As she stared, he stripped off his gloves and threw them aside, then yanked off his coat.His fingers, always deft and assured, fumbled with the buttons of his waistcoat before it, too, was flung aside.
Was he going to take off everything?Kate’s heart thundered.She had seen him naked before, but not apurpose, and certainly not in this manner, tearing off his garments like a man driven by demons.It was as if the cool veneer that had encased him for so long was being cast away with his clothing.
And although she had wanted to discompose him, this was not at all what she had had in mind.She drew in a deep, ragged breath as he pulled at his shirt, drawing it up to reveal his broad chest, the hair dusted across it, the puckered red mark of his wound, and the dark thatches beneath his arms.Thrusting away the fine linen, he paused to look at her.
Kate shivered, half in dismay and half in excitement, as he came down on top of her, his mouth finding hers with luscious abandon.She knew not what fueled him, anger or madness, or whether he was toying with her still, but she could no more deny him than she could the swift spark of her own escalating passion.
She had forgotten the feel of the clean lines of his torso, and she slid her hands up his chest, delighting in the play of his muscles, the smooth skin of his back.He groaned, pressing closer, and the weight of him settled against her until all she knew was his hardness.
And heat.It surrounded her, from his body, his lips, and his hands as they cupped her face.His fingers traced the whorls of her ears, laced through the curls of her hair, kneaded her scalp, and glided down her throat, leaving fiery trails behind them.
His tongue danced with hers, a simmering, swirling waltz of taste and texture that fired her desire.His palms glided over her breasts before he pulled impatiently at her shirt, whispering curses.
Gone was the smooth, polished lover from the hillside, and in his place was a man whose hands trembled when they stroked her stomach.He kissed her there, his tongue dipping into her navel before moving on to skim the flesh beneath the edge of her trousers.
Kate was filled with a sweet, giddy warmth, and smiled to hear him swear again as he fumbled with the fall.Her amusement fled when, above the harshness of their breaths, came the sound of a button popping and landing against the side of the stall as he pulled the material asunder.And then he touched her so intimately that Kate gasped.Or was it a sigh?
“Kate.Kate,” he murmured.He shuddered and lifted his head to look at her.His eyes blazed in a way she had never seen before, with a wildness that held her in thrall.He loomed above her, his tall body still as he trapped her with his gaze, while the air simmered around her, heavy with anticipation.
And then his fingers moved against her, sending such pleasure through her that Kate could only blink in astonishment.Closing her eyes, she gave herself over to the Marquess of Wroth, working some kind of unimaginable magic…
A noise escaped her throat, and Kate gripped his muscled arms, her nails digging into his skin as she sought purchase.Her head fell back, and she gasped for air, while the heat grew in intensity until it exploded within her, an amazing rush of flame that left her body boneless and melted.
For a long moment, Kate lay there, unable to move or think, until a snuffling sound made her open her eyes.She saw Grayson and, over his shoulder, a large dark shape.His horse, obviously tired of waiting for a nonexistent groom, was nudging his back.
Muttering a curse, he pushed the animal’s head away, but it was insistent.Although Kate wanted to laugh, the expression on Grayson’s face stopped her.He looked down at her with such naked emotion that her heart nearly stopped.
And then it was gone.His features were shuttered once more, making her question her powers of perception, especially when he rose to his feet and grabbed his shirt.
“So now you know,” he said in a hoarse whisper.“Now we both know how much I feel.”
Chapter Twelve
Silently, Kate let Mrs.Leeds help her into the first of her new gowns to reach completion.Although she was tempted to refuse it, Kate could hardly insult the young widow, who was justifiably proud of her work.The garment fit her to perfection, the silk flowing over her body seamlessly.Smooth and light as a cloud, it was finer than anything Kate had ever owned, and she touched it with something akin to awe.
At Mrs.Leeds’s urging, she stood before the mirror in Lucy’s room, amazed by the reflection that met her eyes.The girl who stared back at her looked nothing like the drudge she had become, but resembled a younger, more carefree version of herself, slender and pretty, her curls gathered in new ribbons.
“It’s lovely, Mrs.Leeds,” Kate said softly, fingering the soft material.The color was beautiful and seemed oddly familiar, like a field of violets spread before her, fresh and… Kate stiffened and jerked her hands away as she remembered Grayson laying her down upon this very fabric, draped over the worn oak table in the kitchen like some hedonistic carpet.
“His lordship chose the bolt himself, to match your eyes, he said, and he was right,” Mrs.Leeds said, smiling happily.“You look fair as a summer morn, my lady.”
Kate turned away from the mirror, her brief pleasure in the garment destroyed by the mention of Grayson.She had spent the better part of the night lying awake, wondering how she could have been so wanton with him, how in just a few moments he had transformed her anger into desire.And then, after giving her the most intense experience of her life, he had left her lying with her clothes undone on the floor of the stall.
She had watched Grayson stalk away from her, his fists clenched at his sides, and she had felt as if they were closing around her heart.She had tried to goad him into feeling something, but it was she who had ended up shaken to the core.
If he had meant to teach her a lesson, he had succeeded.She would never again try to pierce his cool exterior, for fear of cutting herself.He had felt something alright, but what?Lust, longing, disgust?
Kate shivered, suddenly cold, and rubbed her arms.
“Here, my lady, you’re not used to baring so much, are you?”Mrs.Leeds asked with a chuckle.That was true enough, for instead of a man’s shirt, her arms were covered only with tiny puffed sleeves, and an alarming expanse of her chest seemed to be displayed.
“I’m sure we brought along just the thing.Here,” Mrs.Leeds said, turning to hand Kate a spangled shawl that matched the elaborate trim of her gown.It sparkled like spun gold, and although she told herself she had no business wearing such finery, it slid over her shoulders in a sensuous glide that reminded her of Grayson’s touch.
Could she think of nothing except the man?
“Are you all right, my lady?You’ve turned a bit pale, but here now,” Mrs.Leeds said, reaching up to pinch Kate’s cheeks.“That’s better.Now, I’ve orders from my mum to let her see you first off, so we must make a stop in the kitchen, if you don’t mind.”
Mumbling her assent, Kate dutifully followed the seamstress down the servants’ stair and let Meg exclaim over her daughter’s handiwork.Then she was shooed off to the dining hall, where Lucy waited for her gentleman, who seemed to spend nearly all his time at Hargate.Kate swallowed a sigh, for she still was assailed by the same combination of joy and sadness that accompanied any thoughts of her sister’s wedding.
