What is wrong?” he said.
“Nothing, just tired. It’s been a long night. Congratulations, Christian. You have managed to get a foot in the door. If we can work to capitalize on it, then we will be in a strong position when the negotiations take place.” She pulled her fingers out of his grasp and went to stand.
Christian shot to his feet. He reached for her, but she took a step back. Her heel hit the edge of a box and she winced.
“What is wrong, Erika? If I have said something to upset you, please, whatever it is let me fix it,” he said.
She fiddled with the tiger’s eye ring. “This is a wonderful piece of jewelry. You must make sure that I return it to you when things are done.” The quiver in her voice betrayed her. She had to leave the room before she fell to pieces. With a lightness of foot that surprised even herself, she rose up on her toes and placed a brief kiss on Christian’s cheek. “Good night.”
A firm hand gripped the sleeve of her gown and he hauled her against him. Their gazes met for a moment before his dropped to her lips. Christian placed his hands either side of her face and took her mouth in a deep, sensual kiss.
His tongue swept past her lips. There was nothing tentative or polite about his kiss. There was only heat and passion. Erika clung to the front of Christian’s jacket.
A strong hand was placed in the small of her back holding her to him.
She should have fought against it, knowing how dangerous it was to give in, but this was something Erika had craved for forever. Their mouths were fused in an embrace, a long slow spell of desire.
This was everything she had ever hoped a kiss with Christian would be. As their tongues danced over one another, Erika prayed it would never end.
And then it did.
Christian drew back, released Erika from his hold, and stood staring at her. The look of surprise and bewilderment on his face crushed her heart in an instant. It had been a moment of madness—that was what his expression said.
He regrets it. Oh, god, please don’t apologize.
Without another word, Christian turned on his heel and left the room. Erika stood, fingers held to her swollen lips, while she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
The kiss earlier in the evening had been for the benefit of others. It had been a public display of affection, something to which they had agreed.
But this kiss was something else entirely. It had been spontaneous, and passionate. And she had felt it to her core.
As she continued to stare at the door through which Christian had fled, Erika was left with one question. Why had he kissed her?
This was not a part of their agreement. It served no purpose, nor contributed to their cause. There had not been a gathering of interested spectators to witness it.
She touched the engagement ring once more, running her thumb over its smooth surface.
No, his kiss made sense. He had been worried that she was not fully invested in their scheme. Christian had kissed her to reaffirm their agreement. To remind her that while she wore his ring, he could demand her loyalty. That she would maintain the lie.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Christian was certain that there would be bruises from where he had continually kicked himself in the hours since that kiss. Why, oh, why had he done that? And then to top it all off he had fled like a thief in the night as soon as it was over.
The morning sun shone brightly through the dining room window and he was still struggling to get his head around it. One minute he was busy trying to understand what was wrong with Erika, the next he was indulging in his deepest fantasy and kissing her senseless.
Correction. You were the only one with a complete lack of sense last night.
The ball at Carlton House had been an outstanding success. They had everyone believing that they were a couple madly in love. He should have left things with her as they were when they had returned home. Waited until the cold, sensible light of day to ask her if she was alright.
“Yes, well, if there wasn’t a problem before you left the party, then you surely made certain that there was one as soon as you got home,” he muttered.
Their romance was meant to be purely for public consumption.