Every movement, every low breath, every touch silenced all thoughts except how she could get him even closer.Closer. Following his lead, she eased his face back up to hers. He skillfully reclaimed her mouth. With each slow graze of his tongue against hers, an aching throbbed within her. It was too much, and not enough. She buried her hands in his hair, sleek strands slid through her fingers. He gripped her hips and deepened their kiss, taking. Heart pounding, a pleading sound escaped her, echoing in his mouth, and he growled in response. His hands slid from her hips, up, and around her back, roughly pressing her into him—she gasped again as a sharp pain erupted in her midsection.
Seth shot back as if scalded. Breathing ragged. Remorse swam in his eyes. “I’ve hurt you, I’m—”
“It’s all right,” she said in a quick wheeze. She couldn’t bear it if he apologized. She tried to make her voice soothing, but it came out shaky and hoarse. “You don’t have to stop.” She reached for him again and he laughed, a deep and throaty sound.
“Cassandra Cooper, you’ll be the death of me.”
With another chuckle, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her in a gentle embrace. He kissed the top of her head, lingering there until their breathing evened. She burrowed her face into his chest, wrapped her arms around him, and listened to his heartbeat.
If only it could last.
Come tomorrow, everything had to go back to the way it was before. For tonight, she could be in his arms, make a memory that could carry her through endless nights without him. Knowing how it might have been if their circumstances were different. Hurt pulled at her heart as she tried to leave tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow and be here, now, in this moment with Seth, with his fingers freely trailing through her hair.
Wait.
He had undone her plait!
Stepping back, grinning, he wrapped her hair ribbon around his forefinger before releasing it in a slow curl. With a familiar gleam in his eyes, he played with his new trophy.
Oh well. Better a ribbon this time.
Unbound, the humidity made her heavy hair cling to her brow and the back of her neck. A drop of perspiration formed at his temple and trailed down to his eyebrow. He stood still as she reached up and brushed it away, watching her all the while.
“You’re so lovely. If only I could freeze this moment.” He dipped his head and gave her one more slow kiss, and that same fluttering, aching weighed her heart. She couldn’t have him. As their time together faded, she couldn’t bring herself to words.
Seth spoke first.
“We should go.”
“Yes,” she agreed, separating herself from him. Everything had to end at some point.
“I’ll make sure we have more time, next time,” he said. With a skip to his step, he led her to the entrance of the glasshouse.
She stopped in the middle of the path.
Next time?!
“Seth… Mr. Reeves.” His eyes narrowed at her correction. “This won’t happen again.”
“Yes, Miss Cooper,” he said, voice filled with promise. “I think it will.”
Chapter Sixteen
She kissed me.
Seth had been grinning like a schoolboy all morning. He could pursue Cassandra properly now that he knew she had feelings for him. Maybe not love, but a flame was lit between them, one he could kindle if he played his cards right. He wanted alifewith her. To start his mornings with her smile and return home to her in the evenings, where he could kiss her, hold her,loveher, and give herchildren. As many as she wanted, and how he would enjoy trying.
With courtship in mind, he stopped by the kitchen on his way to the stables to send Trevor on an errand. As much as he hadn’t liked the idea at first, there was merit in having an extra set of hands to do his bidding. After, Seth spent the morning with Cooper, racing horses on Lord Bolderwood’s track. Cooper wanted to work on his riding skills, Seth needed to ride off excess energy, and of course, Sabre hadn’t objected in the slightest.
“What about when we win?” Cooper asked again, dismounting in front of the stables. He handed the reins off to a stable hand and faced Seth. “Nothing can tempt you to stay in London? We could raise a stir, you and I, two worldly rakes! The city will be ours for the taking.”
“You aren’t worldly, and neither of us are rakes.” Seth used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow, squinting in the mid-morning sun. During his travels, there was no shortage of foreign women who wanted to spend their evening with a British soldier, but none of themspurred him on like Cassandra had last night. Being a rake meant spending his time with other women, but he only wanted one. He wanted to be ahusbandto Cassandra Cooper.
No.
Cassandra Reeves.
His face could have split open with the force of his grin.
