“Do you know what this gathering really is?”
He arched a brow at her. “Is it not simply a picnic?”
She nearly sighed with relief.
He has no idea of Lady Corrington’s true intentions. He is not here seeking a match.
She did not even question why that made her heart flutter and her shoulders relax. It was becoming more and more obvious that she liked Lord Morrington. He stirred things in her no man ever had. He was handsome and courteous, intelligent and witty. He was exciting, and best of all, he seemed genuinely interested in who she was as a person.
Tabitha smiled and shook her head. “No, I am afraid it is not simply a picnic.”
He stared at her as though in awe. She grew self-conscious under his gaze, unable to understand what in the world he was doing.
“My Lord? What is it?”
“You…you have a beautiful smile,” he murmured. “I do not believe you have ever graced me with it before.”
She frowned. “That cannot be true. I have smiled at you.”
He shook his head. “You have granted me polite ones, but they have always been cold and distant. This one…this one was real. I did something that pleased you greatly.”
He was making her nervous with his observations. She did not know how someone could be so attentive to another person, but he did not seem to miss a single detail in his study of her. It was both unnerving, and flattering.
“I…I suppose you did,” she confirmed.
His expression brightened. “Truly? I suspect that would be a first!”
“You make it seem as though I have been rather cold toward you.”
He chuckled. “Well, you have done your best to maintain a firm distance between us, but I sense that resolve is thawing somewhat.”
She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Do not make me regret thawing to you, My Lord.”
He held up his hands, as though in surrender. “My apologies. I would not wish to see you dismiss me as a nuisance again.”
Her lips twitched, but she tried to hide her amusement. “I would think not.”
With a smirk, he studied her for several moments before asking, “Miss Walters, are you by chance flirting with me?”
Her cheeks instantly heated, and all her amusement vanished away, replaced by a strange sense of panic.
“I…I am not…what a thing to say,” she stammered.
His grin widened. “I believe you are. Your cheeks are rosier than usual, which tells me you are embarrassed by something. That, or…”
“Or what?”
He glanced to the left and right of them to make sure no one could hear as he lowered his voice.
“Or, you are having inappropriate thoughts.”
She gasped, and her face became an inferno. He let out a bark of laughter that drew the attention of a few nearby picnic-goers, including Unity and Lord Habtage.
“My Lord, why do you insist on saying such things to me?” she hissed. “I am always thrown off balance and do not know how to react.”
“Oh, my dear Miss Walters,” he replied with a sly grin. “That is the thing of it. I enjoy seeing you off balance.”
Her heart raced and her breaths drew short. His eyes dipped to her heaving chest and his jaw grew taut as his eyes flashed with something dark. Something hungry. She felt strangely exposed, even though she was fully clothed. The way his eye burned a trail down her shivering body, as if he could see every bare inch of her, made her gasp. His hands fisted at his sides, and his gaze traveled back up to meet hers. He no longer appeared amused.
“Miss Walters…”
She gulped. “My Lord, I think…I think we should rejoin the others now.”
He looked as though he wished to say something. Perhaps to object and entice her to run into the woods with him.
At length, though, he slowly nodded. “Yes, I believe that is a good idea.”
She turned and hurried away from him to find her sister, her entire body tingling, and the secret place between her legs throbbing with a need she didn’t know how to fulfill.
* * *
He could not believe the turn in his luck. Not only had Miss Walters all but confirmed her affections for him, but she was willingly walking with him with a shy smile curling her lips. It was sometime after her and Miss Unity’s arrival, and the four of them had ventured from the larger group to walk among the trees surrounding Lady Corrington’s estate.
As soon as the two ladies had explained the true nature of the picnic, he and Habtage had determined to keep them away from the other gentlemen so as not to encourage any interest in them. Edwin was not about to share Miss Walters’s smiles with anyone else, especially not that pompous Lord Burrows.
It was a truly lovely day, and once they were out of earshot of the picnic, it grew very quiet. Edwin felt as though he could breathe easier in the stillness, with Miss Walters securely by his side. Habtage and Miss Unity walked a little way ahead of them, engrossed in their own conversation. It was just like that day back at her own home.
The day he had stolen his first kiss from her.
The memory made his blood heat and his manhood stir.
“Miss Walters, may I ask you something?”
She gazed up at him, with no coldness lingering in her eyes. “What is it, My Lord?”
He chose his words carefully. “In our short time knowing each other, I have gotten the impression that you are not so interested in the prospect of marriage.”
Her brow furrowed, and she responded cautiously. “In truth, I have not been, My Lord. Why do you bring this up?”
Because the prospect of marrying you makes my heart race.
He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I just want to get a clearer picture of our situation.”
She looked away from him. “And…what is our situation, My Lord?”
He stopped walking, and she came to a sudden halt as well, gazing up at him with a question in her eyes. Glancing toward Habtage and Miss Unity, he saw they were well ahead of them, winding through the trees, completely focused on each other.
“My Lord…?”
Grabbing her hand, he yanked her behind a large oak whose trunk was thick enough to hide them from view. He pressed her against the rough bark, and she let out a little cry. He silenced her with a firm kiss.
Chapter 27
Pulling away, he growled softly, “Our situation is simple, Miss Walters. I want you, and you want me. Yes?”
She stared at him, her mouth gaping in shock. At length, however, she closed her lips and slowly nodded.
“Yes, My Lord,” she confessed, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “I…I want you.”
With a groan, he kissed her again, cupping her face so he could tilt her head just so. She clutched his jacket, tiny noises of pleasure escaping her lips. He was losing control of himself. His arousal was growing painful, and he knew a simple kiss would not be enough. Not for him.
Not for her.
I need her to know the pleasure I can bring her. I need to feel her as no other man has.
He reached his hand down and clutched her skirts.
She instantly broke her lips from his and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, stopping him.
“My Lord, what are you doing?”
“Do you trust me, Miss Walters?”
Her bosom heaved with her breaths. She stared up at him, her eyes bright and a little wild. He did not move as she decided what would happen next. It was up to her completely. If she told him no, he would step away from her. If she said yes, however…
Then she is mine.
After several tense moments, her expression softened. One by one, her fingers uncurled from his hand.
“Yes, My Lord. I do trust you.”
His heart soared, and he wanted to roar with his triumph. He did not, however, knowing Habtage and her sister were not so far away that they would not hear him. They needed to be quick about this. Her pleasure was tantamount, so that she understood wha
t could exist between them.
He jerked her skirt up so he could slip his hand beneath. Sealing his mouth over hers once more, he let his fingers slide along her inner thigh, marveling at how soft she was there. She clutched her legs together, an instinct, he knew, from years of being told she must fiercely guard what he sought. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he stroked his fingers there lightly.
She gasped against his lips and he pushed her legs apart with the heel of his hand. He cupped her and moaned. She was hot. So hot. He ran his fingers along her feminine flesh, and she jolted as though stung. Leaning back enough that he could watch her expressions, he found her eyes glazed with wonder and her jaw dropped.
“Lord Morrington…” she panted.
“Edwin,” he snarled, kissing her along her throat. “I want my name on your lips as you find your pleasure.”
“Edwin…” Her delighted moan sent shivers coursing through him. His manhood was growing painful, but he ignored his own discomfort and focused on her. This was all about her. There was no time for him.
“Does it feel good, my darling?” he whispered at her ear as he stroked her, finding her tender nub with his thumb. Her hips jerked at the contact. “Do you like what I am doing to you?”
She nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, Edwin, please…I…I do not know what is happening to me…”
“Do not worry. Trust me, and let yourself go.”
Her head fell back against the tree in total surrender as his fingers circled her entrance.
“This…this is so much,” she gasped. “Too…too much?”
“Not too much.” He pressed his lips to her jaw. “You are just not used to it yet.”
“Edwin! Something…something is happening!”
Her body was beginning to tense. Was she reaching her peak?
Get her there. Push her into that abyss and show her how good it can be.
He moved his fingers faster and she bucked against him. He pressed his hand over her mouth just before she let out a scream of ecstasy, muffling the sound so that they were not discovered. Her body thrashed against him, and he gritted his teeth against the need to take himself in hand and find his own release.
Not now. Not yet!
He bore the discomfort of his own arousal and he wrung her of every bit of pleasure that he could. When her body went limp and slumped against him, he removed his hand and wrapped his arms around her to keep her upright.
“Miss Walters? Are you all right?”
She mumbled something into his chest, but he could not comprehend her words.
“Miss Walters?”
Slowly, she rolled her head back to gaze up at him. She wore a contented smile, and her eyes sparkled with satisfaction. His chest puffed with pride at the sight.
“I said…call me Tabitha.”
* * *
Tabitha could not stop grinning as they returned to the picnic sight and the rest of Lady Corrington’s guests. Edwin walked next to her, and when she peeked up at him, she saw he was smiling as well. They kept an appropriate distance between them, but the urge to reach out and take his hand was so overwhelming, she clutched her skirts to keep herself from doing so.
Unity and Lord Habtage were walking ahead of them, apparently none the wiser of their illicit escapades. When they had caught back up to the couple, neither Unity nor Lord Habtage gazed at them with suspicion. Tabitha suspected that they had been so caught up in each other, they had not even noticed her and Edwin’s absence.
She liked thinking of him as Edwin rather than Lord Morrington. It was intimate and made her feel there was a special connection that only they two shared.
He has touched me in ways no man before him would have dared. He has shown me such pleasure, I do not know how I can ever go without it again.
“Miss Walters, if you are not careful, people will see your gleeful expression and recognize a lady well sated.”
She glanced up at him with a small giggle. “I am afraid I cannot control myself. I am a lady well satisfied, after all.”
He chuckled. “My goodness, you are a lusty one.”
Her cheeks heated with delight, but she did not reply as they reached the group. Though she could not easily dim her smile, she did heed his warning and moved further away from him to stand closer to her sister. Unity looked at her, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“You seem in rather high spirits,” her sister murmured. “Have you and Lord Morrington come to a truce of some sort?”
You have no idea, sister.
She kept the truth to herself, of course, and instead said, “I am finding that Lord Morrington is not quite the scoundrel I had believed him to be. I rather enjoy his company when there is no animosity between us.”
Unity appeared pleased. “That is wonderful, sister. I told you he was not a bad person. You just needed to get past your first impression of him.”
She was well beyond her first impression of Edwin. Tabitha almost found it amusing how wrong she had been about him. She was about to say so to Unity when Lord Burrows caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. He was moving toward them, a look of determination darkening his features.
When he reached them, he said in a curt tone, “Ah, there you all are. I had begun to worry you had abandoned us already.”
Lord Habtage stepped forward with a polite smile.
“Our apologies, My Lord. We were simply off exploring this lovely estate. I hope Lady Corrington does not believe we left without saying a proper goodbye.”
“Lady Corrington did not seem concerned,” Lord Burrows grumbled. His eyes roamed over each of them, lingering first on Tabitha, and then on Edwin. “My Lord Morrington, would you fancy a game?”
Edwin frowned. “A game?”
Lord Burrows turned and pointed toward two gentlemen engaged in a fencing game.
“You are quite the sportsman, are you not? Surely you are a skilled fencer.”
Edwin’s jaw tightened, and Tabitha felt a ball form in her stomach as he considered the offer.
At length, he nodded and replied, “I accept your challenge, My Lord. It could prove rather engaging.”
Lord Burrows’s eyes flashed with barely concealed glee, and he turned to hurry toward the fencing area. Edwin moved to follow him, but Tabitha stepped into his path.
“I do not think this is wise,” she whispered.
“It is only a game,” he assured her. “The tips are dulled. There is little chance either of us could be truly hurt.”
She did not find comfort in that fact. “I do not think Lord Burrows wishes to be sporting. He does not like you, Edwin, that much is clear.”
“He is simply jealous.” He stepped past her but dropped his voice to a whisper so only she could hear. “As he should be. He will never know the sweetness of your kiss as I do.”
She gasped, and he continued after Lord Burrows.
Tabitha shared an alarmed look with Unity before hurrying to catch up with Edwin. Her sister and Lord Habtage followed close behind.
The two gentlemen who had just finished their duel handed their swords to Edwin and Lord Burrows. Tabitha came to a stop a short distance away. She knew there was little point in trying to convince either gentlemen against this, but she wrung her hands in concern, wishing there was some way she could intervene.
Unity came up beside her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“It will be all right, it is not a real duel.”
It felt as though it were. She could see in Lord Burrows eyes how much he wanted to inflict harm on Edwin. She had not believed the gentleman capable of true violence before, but now she could not help the nagging worry.
The two gentlemen faced off, bowing before they began. The next moment, Lord Burrows attacked, lunging toward Edwin with a quickness that surprised Tabitha. He was far more skilled than she would have anticipated.
Edwin avoided the blow smoothly and countered with an attack of his own. They went back and forth like this for several
minutes, neither appearing able to take the advantage over the other. Tabitha was helpless to do anything but watch them exchange blows with wide eyes and her heart in her throat.
Suddenly, Edwin surged forward, knocking Lord Burrows off balance and overwhelming him. Lord Burrows fell to his knee, and Edwin flicked his blade beneath his chin, pinning him.
“I will take your surrender now,” Edwin announced with a satisfied smile.
Improperly Enticed By The Rascal Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 21