Falling for the Marquess - Julianne MacLean Page 0,41
I’m not ready to go back inside yet,” she continued to argue. “The servants won’t be up for at least another hour.”
She slid across the seat, took Seger’s face in her hands and kissed him fiercely. “Show me what to do. I don’t want to leave yet.”
He responded instantly, lifting her onto his lap, kissing her with unleashed abandon. Feeling aroused all over again, Clara straddled him. Her drawers were still on the floor, so she could feel the rigid length of him easily through the barrier of his trousers.
“What can I do to help you glimpse heaven, without losing what’s left of my virtue?” She blew gently in his ear.
He kissed her neck. “I’m warning you, you should quit now, while I’m still in control of my impulses.”
Heart racing, she untied his cravat and let her fingers slide into his shirt, across his smooth bare chest where she felt his heart beating.
“What I wouldn’t give to be inside you right now,” he whispered huskily, thrusting his hips, lifting her up.
She watched his face in the lamplight, and he watched hers. It all seemed so natural, intimate, and tender. How she loved being with him and feeling this way. How could she dream of doing this with any other man?
Clara rested her forehead against his. Their pace quickened until his grip on her hips grew tighter and firmer. He pulled her close and kissed her and she threw her arms around his neck and held him close.
After a while, he groaned in frustration. “You’ll be the death of me.”
“I wouldn’t want that.”
His eyes softened. “Promise me you won’t feel guilty about this in the morning.”
“I’m not sure how I’ll feel. But I hate that I can hear the birds chirping and the sun will be up soon. I’ll have to leave, or I’ll be seen. Mrs. Gunther would tan my hide.”
“Mine as well,” he replied.
She chuckled and nuzzled his face. “This was all so new to me. I never imagined….”
“It might surprise you to know, but it was new to me as well. We should do it again.”
“Yes, definitely.”
“How can we arrange it?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ll have to think about that.”
As she began to button her bodice, she suspected she would be thinking of nothing else until she was back in Seger’s arms again, by any means possible.
Chapter 10
Dear Clara,
No, there are no new faces in New York, so you had best make a success of it in London. You haven’t given up on the handsome marquess, I hope? Have you become better acquainted with him yet? I am anxiously awaiting more news.
Adele
Clara woke to the sound of a knock at her door. She grumbled, rolled over in her large, soft bed and opened her eyes.
The curtains were drawn and the sun was shining outside. What time was it? She squinted at the clock. Almost noon.
The knock rapped again.
“I’m still sleeping!” she called out, rolling to her side and curling up with a smile, gathering the covers into a ball and hugging them with her whole body.
“Are you all right, Clara?” It was Sophia. “You’re not ill, are you?”
No, I’m not ill. I’ve never felt so good in my life.
Clara sat up. “I’m fine. Come in.”
Her sister peered inside. “You missed breakfast and you’re about to miss lunch, too, if you don’t get your lazy bones out of bed.”
Clara waved her in. “I need to talk to you.”
Sophia shut the door behind her and moved fully into the room where Clara was sitting up in bed, smirking, feeling as if she might burst.
“What’s going on? You look like you know a secret.” Sophia sat down.
“I do, but if I tell you, you have to promise you won’t be angry, nor will you breathe a word to anyone. Not even James.”
“You know I don’t like keeping secrets from James.”
Clara hated asking her sister to lie, but she couldn’t let anyone else find out what she had done. More importantly, she didn’t want her brother-in-law—who had always been supportive of her despite her past mistakes—to think badly of her. She couldn’t imagine anything worse than disappointing someone she respected so much.
“I don’t want James to know because I don’t want to fall short of his generous regard. Besides, there would be havoc if he knew.”
“Havoc? What’s going on, Clara?”
Clara stared at her sister for a few seconds, hoping she wouldn’t be too shocked by what she was about to hear. “I...I did something rather impulsive last night.”