A pair of hands clapped in front of his face, snapping him out of the erotic fantasy. “Come along, nephew!” His aunt was glaring at him and,to his mortification, while he had been wondering what Lottie would look like in the throes of Guy-induced ecstasy, half of the dinner guests had already left the table. Including Lottie. “You are going to sit with me.”
That wasn’t in his grand plan for the evening. “But…”
She hooked her arm through his elbow and dragged him up. “Your mother is saving us three seats at the front.”
Like one of the condemned on their way to their execution, Guy shuffled into the next room where his mother sat beaming and beckoning. He searched the rows of seats for Lottie, hoping she had found one in the back so that when he came up with a believable enough reason to excuse himself mid-concert, she could easily slip out unnoticed behind him. Except Lottie had been commandeered by Miss Maybury’s mother and father and was seated, sandwiched between them, right in the middle of the middle row. She shot him a frustrated glance as his aunt dragged him to the front, as unhappy about the situation as he was.
The universe was clearly plotting against them and at least another hour of sexual frustration loomed before him.
Except it wasn’t an hour because the diremusicaledroned on for two. By which time Guy was ready to murder someone. But somehow, he managed to thank all the ladies for their performances, beside his insistent mother, before he was able to make his excuses and leave.
He shot Lottie a heated look and she shot one back, and was almost out of the door when Mr. Maybury collared him. “I had a special bottle of port brought from home for all us gentlemen to enjoy over our billiards tonight, my lord.” He tapped his nose. “Along with the finest cigars from Cuba.”
“Sadly, you will all have to enjoy them without me tonight, Mr. Maybury—with my complete blessing, of course—as I have an early start tomorrow and—” His blasted mother jabbed him in the ribs before she trapped his arm like a vise.
“But you can spare our neighbor half an hour after he has been so generous, can’t you, Guy?” It was more an order than a question because she was pinching the skin of his bicep hard. “You are the host, after all.”
“Well… er…” Out of the corner of his eye he watched Lottie get spirited from the room by his aunt Almeria. She twisted briefly and caught his eye, and he could tell by her expression that she wasn’t going to be allowed to escape anytime soon either. “Of course.”
And because the universe wanted to punish him some more, it was another hour before he could escape the blasted billiard room. But at least the rest of the house was quiet.
Guy quickly checked every single downstairs room he could possibly think of where Lottie might be waiting for him, from the library to the linen closet, but all to no avail, then had to conclude that she had gone to bed like everyone else.
But did she want him in it?
He pondered that conundrum as he readjusted the insistent bulge in his breeches for the millionth time before he jogged up the stairs.
Wanting some mutual touching and satisfaction was a long way off from wanting him inside her and he didn’t want to appear to be pressuring her into full-blown intimacies by knocking on her door. But on the other hand, what if she was waiting for him too so that they could finish the mutual touching they had started to their mutual satisfaction? Guy knew his way around a woman’s body but he had never understood how their blasted minds worked. And he had no idea how to approach such things. If he were Bill, he’d likely know precisely how to handle this situation. Would know all the right things to say and would do it with such seductive, flirty charm he wouldn’t look like an idiot. Guy, on the other hand, was in grave danger of looking like an idiot because, as he stood outside Lottie’s bedchamber, he was halfway to tongue-tied already and he hadn’t even knocked on her door.
Good grief, but he was pathetic!
Annoyed at the nerves that were getting the better of him, he lifted his hand to tap on her door and almost choked on his own tongue as it swung open and there she was. Her golden hair hanging all loose and enticing, bare toes poking out from beneath the hem of her robe, and the sultriest smile he had ever seen on her lips.
“What took you so long?”
“I’m sorry… I…” What the blazes didwhat took you so long?actually mean in this context? “Mr. Maybury wanted to talk about the black rust on his wheat and—”
She grabbed a fistful of his cravat. “Just shut up and kiss me.” Lottie dragged his mouth to hers as she simultaneously yanked him inside.
ChapterTWENTY-NINE
Life reallywastoo short not to live it to the fullest.
Lottie knew that her relationship with Guy might not last longer than the next two days, but she had decided that she would rather make the most of that time than ponder the inevitable consequences.
She poured everything into the kiss, pinning him against her bedchamber door as she turned the key in the lock, not caring one whit that she was being shameless. Guy didn’t seem to mind either as he was all over her, moaning into her mouth as his hands explored her back and bottom.
“There is nothing under this robe, is there?” His voice rasped as he nipped at her ear, his breathing choppy and his body eager.
She arched her neck to give his mouth better access to it, her own voice thick with desire too. “There seemed little point in keeping my clothes on when I knew you were going to take them off.”
“Oh, Lottie…” His sigh was hot and heavy against her skin. “You are killing me.”
“That was my plan.” She supposed propriety dictated that she shouldn’t be quite so brazen and shameless, but she was enjoying it. Her nerves, as she had paced her bedchamber waiting for him and wondering if giving him everything was prudent, had dissolved the second his eyes had devoured her in her doorway as he stuttered inanities.
Watching him swallow.
Watching him flounder.
