Chapter Sixteen
Confident the danger had passed—for now, anyway—Phineas released the ready alertness from his body.
His hand stopped aching to reach for Claudia, tucked in his boot, and his ears stopped twitching at every sound.
The heat of fury that had roared through him in response to the threat against Lady Eleanor had only slightly dissipated.
Whoever had approached them was gone, but his words lingered like a promise.
It would need to be dealt with.
Feeling Lady Eleanor pull away from him, Phin turned around.
He felt compelled to keep her near—within reach.
Obviously, to keep her safe but also…because his body seemed to crave her presence.
His fingers tingled with the desire to drift across her skin again.
His blood thundered delicately with the need to feel her pulse.
He immediately sought her gaze, needing assurance that she was all right.
She did not look as frightened as he would’ve expected. There was some attentive trepidation in the dark stare she directed back at him. But also, a steady self-assurance.
Apparently, though London high society had the power to throw her into a near panic, being threatened by a formless voice from the dark merely strengthened her poise and confidence.
The thought amused him and he smiled.
The woman immediately lowered her brows in a frown. “You find this humorous?”
Phin shook his head. “Overall? No. But I am pleased to see you faring so well. It is not every day a young lady is confronted by such an experience.”
Her expression shifted into a look of subtle embarrassment as her gaze slid to the side for just a moment before returning to meet his.
He got the distinct impression that she was thinking more of their almost kiss than the encounter that followed.
His blood immediately warmed and the desire that had been flowing through him returned with full force.
She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “I suppose it’s something you experience on a daily basis.”
Her tone was both curious and accusing.
Again, Phineas had to wonder what exactly she was referring to.
He took a step toward her. Though her lashes fluttered, she did not step back.
And since she had been close already, his approach brought him to within a breath of her body.
Unable to keep himself from touching her, he lifted a hand to brush his knuckles along her jaw.
His focus may have dropped to her lovely rose lips when he spoke in a low voice.
“I told you the situation was getting dangerous.”
As soon as he spoke, he realized his words were just as ambiguous as hers had been.
Holding his stare, she whispered, “It would seem you weren’t exaggerating.”
He smiled again. “I never exaggerate,” he replied in a way that suggested he might do exactly that on occasion.
A soft sound of amusement slipped from her throat as her eyelids lowered just a little.
Phin’s muscles tightened. She was so indescribably beautiful.
He observed her expression carefully as he grazed his knuckles down the side of her throat. The gown she wore exposed the enticing shadow of her collarbone and he couldn’t resist. Turning his hand, he brushed his fingertips along the crest to the hollow where her pulse fluttered.
In response, her lips parted to take a swift, delicate inhale. Her eyes widened for just a moment before drifting closed.
She trusted him.
And for some reason that truth hit him with a force he wasn’t expecting. His voice was rough when he murmured, “Why did you call me here tonight?”
Though she kept her eyes closed, she licked her lips before whispered in reply, “To tell you what I know.”
Tempted beyond reason by the pink of her tongue gliding across her lips, Phineas slipped his hand around her nape. She immediately softened, allowed her head to fall back as her face tilted toward his.
“Is that all?”
She did not hesitate to answer. “No.”
Her honesty was unexpected and inspiring. He lowered his head, but before he touched his mouth to hers as he so deeply yearned to do, he whispered, “I’m going to kiss you.”
“I know,” she breathed.
The heady anticipation in her voice lured him. His mouth took hers before he managed to form another thought.
Rose petals.
That is what her lips felt like. Soft, silky, and sensual.
He couldn’t keep himself from gently brushing his lips back and forth, savoring the breathless beauty of the tantalizing caress.
But when her hands came up to brace lightly against his sides, he pulled her closer with an arm around her waist and tilted his head to deepen the kiss.
The quiet hum of pleasure that slipped from her throat nearly undid him, but he forced himself to go slow.
Though many people saw him as impulsive and careless, he was neither of those things.
In truth, he was very thoughtful and deliberate in everything he did.
He just had a skill for assessing and deciding his course of action very quickly.
And right now, he knew with a certainty that originated in his marrow that this kiss had to be perfect.
When he exerted a bit of pressure against her mouth, she parted her lips with a soft puff of air. Her breath was warm and honey sweet. He wanted to draw her essence deep into his body. Consume her.
Instead, he savored her.
He delighted in the responsive tip of her head and basked in the warmth of her body. He surrendered to the pressure of her hands and soft, pliant shape of her lips beneath his. And when he gently slipped his tongue past her teeth, he drowned in the taste of her.
Honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
*
Surely, she’d fallen into a dream. The lovely sensations swirling through her couldn’t be based in reality.
Eleanor tried and failed to find some mental purchase in the midst of everything she was feeling. But it was pointless. From the moment she’d sensed the viscount was going to kiss her, she’d lost all rational thought. She’d became utterly driven by her physical desires.
And she didn’t regret it in the slightest. At some point, she’d likely feel a rush of embarrassment for how easily she fell into his arms. But right now, all she wanted was more of the lovely sensations he inspired with the brush and press of his lips and the shocking, erotic sweep of his tongue.
The scent of warm sandalwood surrounded her as his tongue twisted languidly… luxuriously against hers. Delicious chills raced over her skin and a liquid heat pooled low in her body.
Yearning built inside her with each silken glide of his tongue and gentle sucking pull of his mouth.
She had no idea when she’d slid her arms around his back to curve her hands over his shoulders, but she used the leverage to press herself even closer to him…
craving the strength and breadth of him while everything inside spun into chaos.
She wanted the moment to go on forever. She wanted to melt into him.
But then he gave a low, gravelly sound and he lifted his head just enough to release her mouth. His rapid breath was warm over her lips and the hand that cupped her nape squeezed with subtle possession.
Eleanor didn’t want the kiss to be over. She didn’t want to open her eyes and see him staring at her. She wanted to drift in the sultry dream a bit longer.
Though he still held her tightly to him with his arm around her waist, he eased his hand from her nape in a tingling caress that stirred the heavy warmth in her belly.
And when he pressed the flat of his thumb to her lower lip, her legs nearly gave out.
She had to fight an inexplicable desire to close her lips around the blunt digit.
A low growly hum rolled through his throat as he rubbed his thumb back and forth.
“I will crave that taste for the rest of my life,” he murmured thickly.
The words made her melt. A choked sound caught in her throat.
“But we cannot remain here much longer.”
With a start, Eleanor realized how quiet it had become. She didn’t even notice when the roaring waterfall had stopped. All she heard now was the sound of the crowd dispersing not far away.
Stiffening, she opened her eyes and lowered her hands from the viscount’s shoulders as she backed out of his arms.
He made a brief sound of protest, but allowed her to retreat, removing his touch from her lips and his bracing support from her back.
Eleanor thought she’d crumple to the ground, her legs felt so weak and her control so awkward. Awareness had brought a swift return of her unbearable shyness and she struggled to lift her gaze to meet his. But when she did, a rushing wave of desire crashed back through her.
His gaze pierced through the darkness, igniting sparks of sensation along every nerve. In his eyes she saw the hunger Bridget had mentioned. She saw it and recognized it because she felt it too.
“My lord,” she breathed, not knowing what else to say.
He lowered his chin and gave her an intimate smile. “I prefer Phin.”
“Phin,” she repeated, testing the feel of it in her mouth.
His eyes flashed. Then he cleared his throat and turned to look toward the front of the Cascade. “Shall I escort you back to your cousins? I imagine they are waiting for you.”
“My cousins,” she repeated again, starting to feel like an idiot without an original thought. “Yes. They will be waiting.” She gave herself a mental shake. “But no. I can return to them alone. It wouldn’t be good for anyone to see us.”
He nodded. “Right.”
“Um… Right. Good night, then.”
She turned and started to walk toward the path before she recalled her original purpose and swiftly turned back. For a second, her breath caught at how devastatingly handsome he looked as he stood there watching her. It took her several breaths to find her voice.
“There is something I wish to show you. Something that had belonged to my grandmother. If you would call on me…” she added awkwardly.
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” she muttered with a nod before she turned and almost ran back to her cousins, her cheeks burning, her belly twisted in a heavy knot, and her lips swollen and sensitive from his kiss.
The crowd hadn’t fully dispersed yet, but she found the two young women easily enough.
Bridget took one look at her and gasped. “He kissed you,” she whispered fiercely. “And quite well by the look of you.”