Page 30 of Snowed In with the Jilted Duke

She wandered to the rack where the cues hung, letting her fingers drift across them. "I suppose I must wait until I am a married lady to learn."

When they were wed, he could teach her billiards. He could watch her bend herself across the table and⁠—

Instead, he blurted out, "We must decide a way to have you make an appearance as yourself."

Pippa frowned, and her mood visibly darkened. "I suppose so. People are asking so many questions."

Curious, he asked, "Will it not be pleasant to return to your own clothing and be yourself for a bit?"

"Yes, of course."

Her hand rose to pat nervously at her hair, adjusting one of the jeweled combs that held it in place. Between that and the lack of enthusiasm in her voice, Oliver suspected she was not eager to end their masquerade as a betrothed couple.

"How will you explain Penelope's absence?" he asked.

"It will be simple enough. Everyone knows she has bouts of her joint pain, so I shall begin to wince and complain tonight. No one will be surprised if Penny is absent tomorrow and I appear with a handkerchief held to my nose."

Oliver frowned. "I suppose that might work. But then... how to switch back?"

"I don't think that would be possible." She turned and looked him in the eye. "I do not believe we could come up with another plausible excuse why Penny and I could not be seen together. Everyone would expect to see her within a day or two, or the ruse would be revealed."

The relief he felt at her words surprised him. "So would it... would it not be better to leave, er, 'Philippa' bedridden and have you continue on as 'Penelope’?”

"Perhaps so. I need to think." She flashed a quick, adorable smile at him. "Shakespeare made all of this to-ing and fro-ing of twins look easy."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm afraid none of us can match his genius."

He was glad she was disinclined to return to her drab persona and her drab gowns. He was also reluctant for her to do so, for her to tuck her personality away again and withdraw from everyone into the persona she had chosen after her sister became ill. He suspected she had chosen that course out of guilt and shame after kissing him, which made him even more loath for her to return to that.

Idly, she rolled one of the billiard balls across the surface of the table and suddenly, fiercely, he wanted to feel that hand on him again. He wanted to kiss her while she was still herself—even in her guise as Penelope—rather than what she had turned herself into out of remorse. Out from under the shadow of her sister, Pippa was blossoming, making a place for herself in the Dalston family that Penelope had never had, or even seemed to want. Perhaps the masquerade had given her more confidence, but the results were all Pippa.

He wanted her to stay here with him forever, just as she was now.

He crossed to her and stood close until she turned and looked up at him, a small frown between her brows.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to watch you punish yourself any longer, Pippa. The past is the past."

Before she could reply, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

Surprised, Pippa couldn't help but lean into Oliver and return the kiss, her arms going around his neck as his slid down to her waist, pressing her body to his. A quiver of fire ran down her spine as she remembered the last time they had kissed like this, in the breakfast room.

He seemed to remember as well, because he put his hands to her hips and lifted her to sit on the edge of the billiards table.

She giggled, and he broke the kiss to mock-frown at her. "You find my kisses amusing?"

"Very amusing," she said, and pulled him back down for another.

Passion flared between them, and she twined her hands into his hair to keep him close. His hands slid up her sides to hover just below the bottom of her breasts, and she broke away to take a deep breath.

He took advantage of the moment to slide his mouth down her sensitive throat until he reached the swell of her breasts, tracing kisses along their tops and down to the edge of her bodice as she clung to him.

"This neckline made me very nervous while you danced," he murmured against her skin, every puff of his breath making her shiver with pleasure.

"Why?"

"Because I was certain it would fail at any moment." His hands moved to her shoulders, pushing down the edges of her dress and, sure enough, her breasts popped out, swelling above her stays, nipples immediately hardening under the influence of the chilly air and his hot gaze.