.
She looked at him sharply. “My button? Where…where did you get this?’
He watched her face and knew she was thinking hard, trying to remember. He answered, “Where? Don’t you know? I think you know.”
She took him on, “You are playing games with me, sir. Why don’t you just tell me where you found this button and why you choose to return it to me now?”
He considered her for a moment. She was daring him, eh? Very well. “Why Star, I took it off you at the Mermaid Inn some nights ago.”
He watched her as she took some moments to compose herself.
“I see,” she said and leaned over and put the button down purposefully on the small coffee table at their knees. Her dark eyes were alive with inquiry as she stared at him and he realized she wasn’t going to dissemble and she wasn’t going to explain. Instead, she said softly, “Thank you.”
“Thank you? We both know I am aware that you played a role that night.”
“And again, thank you, for returning the button… which means I believe that you don’t mean to give me away and I do thank you so very much.”
By God, she was magnificent! The thought flooded through him and took over every coherent vibe in his brain. It turned him into something primal, with a hunger he couldn’t deny to himself was real.
He found he couldn’t resist the way she made him feel and his response was feral. He scarcely murmured as he scooped her into his arms in one deft movement, “Indeed…I think you
should show me.”
*
Star had led him into the library fully aware that it was socially incorrect. Her brother was asleep upstairs and they were completely alone. She saw her hands shake as she poured his brandy and just barely got her trembling fingers under control when she handed him the snifter.
Star knew what she was doing. She might be inexperienced in the art of making love, but she knew, this was more than flirting. This was moving matters into obscure nether regions where nice could turn into naughty. The notion made her smile to herself.
She wasn’t playing games. She wasn’t going to tease or be coy. She wanted this moment alone with him. She wanted to take it as far as she could. She knew and understood the consequences of doing so.
Even knowing and accepting, she felt a moment’s fear. A sudden doubt touched her with logic. This was unacceptable behavior for a good maid. Did she want to be a good maid? No. Faith no. How utterly devoid such a life would be.
Still…what was he doing? Was he sincere? What was she doing? Would she take it as far as he wanted to go?
She sat beside him on the sofa in a dimly lit room alone, with his body so close to hers. She was headed for a fall she told herself, but yes, one that would fill her with sensation.
Indeed. At least she was headed somewhere she wanted to go…to him. She wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted so much and it all centered on him. She couldn’t let him walk out of her life without experiencing him fully—could she?
Suddenly, she was in his arms. His lips softly brushed against hers, gently parted her lips and as his tongue entered and waltzed with hers, a fireball in her head exploded the air and the room into a white light. Her eyes were closed, but she could see rockets flare and stars glitter!
He managed to work her tongue in a manner that sent shivers of passion through her untested body. Untested—ha, she thought, no more. Would she regret this in the morning? Would she regret this when he was gone? No. She wanted this one night even if this was her one and only time with him like this.
She pressed against him aware that she was no longer in control of what she was doing. Star moved on instinct and desire. Deep inside she felt as though something had been ignited. One kiss followed another until she knew she was lost to him, lost with him.
A cool draft hit her as he leaned away from her and whispered her name, repeated it and offered, “Star…this is madness.”
“Hmmm,” she agreed. “Madness.”
“We must stop,” he told her.
“Hmmm, stop,” she answered. “In a moment…” with which she offered up her mouth again and he took it, this time almost wildly as his tongue plunged and taught hers just what he wanted from her.
His hand had reached into her low cut bodice and found her breast. He released it from its confines and fondled her with an expertise that riveted her to him. She felt a gasp of pleasure escape her lips.
The next thing she knew, he bent his head to lick at her nipple and when she heard him moan, she felt a rush of pleasure. He whispered, even as he suckled and fondled, “You beauty you.”
She was filled with exultation and meant only to tease when she answered banteringly, “Is this thanks enough?”
He pulled away at once, a frown on his face, his voice touched with anger, “Is that what you are doing…performing your gratitude?”
Her hand moved instinctively to dole him a slap across his handsome face, but he caught her wrist and chastised amiably, “But sweetheart, you are the one who suggested just that,” his voice was cold, his eyes colder.
“You are insufferable!” she said. What had happened? What the devil had just happened?
“Still, I want you. In the meantime, you need not keep me quiet by…seducing me, if that was what you were doing. I mean to help you and your brother, whether you want that help or not. . I don’t need payment…of any kind.”
Is that what he thought? Oh no. He thought she was trying to bribe him with seduction to keep her secret. She adjusted her clothes in a huff and her mind worked wildly. How could he think that of her? She went rigid as she pulled away from him and scooted to the far end of the sofa.
He frowned, “Change your mind, then? I promise to help and you no longer wish to show your gratitude?”
Her arms were crossed over her middle, “That wasn’t what I was doing,” she snapped.
“No? What were you doing?”
Hurt, she threw at him, “Getting a bit of experience from an expert, nothing more.”
His brows drew together. “I am not certain you mean that, so I shall ignore it,” he said and reached out to touch her face.
Still furious she pulled back, too late realizing he might have been trying to apologize in his way.
She was however, not in the mood for an apology and held herself stiffly in place, giving him a hard glare.
“It would be so much easier for me to help you and your brother if you would but trust me,” he offered on a sigh.
She wanted to trust him, but in truth, no matter what she felt for him, he was a stranger. He could take what he learned and use it against them.
How could she tell him that Vern had turned to thieving to keep house and home? Oh faith! What a tangle she was in? Now, she had another problem and it was one that would no doubt leave her a spinster.
She was certain, completely certain, that she would only love one man and that man was Sir Edward. He, on the other hand was from what she could see, simply wiling away his time in Rye. She was certain he thought of her only as a diversion. Only a moment ago when she was about to throw herself at him, that had been enough. Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure it was.
She avoided eye contact and said, “Sir Edward, you may wish to help us, but it isn’t necessary. We have friends that we can rely on…should we need assistance.” She felt something in her throat constrict. She wouldn’t cry. She must not cry.
Her words silenced him most effectively.
She saw at once that she had hurt his pride as he sat up and eyed her sadly. She was immediately sorry for it.
He said grimly, “Right then, even now, I am not considered a friend…or trusted to help you? Very well, as you wish. I shall not force my services or attentions on you.” He got to his feet and Star thought she would burst out crying.
“I did not mean that the way it sounded…” she tried as she also got to her feet.
“Oh, but I think you did. I had hoped you might rely on the friendship I offered, but I see it is a false hope.”
She took his hands, “No, don’t go like this…you kindly helped us through a difficult evening. You returned a button to me and said you would keep my secret. I do count you a friend…I do.” Her sense of humor tickled her and she suddenly twinkled at him, “Though, my friends have not stolen kisses from…”
“My saucy girl,” he interrupted immediately and swept her back into his arms, “Answer me this. Did I steal your kisses? Did my hands go where they were unwanted?”
She found she could not meet his gaze and he chuckled before he told her, “Ah, just as I thought. I bid thee goodnight, sweetheart, for I do not trust myself to remain a moment longer.”
He turned and she watched his retreating form as he left her alone in the library. She knew that she had freely given her kisses to him. She had so very wanted him to touch her intimately and…she wasn’t sure how far she would have gone. No, that wasn’t the truth. She would have gone as far as he would have taken her. Her cheeks burned with this knowledge.
In spite of the seriousness of the moment, Star smiled to herself.
She was in love with Sir Edward. She was completely and totally in love with him and something about everything he had said and done made her think she might have hope that he felt the same.
Chapter Fourteen
MISS MADISON TURNED to her two escorts and a frown descended over her features. She was undecided. She could see that both Jules and Miles wanted to be invited
inside the Berkley house. It was the polite thing to do. But… and that was the heart of the matter, ‘the but’ because it would not serve.
She was sure they wanted to seek out Star and Vern and find out more information regarding Vern’s extremely extraordinary appearance at the Sefton Ball. Instinct made up her mind for her.
“Miles, Jules…thank you both for seeing me home. Please extend my thanks with yours when you return the Sefton coach to them. It was most gracious of them to loan it to us tonight.” She turned for the front door.
Miles reached out and touched her cloaked arm. “Hang it, Georgie. We are coming in with you.”
Georgie had known Miles most of her life and knew just how to handle his exuberance. She put up a haughty chin and said in a voice that would brook no insolence, “Goodnight, Miles. I am certain Star and Vern are both tucked in by now, so you shall just have to wait until morning to see them.” She turned to Jules and gave him her hand. Her smile was soft, her voice softer still, “Mr. Stamford, allow me to tell you what a wonderful time I had tonight…thanks to you and your kindness.”
Jules wanted in just as much as Miles did and Georgie knew this. She also knew he was too much of a gentleman to do more than bow over her hand. She was, however, quite surprised when he said, “Ah, but, I thought we settled it that I am Jules and you are Georgie?”
She nodded and her eyes twinkled into his. He grinned like a boy and continued, “Very well then, Georgie,” he said jovially. “The pleasure was all mine. I can think of no better way to spend an evening than in your delightful company and if I wanted to go in now with you, it would be to extend that pleasure for a few more moments.”
She laughed and said, “Indeed, very cleverly put, but I am never easily fooled, sir.”
Miles made a choking sound and said, “You two make me quite sick. What stuff and rubbish you London beaus are forever throwing at a woman. Well, Georgie has too much good sense to take in your gammon, Jules.”
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