She touched his cheek, then pushed a lock of hair behind his ear. “But you are the one I want. No matter what.”
Michael looked back at her, then took a strand of her hair between his thumb and forefinger, twisted it, then drew it down over her shoulder, his eyes following the long red curl. He kissed the tip of it. “Clara—”
Her hand pressed harder against him, her fingers clutching his hair. “I do not want him, Michael. I want you. I do not care if he—”
He kissed her, a brief touch. “You must, Clara. His power is not to be trifled with. And there is so much at risk.”
Her eyes clouded. “You are afraid of him?”
Michael moved over her, easing his legs between hers, letting his hard shaft press against her. He sighed, his fingers glazing over her neck again. “It is not about fear.” He nestled his hips into hers. “It is about our future. Both of ours. I want to best him, yes, to win you. But in the right way—one that will leave you safe and secure.” He kissed her, a soft but thorough kiss. She arched against him, an insistent pleading with her body, and Michael’s resistance began to tremble.
“Then we will do what is necessary. Out there.” Her voice softened. “But what do you want of me now? Here,” she whispered. “Truly want. Please tell me.”
He gazed down at her, his hesitancy about his need for her, what he truly desired of her, waning. “I want—” his voice broke, his words clogged.
“Tell me.”
“I want to claim you—”
Her fingers tightened in his hair, and her other hand squeezed his shoulder.
“I want to make you mine. I want—”
A thud sounded on the stall door, and Michael’s top hat hit the ground with a soft thump, scattering combs and pins across the hay-covered floor. Both of them yelped, and Michael was on his feet in a second, staring at the orange tabby perched on the top edge of the door. The cat’s long tail swooped back and forth, annoyance in every swath. “Rufus!”
Still sprawled on the floor, Clara began to giggle. She rolled to her side, covering her mouth with one hand, and her entire body shook.
“This is not funny!” Michael hissed. His erection ached at the sudden shift, pushing against his clothes, and he reached down to adjust himself, deflation already in process. “Clara!”
She sat up, continuing to giggle behind one hand as she straightened her gown and tucked away her exposed breast. Her cheeks seemed to glow a bright pink in the dim light, and her eyes gleamed with mirth. She caught a breath. “Yes, it is.”
He glared at her but could not hold the anger at either her or the cat long. He reached out to stroke the cat, who snarled and hissed, setting off another spurt of giggles from Clara, who now pushed to her feet.
“I tell you, he just does not like men.”
“The same men who feed—”
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
The young male voice echoed down the hall of the stable, and Clara’s eyes widened as she clamped off her snickers. Michael held a finger to his lips as he nudged Rufus off the door, then eased out of the stall.
At the far end, one of the younger stable boys lifted a lantern higher. “Lord Michael?”
“I did not mean to disturb you. I hope I did not wake the others. I am just back from the ball and wanted to check on a few things.”
The boy, who could not have been more than ten, gave a quick tilt of his head. “You didn’t, my lord. We just wondered if it was that cat or if somebody had done snuck in.”
We. Damn it.“Mostly the cat, I’m afraid. He likes Copper. Not me so much.”
The boy’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Copper, who stood placidly in the stall across the hall.
Across the hall.Michael smothered the vulgarity on his lips. “You can go back to bed, lad. I’ll make sure everything is secure as I leave.”
The boy hesitated, then gave another quick tilt of his head. “Yes, my lord.”
Michael waited until the boy disappeared up the narrow steps leading to the sleeping quarters on the second floor, which housed not only the stable boys but the coachmen and grooms—who definitely would have known what was going on had they heard Clara’s voice in the middle of the night. He looked around at Rufus, who had returned to his perch on Copper’s door. “Behave yourself.”
The cat hissed.
