With a most serious expression, he took her in his arms and the warmth of him surrounded her. “May I make you perfectly certain of my feelings now, Miss Yvette Hamilton?”
It was evident that William intended to kiss her, so Yvette lifted her face to him. She stood perfectly still as his mouth covered hers. He pulled her closer to him and his lips pressed against hers. She wondered if he was going to put his tongue in her mouth as he did last time and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to. Aside from the thrill of victory at winning him from Jane Fairmont, Yvette felt oddly . . . empty while kissing him. He was her future husband and she had hoped she would feel something more momentous when he kissed her. Oh, it felt nice to be held by strong arms, which shielded her from the cold wind. And the kissing wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t at all like the kisses her sisters had described to her.
“Oh, Yvette,” William murmured against her lips before plunging his tongue in her mouth.
She allowed him to do so, even lightly touching her tongue against his. The kiss seemed to last a very long time. Yvette put her arms around his neck, remembering that he liked when she did that. How odd that he seemed to find their kisses so wonderful and she did not. She kissed him back a little, waiting patiently for it to be over.
After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled away from her. “You have no idea how you make me feel, Yvette.”
William hugged her tightly and she rested her head against his chest, snuggling against the thick wool coat for warmth, wishing she could feel that warmth within her own heart.
19
The Comforts of Home
When she returned to Devon House after skating later that day, Yvette knew she should be happy. William had declared his feelings for her quite clearly, and he’d kissed her. She should be thrilled. Instead she felt inexplicably out of sorts and irritable.
Jeffrey was waiting for her when she arrived home. His handsome face lit up when he saw her. “There’s my girl.”
She smiled in spite of herself at his sweet greeting and she instantly felt better. There was something special about being called his girl. With his black hair combed back and his blue eyes twinkling, he looked remarkably gorgeous in his dark dinner jacket. She found that she liked looking at him. “Hello, Jeffrey.”
Giving her a wink, he held out his arm. “Granger has kept supper waiting for us. So let’s go upstairs, shall we?”
They had continued the habit of taking their evening meal together in the little sitting room across from her mother’s bedroom. Holding his arm, Yvette walked beside Jeffrey up the wide marble steps. She asked, “How’s Mother today? How long have you been here? I didn’t expect to be out quite so late.”
“Apparently, Fanny wore your mother out this afternoon. She could barely keep her eyes open to talk to me when I arrived about two hours ago and she’s already asleep for the night. Lisette just went home. And you are not late at all. You deserved a day out.”
Relieved that her mother was well, Yvette knew that Genevieve had been in good hands with Fanny, Lisette, and Jeffrey. Idly, she wondered when her sisters would finally return home. It could be any day now. Part of her wished for them to hurry and a part of her had grown to enjoy having the run of the house. She had been in charge of her mother’s care and had truly managed Devon House on her own since Colette and Lucien had been gone.
She and Jeffrey arrived at the little sitting room, where a fire burned cheerily and the table was elegantly set for two with tapered candles flickering in the center. He held out her chair and she took a seat. This intimate setting had been their private retreat each evening and Yvette found herself looking forward to spending her evenings with Jeffrey this way. However, they had never spent all night together again. Jeffrey always left at a respectable hour.
He sat across from her now and lifted his glass in a toast. Yvette raised her glass of red wine as well. “What shall we drink to tonight?”
His blue eyes questioned her. “Well, how did your outing go?”
“Fine.”
Jeffrey sensed her reluctance to discuss the day’s events at Lansdowne Manor and expertly changed the topic. “Let’s drink to us, then, shall we?”
“To us?” she asked, a flutter of excitement welling within her at his use of the word us.
“Yes. The past few weeks we’ve grown to be very close friends.” He gave her a knowing glance.
“We have, indeed.” She smiled, filled with unexpected joy. “To us.”
“To us.”
They sipped their wine and enjoyed their supper together, speaking of her mother’s improvement and discussing whether Colette and Juliette might arrive from America before Paulette returned from Ireland.
“Are you not going to tell me?” he finally asked.
Yvette looked up from her roast beef. “Tell you what?”
“What happened at Lansdowne Manor today? You did not seem happy when you came in.” His eyes stayed on her.
Yvette set down her fork with a sigh. “Jane Fairmont was there.”
“Ah. The rival.”
“It upset me, even though William assured me that he was not the one who invited her.”
Skeptical, Jeffrey raised one dark eyebrow.
She ignored his dubious look. “His mother invited her without telling him.”
“So what is the problem then?” he asked.
“Nothing. It’s just . . .” She shook her head.
“It’s just what, Yvette?”
“It’s not what I thought it would be, I suppose.”
His gaze was very intent on her. “I thought this was what you wanted?”
“Yes, I know, but none of it is how I imagined it to be. . . .” She felt her cheeks redden as she pushed her food around on her plate with her fork, no longer hungry. An odd feeling settled in her stomach. It was so difficult not to confide in Jeffrey when she longed to know his thoughts on the subject.
“Out with it,” he commanded with his most charming smile. “If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”
Yvette sighed. “Well, it’s rather personal and normally I would discuss something such as this with one of my sisters.” She sipped her wine.
“They are not here. And I am.”
She looked into his eyes. Yvette’s heart fluttered at the intensity she saw within them. “Yes, you’re here.”
“So tell me. Or let me guess.” His expression suddenly turned dark. “Did old Shelley kiss you again?”
“He’s not that old.” Her face burned and she glanced away. “And yes, he did.”
“Then what’s the problem?” he asked politely, but there was an edge to his voice. “Isn’t that what you wanted him to do?”
“Well, yes of course.” She paused before adding, “It’s just that kissing him is not what I imagined it would be like.”
“What do you mean?”
Yvette took another sip of wine before making her confession. “My sisters described kissing a man as something quite extraordinary, and exciting . . . magical even, and . . . well, I just don’t feel anything special when William kisses me.”
“You’re disappointed.” He half smiled at her.
“Yes,” she blurted out, staring at his mouth. She wondered what Jeffrey’s lips felt like. They looked most appealing. She had the wildest impulse to reach across the table and touch them with her fingers. But of course, she did no such thing. “I expected so much more. I expected to be swept off my feet or to feel like I would swoon. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
He answered rather slowly. “I suppose I do.”
“Don’t you feel that way when you kiss a woman? Don’t you feel something special?”
Jeffrey shook his head, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. “What I feel when I kiss a woman is desire. I think the feelings you are describing are part of being in love.”
“But I felt nothing,” she said in a small voice. “Nothing at all. Shouldn’t I have felt something when William kissed
me?”
“You’re not in love with him, Yvette.”
She remained silent. Her feelings for William were confusing. He was a good man, an attractive man. She wanted to be his wife and she wanted desperately to be in love with him. All signs pointed to him being in love with her, which is exactly what she had wished for. Then why wasn’t she happier about it? Perhaps it would be easier if she knew what being in love was supposed to feel like.
With a heavy sigh Yvette rose from the table and walked to the fireplace. “Perhaps there’s something wrong with me,” she murmured, biting her lip.
Jeffrey watched her for a moment. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, Yvette.” He rose to his feet also and moved to stand beside her. Gently, he placed a hand under her chin, tilting her face to his. “Absolutely nothing wrong with you.”
At his touch, Yvette’s pulse began to quicken. Her heart fluttered for a moment as she looked into his eyes. They were so blue and piercing, as if he could read her very thoughts. Her fingers itched to run along the length of his jaw, to feel the slight stubble on his cheek. What would it be like to kiss his lips? What would it feel like to be kissed by Jeffrey Eddington? For a wild moment she wished he could read her thoughts.
They continued to stare at each other. His blue eyes glittered and his expression was unreadable. He stood so close Yvette could smell the now-familiar scent of him. Masculine. Clean. Sandalwood. A sudden crackle of excitement filled the air around them.
Her voice whispered so low she could barely hear herself, “Jeffrey, would you kiss me?”
Yvette held her breath, watching his reaction to her startling request. She had surprised herself by uttering her thoughts out loud. At that moment she so desperately wanted him to kiss her that she couldn’t prevent the words from tumbling out of her mouth.
For a split second, his eyes widened. Then they darkened with what could only be desire. She recognized the yearning in his eyes, for surely she felt the same way. Jeffrey wanted to kiss her! The revelation filled her with excitement and longing for him to kiss her passionately. Her heart raced and she took a big breath.
He still held her chin in his hand, and somehow moved even closer to her. His voice was low and husky. “Yvette . . . if I kiss you now, I don’t know that I could ever stop.”
His words filled her with a wild desire that left her breathless with anticipation. They were so close.
“Please, Jeffrey . . .”
Her whispered plea seemed to unlock something in him, for in the next instant he lowered his head and she closed her eyes, the sense of expectancy almost too great to bear. When his lips finally met hers, Yvette thought she would perish from the sheer pleasure of it. Warm, soft, and firm, his lips possessed her mouth thoroughly. Sensations she had never known existed washed like waves through her body, warming her from head to toes. She pressed herself closer to him, wanting to feel his body next to her own.
Falling, falling . . . she felt as if she were drifting outside of herself as the blood rushed hot in her veins and her heart beat in triple time.
His kiss grew in intensity and her mouth opened eagerly, hungry for more. Sleek and hot, their tongues met and Yvette sighed as an incredible pleasure blossomed within her. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she slid her fingers into his thick, black hair. It was so much softer than she had expected.
Gently, his hands slid from her face, along her shoulders and down her back. His touch, sensual and slow, fanned a growing flame within her. She could barely breathe, so consumed was she with these new sensations that were overwhelming her with their force. Her knees weakened and she trembled as Jeffrey continued to kiss her with an increasing passion that demanded she respond.
Oh, this was a kiss! A real kiss! One that made her feel hot and weak and wild. One that sent a rush of fervent feelings through her all at once. Breathless. Dizzy. Excited. Terrified. Thrilled. Satisfied. Yearning. Of course only Jeffrey could kiss her and make her feel this way.
It was heaven.
Filled with a feverish excitement, she kissed him back, wanting more from him than she ever thought possible. She clung to him, pressing herself against his muscular, male body. His hands stroked her back, moving up and down. And still they kissed, barely taking the time to breathe. Suddenly his hands were in her hair, carefully removing the pins that held her curls in place. As her hair fell in waves around her shoulders, this newfound passion and excitement grew within her, threatening to overwhelm her.
Yvette was kissing Jeffrey Eddington. Jeffrey was kissing her! It was ridiculous. It made no sense! She had known him for years and had never thought of this happening between them. Yet it seemed so natural and so right to be in his arms. And so wickedly delicious. She never wanted to stop. Her heart pounded frantically and she could barely breathe, but she didn’t care.
This, this was what her sisters had been talking about. Yes, Yvette now understood exactly what they’d meant. This was an earth-shattering kiss. This was something special.
Lost in increasing desire and passion, Yvette and Jeffrey continued to kiss. With her long hair now completely undone and hanging loose, she clung to Jeffrey, wishing she could stay with him like this forever. She had no idea how long they kissed like that and she didn’t care because she didn’t want it to end. Time seemed to melt away and nothing mattered but the two of them.
Her fingers still played in his thick hair, and his hands slowly moved along her back, along the curve of her hips. Oh, goodness, every time he touched her she became more aware of her own desire.
Suddenly Jeffrey broke away, ending their passionate kiss.
“Good God, Yvette,” he murmured low.
Finally coming up for air, her breath came in shallow gasps. The pounding of both their hearts echoed around them. He stroked her hair, holding her close.
“Oh, Jeffrey,” she whispered against his cheek, still trembling with unfulfilled desire. “That was . . . that was . . . I . . .” Rendered speechless, she could not find the words to describe what had just happened between them.
He groaned and looked down at her. He pressed his forehead against hers, his hands bracing her shoulders. “Oh lord, Yvette. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
Tears inexplicably welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
He cupped her face in his hands once more, staring hard at her. There was so much raw emotion on his face, Yvette didn’t know what to think. She’d never seen Jeffrey in such a state.
“Yvette, you have no idea . . . You have made me feel . . . I think that I—”
Suddenly there was a bit of a commotion in the hallway outside the sitting room. Footsteps. Voices. Stunned, Yvette and Jeffrey stared at each other in confusion for a split second as the enormity of the situation hit home. They managed to step away from each other just as the door to the sitting room flew open.
“We’re home!”
20
Home for the Holidays
Dumbfounded into silence for the first time in his life, Jeffrey was left wondering what to do as Paulette Hamilton Reeves, the Countess of Cashelmore, entered the sitting room.
“Paulette!” Yvette fairly flew across the room to her sister’s outstretched arms amid squeals of delight. They hugged each other tightly. Jeffrey moved toward them, attempting to shake off what had just happened between Yvette and him.
And not succeeding.
He’d kissed Yvette Hamilton, for Christ’s sake! He’d only meant to romance her a little, sweep her away from Lord Shelley, to make her see how wrong the man was for her. He hadn’t meant to take advantage of her in any way. But when the moment happened he had been powerless to stop it. Not when she looked up at him with her big blue eyes, her lips trembling, and asked him to kiss her. God, but she was a tempting sight. No man on earth could have refused her.
The kiss they had just shared had been like no other. It had left him feeling . . .
But Yvette was not for him! He had p
romised to watch over her, to protect her, and keep her safe. He had no business at all kissing her as passionately as he had!
Never had he felt so elated and so terribly wretched at the same time.
Not that he had thought of anything else but kissing her during the last few months since Lucien and Colette had been away. At times, all he could think of was kissing her. And Yvette had asked him to kiss her. God help him, how could he refuse such an offer? Christ, but she looked so irresistible when she had asked him. And he had wanted to make her feel something. Something, anything, she hadn’t felt when she kissed Lord Shelley. A girl like Yvette deserved to be kissed passionately.
And she had been astonishingly warm and sensuous, seductively responsive to him. She had fit so perfectly in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.
But what stunned him more than anything else was how he had felt while kissing her. He had grown weak-kneed and breathless. It had been an earth-shattering kiss for him, something he’d never felt before and he didn’t know what to make of it. He’d kissed dozens and dozens of beautiful women in his life and never had one affected him like Yvette Hamilton.
The tears in her eyes almost undid him and he had been on the verge of confessing his feelings for her. Feelings he hadn’t known he had until he’d kissed her. Crazy, wild, tumultuous feelings. Feelings that had him reeling and left him worried. What did Yvette think of him now? Had this kiss changed everything between them? How could it not?
It had been a blessing in disguise that Paulette arrived when she had, for he did not know what would have happened had they been left alone together any longer. It was far too tempting and far too dangerous. For both of them.
“Jeffrey! I’m so glad you’re here too!” Paulette called to him with a big smile.
The fourth of the Hamilton sisters was blond and blue eyed like Yvette. And Paulette also happened to be one of the smartest women he’d ever known. Marriage, motherhood, and life in Ireland agreed with her because she had grown even more beautiful.
His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) Page 15