presented too much temptation. He had to get her back amongst company, or else he was in serious danger of having her right here in Trask’s conservatory, which, thinking on it, didn’t seem like a bad idea.
She deserves better than a quick fuck on a stone bench. The plan had merit, but he craved her naked.
He fought a groan as he got to his feet. It hadn’t felt painful being on his knees for so long, but his body now protested. At least the pain helped dull the edge of his arousal. He could walk back into the parlor without brandishing an enormous erection.
“My gracious lady.” He offered her his hand.
She slid her palm against his as she rose to her feet, and just like that, the excitement he’d congratulated himself for dousing came flooding back.
“I like the way you say that,” she murmured. “My gracious lady. As if you were a knight and I was a farmer’s daughter.”
“Don’t you mean a princess?”
“I’m no princess,” she said firmly. “Not if she’s stuck in a tower, waiting for rescue. No,” she went on, “I’m the lusty farmer’s daughter who finds the weary knight in the barn and compels him to sate her desires. And he has to obey.”
“Because he’s sworn an oath to serve her in any way.” Shuddering, he clamped his eyes closed. “I’m a hairsbreadth away from tupping you right here and to hell with anyone who might come in and see.”
Her chest rose and fell. “I—”
“Lady Whitfield?” It was Lady Farris, and her footsteps neared.
Jess shoved Noel behind a large potted palm. It didn’t fully conceal him, but hopefully the shadows would do the rest of the job.
“Here,” Jess said brightly.
Lady Farris appeared. “Ah, good. You’re on the verge of being missed.” She eyed Jess, then looked at the potted palm. “You might want to wait here a few moments after we leave, Your Grace, before you return.”
Fuck. Noel emerged from behind the palm. Still, few things couldn’t be repaired with a dash of aristocratic sangfroid. “Lady Farris.” He bowed.
Jess said, “We were talking. Nothing more.”
Lady Farris held up a hand. “Don’t fret. I can’t pass along any scandal because I know nothing.”
“Why would you keep silent?” In Noel’s experience, information was a loaded weapon, ready to be fired. Everyone wanted to be armed.
“Because I’ve been where she is now,” Lady Farris said, nodding at Jess. “Some men wagered on who would be the first to bed me after I came out of mourning. A friend came to my aid, fortunately, but”—her voice grew tight—“I never want another woman’s body to be the target of speculation and gossip.”
Jess took Lady Farris’s hand. “Thank you.”
“You’ve also my gratitude.” Humbled by the countess, Noel bowed again. “If there’s anything I can do for you—”
Lady Farris held up a finger in warning. “Do not boast of this to your friends.”
“Never,” he said firmly. God, the very idea was disgusting. And to speak of what he and Jess had done to anyone would profane it. He would keep it close and sacred—filthy, but sacred.
“And that’s why I like you, Your Grace.” The countess smiled before turning to Jess. “Shall we return?”
“I won’t forget this,” Jess said earnestly.
“I hope not,” Lady Farris said, her smile widening, “for his sake.”
Jess took her arm, and she and Lady Farris drifted toward the door. They hadn’t gone a few steps before Jess murmured to the countess, “I’ll join up with you in a moment.”
She hurried back to Noel, then cupped the back of his head to pull him down for a searing kiss. He sank into her, lapping her up ravenously.
“I don’t want this to end,” he growled between kisses.
Pulling back slightly, her gaze roved over his face. She looked like a woman reaching toward a retreating light, grasping it before darkness fell.
He wanted to be that light, to burn brightly for her.
“Meet me at Covent Garden Market tomorrow,” she whispered. “Dress as though you were an ordinary man, not a duke.”
“It’s impossible for me to be ordinary.”
She gave a low, velvet chuckle that brought him back to moments earlier, when he’d been inside her, devotedly giving her pleasure. “Six in the morning.”
“Madam, I never stir from my bed at such an unholy hour.” He kissed her again. Her request was an odd one, but he didn’t care. What she offered was more time alone with her, and that was a gift he wouldn’t refuse. “You are the rare exception.”