That was answer enough for him. Bastien brought his mouth to hers again. Celine’s hand slipped underneath his shirt. His skin was aflame where her hands touched it, and she assumed his fingers were leaving burn marks down her back where the buttons of her dress had come undone earlier. He was thoroughly lost in desire and Celine, unexpectedly, found herself lost with him. His lips moved down her throat, his teeth grazing and biting greedily, like he had been wanting this—her—for a while and was finally offered something to soothe that longing.
“What are you doing?” Celine gasped as she felt her dress ride up to her waist, exposing her legs entirely.
A sharp, frustrated sigh drew out of him. “Showing you a couple of things to do when you are withJacques.”
“Jacques is a gentleman,” she exclaimed, feeling his palms move up her waist, hovering just below the slope of her breasts. “He wouldn’t kiss me like this.”
“I’m only trying to be thorough, baby vamp,” Bastien retorted.
Celine didn’t protest further; she didn’t think she could. Because the moment Bastien grazed his teeth across her jawline, biting her skin ever so softly, a pleasant fog settled over her mind, rendering her mute. She couldn’t muster up any other thought except for how irreligiously delightful his fingers felt as he dragged them lower down her spine, hooking them around the fabric of her dress.
And, with blistering speed, Celine found herself wanting more of it—of him. She wanted Bastien to extensively demonstrate why Jeanne had been so eager to comply with his whims at the masquerade. Why she hadn’t cared if someone were to find them like that. Why other girls wanted him andwere so ready to offer up their hearts, despite knowing he would never love them.
Celine’s fingers nimbly found their way into the silky strands of his hair, pulling back so that he could meet her eyes.
“Celine.” He was breathing hard. They both were. Her lipstick had smeared all over his mouth, but Bastien didn’t seem to care. “Tell me, does this feel like I don’t know how to love?”
Celine wanted to tell him that this wasn’t love, that it was only desire, but part of her wasn’t sure she could tell the difference at the moment either. She found him entirely, undeniably bewitching, just like everyone else did. It was impossible not to like him.
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you,” he teased.
Was she? Her heart was beating wildly, wanting to break through her rib cage, but the only other place it could flee to would be into Bastien’s.
“You would be a fool to think I would ever stoop so low as to enjoy this with you, Bas,” she managed as his lips latched onto her collarbone, redirecting her attention.
On the other side of the house, the sound of the doorbell rang out mutely.
Celine brushed it away. Who would possibly see an abandoned house and ring the—
“Jacques!” she exclaimed.
Lifting his head from her neck, Bastien grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Bastien,” he spelled out.
“No, you idiot,” she said, slapping his hand away. “Jacques is here.”
To his credit, Bastien paled a little. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Long story,” Celine panted, frantically trying to move away from him. “He’s come to pick me up—I have to take off thisdress.” Twisting her arms uncomfortably, she struggled to reach the rest of the buttons. “Ah! Help me!”
The broken door handle was more than an invitation to enter the house. If Jacques’s patience dwindled before she could make it downstairs, then he would undoubtedly find them like this.
The doorbell rang again.
“You still haven’t told him about the competition and this place?”
“Now it’s not the time,” Celine hissed. “Help me.”
“Turn around,” Bastien said briskly. He tugged at her dress roughly, but the buttons were small and the loops even smaller. He managed to undo only a few.
“Bas, HURRY!”
“I’m—trying. Why did you have to sew so many?”
Celine looked down at her hands. “They looked good.”
She heard him mumble a curse as he struggled to reach the middle of the gown.
The bell continued chiming, its echo ringing through the empty structure. “Ah!” Celine shook her hands anxiously. “There’s no time. Just—just rip it off!”
