Chapter Eight
William lined up the artefacts he had stolen the previous day on his desk, his fingers tingling with the familiar thrill of handling gold. A snake-shaped necklace. A couple of beautifully-preserved golden coins. Two rings engraved with stylised birds. The early morning sunlight shone on them greedily. Stealing them had been almost too easy, really. Lady Claudia did not have the least interest in supervising him. He had not seen her anymore yesterday.
He should be proud of himself. Even if this did not turn out to be Claudia Cornelia’s legendary treasure, the things were worth a fortune. And yet his excitement about the golds was somehow muffled compared to what he had experienced in Lady Claudia’s company yesterday. They had been about to kiss again, hadn’t they? All night he had pictured what could have happened if he had not asked her to part ways…
Well, nothing had happened. And he better stop daydreaming like a lovestruck little boy and focus on stealing as much as possible.
‘Good morning, Mr Campbell.’ Mrs Russell appeared at his door. ‘A man just brought these papers for you.’
Viscount Caiani’s notes, at last!
‘Thank you, Mrs Russell.’
His fingers trembled as he leafed through the bundle. Pages and pages of notes, maps, and lists. It would take ages to go through them.
Now, that looked interesting. Caiani had included several drawings of objects that had been allegedly sighted in Claudia Cornelia’s treasure. They didn’t look much like those he had seen until now, but a huge crate had just been delivered yesterday. He could make a start with those drawings and read the rest overnight.
He took the pages with him, and he walked—no, ran to Piazza Navona, heart pounding in his throat, soul tensed like a violin string, a bloodhound on the chase. The air of Rome had rarefied, there was an omen in the air, perhaps there would be a sign appearing in the skies because his moment was about to come, he knew it! Viscount Caiani had a sixth sense when it came to antiques, and he wouldn’t have spent a lifetime amassing all that information if there wasn’t some truth to the legend.
He climbed the staircase to the Earl’s study three steps at a time. As he entered the room, he knew that today anything could happen under the sun of Rome.
Lady Claudia was sitting at her desk, gold and white and silver in the morning haze, her lips a little parted, her breath a bit shallow in her lovely, flustered throat. Her fingers balled up nervously.
He had the sensation of stumbling. Of missing one step and narrowly avoiding tumbling down a staircase. A dent in his sense of omnipotence.
She’s a distraction. A danger. Stay away from her.
As if it were easy. The mere sight of her had spread a feeling of elation and excitement right across him. She cocked her head on one side. Her every move sent delighted shivers all over his body, again, and again, and again. He could not get used to being in the same room with her.
She frowned a little bit and made to leave.
A sense of loss. Wanting to avoid that loss. Unexplainable.
‘Stay, please,’ he heard himself say.
Luckily there wasn’t an award for the worst thief ever lived, because he would have just won it.
Again, he had the feeling of missing a step, of stumbling a little.
‘I’d need your help with something.’
Her eyebrows lifted a little bit, sceptically. Then she shrugged her beautiful shoulders and went to stand next to him.
‘First of all, good morning, Lady Claudia.’
‘Good morning,’ she said flatly—way too flatly. She was trying to steady her voice. ‘What would you need help with?’
‘I am trying to find clues about the owner of this treasure. Could you help me spread the artefacts out on the desk? Goblets with goblets, jewellery with jewellery, and so on.’
‘You couldn’t possibly do that alone?’
‘Is the notion of helping me out a bit so abhorrent? All things considered, I’d say we are getting along rather well, don’t you think?’
‘Some may say a little too well, Mr Campbell.’
Her expression was indecipherable.
‘There’s no such thing as getting along too well.’ He shrugged. ‘Why, by the time I am done with this inventory, we may even become friends.’
Of course. The kind of friends that are always one moment away from kissing.
‘If you say so,’ she said vaguely.
They both knelt on the floor to extract the objects.
Mistake! Awful mistake!
Her light blue dress had such a low décolletage that each time she leaned over, her full, firm breasts almost spilled from the rim. A diamond pendant attracted his gaze to the tantalising curve where they met. He longed to cup her breasts and trail his tongue flatly, greedily between them. He was pervaded by a nearly unmanageable sensation. That of truly, for the first time, craving to discover all the secrets of a woman’s body. To close the distance between them, pull down her dress to expose one lush, florid breast, and suck her nipple into his mouth until both of them dissolved in a whimpering pool of lust…
His blood left his brain.
He forced himself to look at the objects sprawled on the desk. His gaze flitted from here to there, drawing patterns. The goblets, plates, and bowls all had the same decorative motif. Perhaps they had been made for some great occasion. A new emperor. A nuptial banquet, perhaps. Their rims were finely engraved with a geometric motive: two interlaced semicircles. A surprisingly simple decoration for something so precious. It didn’t look familiar at all.
A glance at Lady Claudia. Her neck. Her breasts.
His groin tightened.
Damn it.
‘Is everything all right, Mr Campbell?’
Her voice was so low and husky that it begged the question of whether a man could be brought over the edge just by listening to it. He didn’t want to find out—not right now, at any rate.
‘Yes. Perfectly all right. Thank you.’
‘Am I making you uncomfortable?’ A little ironic flicker in her silver eyes.
‘Has anyone ever told you that there’s a mean streak to you, Lady Claudia?’
‘I don’t think anyone ever bothered watching close enough.’
‘I’m glad to be the first, then.’
She smiled and they continued extracting the artefacts in silence. It was mesmerising, watching her handle gold. She may as well have been handling dust. It made him wonder what it would feel like to live without his craving for wealth. Without every interaction with the world being filtered through the lens of the things he did not have.
She held up a golden goblet and examined it. He was cast in a parallel world where he had spread those objects at her feet. Where he was adorning her figure with gold as she sat on a throne, powerful and resplendent.
‘I must say I am a bit worried, Mr Campbell.’ Her gaze was genuinely concerned. ‘You look rather shaken. Are you feeling unwell?’
‘No, I just—’ He mumbled it too low for her to hear, blushing like a boy.
‘Oh?’
He swallowed.
‘It’s just that it would please me immensely if you tried on these jewels for me.’
***
It was as if she hadn’t repeated to herself all night that she had to stay away from him. As if nothing had happened between yesterday and now. Because that undeniable tension had picked up exactly where they had left it off. Mr Campbell was watching her every move. His gaze was everywhere on her, like a warm, soft touch. She picked up a snake-shaped bracelet. Their eyes met, and he swallowed. It sent a long, slow shiver down her spine.
‘I meant it. Would you try it on?’ His voice was barely louder than a whisper. ‘The bracelet, I mean.’
‘If—if you like.’ She made to wear it, but he placed a delicate hand on her wrist.
‘No. Allow me.’
He opened his palm, and she placed her hand on it. There was that crackling again. He bowed a little and barely brushed his lips against her open palm. Shivers rippled all the way up to her shoulder. He secured the bracelet up on her forearm, so that her arm was caught in the golden coils.
He went pale.
‘Beautiful.’
He picked up a necklace. Two snakes intertwined—fighting, mating?
‘How about this? Would you…would you wear it for me?’
‘Yes.’
His lips quivered a little.
‘Turn around, please.’
She complied. There was a moment of utter silence in which she could hear her heart beating. Then the cool metal laced around her neck and rested on her clavicles. His fingers were trembling against her skin. He breathed in deeply.
‘I lied just now. You do make me nervous, Claudia,’ he said softly, discarding the Lady before her name. It felt intimate.
‘Do you say this to every woman?’
‘God, no.’ He fumbled a little with the hook.
‘There’s no reason to be nervous.’ She reached over her shoulder and his fingers intertwined briefly with hers. ‘I don’t bite. Not strangers, at least.’
They laughed quietly.
She turned around. His gaze encompassed all of her with raw, unaffected wonder. And yet again she caught a glimpse of something else behind his rakish reputation. A curious, sensitive man who was in awe of all that was beautiful.
‘Is there…’ her mouth was dry, ‘is there anything you could wear too?’
‘Oh—this.’ It was a golden armband decorated with semicircles. ‘Wait.’
He took his jacket off, fumbling hastily with his buttons. A lock of hair fell over his brow. He was left in his shirt and waistcoat. He pointed at his biceps. ‘It sits up here.’
‘Very well.’
She stood so close to him that their feet almost touched. She ran her fingers along the cuff of his shirt.
‘Allow me, Mr Campbell?’
‘Please. Please do,’ he whispered urgently.
She undid his monogrammed cufflink, blue and golden, and placed it on the desk. Then she exposed the loveliest, lightly-suntanned forearm. She rolled his sleeve up, uncovering the lean bulk of his biceps.
Now she swallowed. Their eyes met. He brushed his unruly blond hair away from his brow. He looked like gold and sun and warmth, and never in her life had she looked upon anything so precious. Her eyes welled up.
‘I don’t think I can keep looking at you,’ she whispered as she hurriedly fixed the golden armband around his warm biceps. ‘You are burning my eyes, Mr Campbell. It shouldn’t be possible to look this good.’
‘Claudia,’ he just said softly, taking her hand. He placed it on his heart. ‘Feel what you do to me.’
His heart was beating hard against her fingers. It was like looking into a secret world.
‘Can you feel it?’
‘Yes.’
He slipped an arm around her waist, light and feathery. He did not release her eyes as his fingers traced her wrist and his other hand came to rest against hers, palm-to-palm. His soft fingers interlocked with hers.
‘Tell me something, Claudia,’ he whispered to her, his eyes a little hazy. ‘Why do we always, every single day, end up within a few inches from each other?’
‘I don’t know.’ She smiled, and his eyes dropped to her lips. He leaned closer, his lips so close to hers that they brushed against each other. She could feel his hot breath fanning her lips.
‘What are we going to do about it, Claudia?’
‘I don’t know.’
His smile brushed against hers.
‘What about a kiss? Shall we pick up from where we left off?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good.’
He cupped her face with his hand, and she closed her eyes. First there was just a sigh brushed across her lips. Then he lightly, barely caught her mouth with his. There was the softest pressure, like falling , and her whole being came alive in complete bliss. A flight of doves sprang forth from her soul.
He caught her mouth cautiously, almost shyly. It felt like kissing a boy for the first time. But his lips had barely sought hers that they quivered, and he withdrew. His eyes were hazy and dreamy, but he bit his lip nervously. His hand was trembling a little against her face.
‘You do make me nervous,’ he said with a twitchy smile. ‘I was not just saying it.’
And that was the confirmation she had been waiting for.
You are not who everyone thinks you are. So who are you, really, Mr Campbell?
All she knew was that she couldn’t wait to find out.
***
Divine.
Breathtaking.
Terrifying.
He withdrew and Lady Claudia looked at him a little confused. He must have looked pretty worried because her next words were:
‘I am really not a saint, Mr Campbell. I have kissed a man before. It doesn’t need to mean anything. There’s no need to be scared of hurting me.’
‘It’s not that.’
No. It was quite the opposite. He was the saint. He hadn’t kissed a woman since he had been but a boy. And he was scared of getting hurt (and, incidentally, of making a fool of himself), because if all of a sudden he felt like kissing a woman, it had to bloody mean something.
And you’re supposed to stay away from her, remember?
And that too, yes.
‘I am sorry. I must have misunderstood something.’ She sat down on the settee, looking a little dazed. ‘Let’s just forget about this, shall we?’
His whole body rebelled. He had sacrificed so much in his life. He had sacrificed everything , and forgotten all about himself.
Not this time.
‘No. You have not misunderstood anything.’
He climbed onto the settee next to her and pressed his lips to hers. Her smile widened under his lips. Then he deepened their kiss, and for the first time he felt her tongue—rough and warm. He lapped against it slowly, savouring the inordinate luxury of tasting her.
And reason deserted him.
He began devouring her mouth, her lips, their tongues battled, taking his breath away. He pulled her to him, and the next thing he knew was that her hands had laced behind his neck and she was straddling him.
Lord almighty!
He pulled back, breathless. Her eyes were murky and heavy with desire.
‘Claudia…’
‘Mmm?’
‘Do you like this?’
Am I doing this right?
She burst into a full, hearty laughter.
‘You can’t possibly be serious, Mr Campbell.’
He couldn’t hold back a huge grin.
‘Stop smiling at me like that!’ she commanded sternly, although her eyes flickered with amusement. ‘You burn my eyes!’
‘I just—’
She cupped his face and caught his mouth. And this time she luxuriated his mouth with such a fiery, wanton, utterly indecent kiss, pressing herself slowly and rhythmically against his swollen member, that he felt at the same time savagely aroused and impossibly shy.
A quiet moan escaped his lips.
‘Do you like this, Mr Campbell?’
The mating golden snakes around her neck seemed to mock him too.
‘Y-yes.’
‘Would you like more? More of this?’
‘Yes… please. ’
She laughed as she tilted his chin up, and she sought his mouth again. This time he was not content to receive. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, and a delighted whimper escaped her lips. And he knew that he was lost. Because when she pressed her warm body to his, it vibrated with heat and strength, like that of a warrior goddess. She pressed herself against the hard, aching length of his member, making his head roll back in pleasure. And within a split second he knew two things. The first (which had already been abundantly clear) was that Caiani had been completely right about Lady Claudia, and if this woman wanted, she could snap a better man than him in two like a twig. The second: that if she kept on doing that an instant longer, he was going to spend in his breeches. So in consideration of the two realisations, but especially of the second, he was forced to say something that, in that moment, he would have never wanted to say.
‘Claudia, darling, don’t. ’
He caressed her cheek, as though that paltry gesture could hold that fury in check.
‘Don’t what, pet ?’ Her eyes wildly sparkled with mischief. Her lips parted and took the tip of his thumb between them, their soft pressure forcing indecent comparisons.
Dear God! Help!
‘You’re so sweet, pet, getting all shy,’ she teased him, and her voice alone made his manhood spasm. She increased the pressure of her lips a little. The wetness of her mouth made him demented with want. He had never been that hot and hard in his life.
‘Dear Lord, Claudia,’ his capability for rational thought crumbled. ‘You want me dead.’
The next thing he felt was the tip of her tongue trailing up the small portion of his thumb she held in her lips.
It sent a jolt of pleasure so mind-bogglingly intense through his loins that he had to grab her hips and resolutely push her away so as not to explode in his breeches on the spot.