His fangs descended. He was extremely aware of every place where her body touched his, even with the many layers of fabric.A sluggish, pleasant warmth creeped out from his stomach and filled his entire body. This was what he craved. This novelty, this excitement, thispleasure. It had been decades since he’d felt such depth of emotion, and it was all because of her.
Deep inside, he wondered why he was exerting so much effort on a dressmaker when he could have found another, more willing, woman to accompany him. The only justification he could produce was Miss Carter’s scent. It confused his senses and made him act in an unusually impulsive manner.
That should have frightened or alarmed him, but his chest tightened with anticipation. He’d spent the last five decades flitting from city to city in an ultimately futile attempt to fulfill his promise to his maker. In all that time, he had kept his impulsive side under tight control and only pursued a few experienced ladies. Now that he’d accepted his death, it was time to release the reins.
He retracted his fangs, stepped closer, and tilted her chin with one finger. When he looked into her eyes, something inside him flipped over. Her cheeks were flushed, and several strands of hair had fallen over her face. He gently tucked the hairs aside.
“You cannot fathom how much I desire you.”
She swept the tip of her tongue across her lower lip.
An excellent sign.
“Lord Grayson, I—”
“Cordon.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Call me by my given name.”
“It would not be proper,” she whispered.
He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. “Indulge me.”
She swallowed heavily, then said, “Yes… Cordon.”
The huskiness in her voice made his cock rise to attention. Oh, he had chosen his quarry well, but there was one last test. He would not indulge without her explicit consent.
“May I kiss you, Miss Carter?”
Her mouth dropped open, then closed, then opened again. The redness in her cheeks spread across her entire face. After what seemed like minutes but was likely only a few seconds, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
“Call me ‘Kitty.’”
He squeezed her hips. “May I kiss you,Kitty?”
She swayed back and forth slightly, licked her lips again, then whispered, “Yes.”
Oneyescloser to his goal.
He leaned in, giving her plenty of time to change her mind and flee to the darkest corner of the shop. But she only closed her eyes and tilted her face like a sunflower seeking the morning light.
The moment their lips met, a bolt of heat shot through him. He’d never felt anything like it and nearly crushed her to his body in response. But that would have scared the little mouse away. Instead, he kept their kiss demure, a light caress of lips, until she made a soft sound in the back of her throat.
He touched their foreheads together. “Come to the opera with me tomorrow night. If you do not enjoy the experience, I will not ask you to do anything else.”
She exhaled slowly, then nodded.
Chapter Nine
“Icannot believeI am doing this,” Kitty said as she clung to Cordon’s side in the foyer of the opera house. What was she thinking? She had no business getting involved with a viscount, especially after she’d accepted his former mistress as a client. Although she suspected Miss Griffith would not want her garments, now that Cordon had dismissed her. At least he’d agreed to pay her for the work she’d already done.
And Kitty had taken Miss Griffith’s place. She was a kept woman.
Her life had changed so radically in such a short time.
“You can still decline,” Cordon said. “I would still pay you.”
