The warmth of his breath on her skin, the strength of his body pressing against her, the seduction of his words made Millicent want to forget everything but this man and the way he made her senses come to life. She loved the way he touched her and soothed her fears.
Wanting like she had never known before filled her. She lifted her mouth to him. The soft warmth of his tongue swept the outline of her lips slowly, teasingly before taking them passionately in a kiss that was meant to weaken the last vestige of her reserve, and it did.
His hand moved up from her waist to cup her breast. Millicent’s breath quickened. His palm flattened against her breast and gently moved up and down, causing ripples of pleasure to course through her.
From deep inside herself she found the strength to say, “I must go in. Hamlet barks to let Lady Beatrice know I’ve come home. She will send Glenda looking for me if she doesn’t hear me coming up the stairs soon.”
“All right,” he whispered. “I’ll let you go.”
No, don’t.
“But only after I have one more kiss. I want to go to sleep tonight with the taste of your lips on mine.”
He bent and pressed his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. In the coolness of the night, his lips were warm, his body firmly protective. He circled her in his arms and brought her up tightly to his chest and hugged her to him. It felt wonderful.
Millicent sighed contentedly. She had been disappointed when she hadn’t seen him tonight, and while she knew she should be angry that he continued to jeopardize her reputation, all she could think was that she was so happy he took the risk in coming to see her.
“You taste of liquor,” she said softly into the warmth of his mouth.
He nodded a little. “I’ve been drinking, trying to forget about you.”
“Obviously, it didn’t work.”
“No. It didn’t. We don’t suit, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I fear you are in my soul.”
Millicent’s breath caught in her throat. Did he mean that? When he said things like that, she almost could believe he meant every word.
“You know all the things to say to make a lady lose her head over you, don’t you?”
Chandler lifted his head. She wondered if he was trying to look through the darkness into her eyes and read her innermost thoughts. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to take advantage now while she had him at a weak moment.
“I want to know what pleases you.”
“You know how to kiss and tease and make me desire you as I never have any other man. You are a rake. It is what you do, what you are good at and I can’t fight you.”
“Millicent, you misunderstood me.”
“No. I am not ashamed of wanting your touch, or your kisses. I have longed to feel about a man the way I feel about you, but I will not fall victim to believing you care about me, Chandler. Don’t try to make me believe you care.”
“All right.” He stepped away from her. “I guess it is best we know where we stand.”
Millicent took a deep breath, wondering where she’d found such courage. It would have been so easy to have believed him. Thank God she hadn’t.
“Will you agree that I can call on you tomorrow and take you for a ride in Hyde Park?”
“Why do you insist on pressing me on this matter?”
“I tried to come to a conclusion about that very thing tonight, and I have no answer other than I want to be with you.”
“If I agree to see you openly, will you promise not to see me in secret again?”
“No.”
He drove her to madness! “You are a mystery, Chandler. Why see me in open and secret?”
“How can I kiss you the way I want to, the way you want me to, if I don’t see you in secret?”
“That is the problem. I fear I am only a mad dash away from scandal.”
“And so you are. I’ll call on you at half past three today. Be ready.”
With those parting words he slipped away into the misty darkness.
***
Chandler’s lashes fluttered against the bright sunshine of midday. He squinted, his eyes not wanting to adjust to the daylight. Had he been dreaming about Millicent or had she really been in his arms?
They were in a room lit only by candlelight. She wore a low-cut gown