Chapter Twelve #2
Starting toward the exit, she almost ran nose-first into the library ladder. She laughed at her near mishap. Not only was she suffering from a severe case of clumsiness, but now she also desired to climb the ladder just for fun. Emily must be rubbing off on her in more ways than one.
She placed Cecilia on Alexander’s desk, then returned to the ladder.
The wood chafed her feet as she climbed.
She halted a few rungs from the top. She had to be seven feet in the air.
This was as high as she dared go. She looked down, and her heart dropped just as it had when sharing secret glances with Mr. Stone.
Steading herself, she slowly inhaled and exhaled until the tingling in her heels abated.
Now that she’d adjusted to the height, she perused the spines in front of her.
“Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon,” she read out loud.
She’d never understood why Emily enjoyed philosophical texts because she found reading them even more torturous than wearing her sister’s slippers.
She giggled at her comparison, then did a double take.
Tucked in between The Prince and The Republic sat The Secret Life of Gentlemen.
Juliet gasped. To her knowledge, this was one of the most scandalous books ever written. Emily once told her that every page contained pictures and descriptions of sexual acts, some of them quite shocking.
Curiosity overriding her common sense, Juliet braced herself against the shelf with one hand and stretched until she could pull the book from its unlikely spot.
Gripping the ladder for dear life, she allowed the volume to open naturally.
She blinked, then gawked at a picture of a large-breasted woman straddling a naked man who held her breasts.
The woman’s head was thrown back in ecstasy.
Although terribly indecent, Juliet found the illustration beautiful.
Her nipples tingled as if the man was touching her breasts.
Swallowing hard, she momentarily let go of the ladder to turn the page.
This image showcased the same couple, but in this picture, the man had raised his head to take one of the aroused lady’s breasts into his mouth.
“Oh, my,” Juliet murmured in response to both the titillating drawing and the tickle in her core.
“Miss Juliet,” a male said.
Juliet startled, and the book tumbled from her one-handed grasp.
She reached for it, throwing herself off balance.
While windmilling her arms, she was able to right herself, only to watch helplessly as the book beaned Mr. Stone’s forehead.
She instinctively brought a hand to her mouth, causing her to once again teeter precariously.
This time, her foot slipped from the rung.
She might have screamed as she tumbled backward.
She definitely closed her eyes, preparing for the hard impact, as well as her probable death.
Except that she never hit the ground because strong arms caught and cradled her. She opened her eyes to find Mr. Stone’s nose inches from hers.
He hugged her to his firm chest as if she were a precious baby. “Are you injured?” he asked, concern lacing his question.
She shook her head. “You saved me.” Just like Mister Brown Eyes had.
He exhaled what sounded like a sigh of relief, then placed her on her feet. “I’m sorry I scared you. I thought you heard me enter.”
She hadn’t heard a thing. Most likely because she’d been preoccupied with lewd pictures and her feminine longing. She looked down and cringed. The notorious book was title face up.
They simultaneously squatted, his hand landing on the book before she could grab it. He picked it up and flipped it open. This time, the image displayed was of a man with his mouth on a woman’s bare cunny.
Mr. Stone’s eyes widened.
Juliet’s cheeks caught fire.
He slammed the book closed, then stood.
He must think her terribly salacious. Of course, she was behaving like a Jezebel.
She had two choices. She could flee from the library and hide from him forever, or she could face him as a mature, curious woman.
Since she was tired of hiding from people, and forever was a very long time, she stood and looked into his eyes.
But only for a moment because despite trying to be courageous, she was too ashamed to hold his gaze.
“You see,” she said, her voice sounding meek. “I am getting married, and I do not know much about the things that happen between men and women on their wedding night.”
She’d broken off the engagement, and she would rather sleep with hungry sewer rats than climb into Charles’s bed.
However, hopefully, this excuse was less scandalous than admitting she was curious about the book since she’d recently started having carnal fantasies.
There was no way, not even if she lived to be a hundred, that she could ever confess to anyone that she’d liked looking at the pictures.
Mr. Stone’s nostrils flared. “I thought you didn’t want to marry Lord Riley.”
The disgust she felt for Charles would not allow her to contradict Mr. Stone’s statement, even to save her pride. “I don’t want to marry him,” she whispered.
“Then don’t. He is a horrible man.” There was so much venom in Mr. Stone’s words that it was as if he knew and detested Charles. “At least, I assume he is horrible from what you and Alexander have said,” he added.
There was no point in lying. “He is horrible, Mr. Stone.”
“Eric.” He stared into her eyes.
“The thing is, Eric, I wrote a letter today breaking off my engagement. My maid is to post it. I fear he won’t accept my decision, and that my parents will force me to keep my word.” Now he would know that she’d been looking at the book for other reasons, but at least the truth was out there.
“I’m begging you, don’t marry him,” Eric said. “If you are afraid of him, I’ll protect you.”
If only this sweet man could keep her safe, but he was no match for the duplicitous Rileys. They would destroy an untitled man, right before they destroyed her. No matter what, she couldn’t allow Mr. Stone to fight her battle.
“I think it is almost dinner time,” he said. “Again, I’m sorry I startled you.” He attempted to hand her the book.
She shook her head and stepped back. “No, thank you. I wasn’t expecting it to be so indecent.” Good lord, she was going to burn in hell for being a cowardly liar.
His expression unreadable, he tucked the book beneath his arm and strolled to the ladder. Juliet couldn’t help but watch his buttocks cheeks flex as he climbed.
He was three quarters of the way up the ladder, when he looked over his shoulder to peer down at her.
She pretended to be looking at the ceiling.
“Is this correct?” he asked.
She hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, although her inner wench chimed in, saying, Your arse is better than correct.
“Is this where you found the book?” he asked.
“Oh,” she mumbled under her breath. She couldn’t tell if it was the exact spot, but he seemed to be in the correct vicinity. “Yes,” she called because she wanted to put this humiliating encounter behind her.
He deposited The Secret Life of Gentlemen onto the shelf, descended a few steps, then jumped to the ground.
“I meant it,” Mr. Stone said. “I will protect you if Lord Riley threatens you in any way.”
She did not doubt that he would try. But would he still want to put himself out there if he knew the entire truth?
There was only one way to know for sure. “I kissed the man who saved me at the theatre,” she blurted. “I don’t know who he is, and I kissed him.”
Looking down at her, he tilted his head. “I see.”
She swallowed. “I suppose I liked kissing him. Rather, a lot. In fact, I think I quite like him.”
One side of Eric Stone’s mouth quirked upward before straightening.
“Do you think me horribly wanton?” she asked.
He stepped so close that only a few inches of space remained between them. Heat from his large body enveloped her as his gaze slid to her lips. “I think you are perfect.”
Still focused on her mouth, he lowered his head until their noses were only a few inches apart. Good lord, he was going to kiss her.
She had to stop this madness because she couldn’t go around kissing men willy-nilly—even the ones who saved her.
She meant to step away, but her legs froze, and her lips involuntarily puckered.
On second thought, he had kept her from splatting on the floor. And he didn’t seem to care that she’d kissed a stranger. Besides, what harm was one little kiss after she’d almost died? She tilted her head back and lifted onto her toes as invisible butterflies tickled her insides.
His raw groan blew across her cheek. And then, his lips touched hers.