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There would be enough scandal for him and Jo. He didn’t want to drag Miss Fowley into more misfortune than he already had.
Richard watched out the window as Jo exited the house and now stood on the curb, waiting for Richard to collect her. Richard rapped the roof of the carriage and it moved in Jo’s direction.
As soon as Jo settled inside the carriage, she threw up her hands. “She doesn’t want our help. In fact, it seems like she thought it all through. And quite brilliantly, might I add? She is more put together than either of us. And perhaps, by spurning her, you actually made a poor choice.” She chewed on her lip, obviously still worried about Miss Fowley. Or perhaps something else was troubling her.
Richard leaned forward and took her hands in his. His eyes closed briefly from the contact. God, he’d missed her. “I’ve made quite the muddle of things, haven’t I?”
She swallowed a bitter chuckle and looked at him, her gaze imploring.
Richard squeezed her hands. “I shall not leave Miss Fowley in trouble. Don’t you worry.”
Jo’s expression turned annoyed. “You are going to have her followed, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean ‘going to?’” he asked with a slight smile.
“Richard!” Jo laughed, and he tugged on her arms.
“Come here.”
He pulled her onto his lap and caressed her face. “I missed you so very much,” he whispered, staring into her eyes.
She swallowed. “I missed you, too.”
He leaned in until their lips almost touched but didn’t move beyond that. He just closed his eyes, inhaling her scent.
She was the one who leaned into him and pressed her lips against his, but he was the one to turn that kiss from innocent to boiling hot.
He devoured her mouth, hungry for her taste. He rejoiced with every little moan and the answering pressure of her lips. And then she slipped her tongue past his lips and Richard could not control himself any longer.
He angled her mouth for better access, swirling his tongue inside, rubbing it against hers, and collecting the taste of her from every corner. His hands roamed her body, tugging on her gown, dying to touch her naked skin.
She turned away suddenly, her breathing labored, but he continued kissing her face, her neck, then swirled his tongue against the sensitive spot where her pulse raced against her skin.
“Richard, stop,” she breathed, but her fingers sifted through his hair, holding him close.
Richard pressed a soft kiss to the base of her throat as his nose nuzzled at the juncture between her neck and her jaw. He couldn’t quite make himself turn away. He could not make himself move away from her. But he did stop.
She eased away from him and stared into his eyes, her own still filled with passion.
“Your kisses,” he whispered, staring into the depth of her soul. “I might be willing to die for them.”
She smiled slowly and shook her head. “I’d rather you lived.”
She scrambled from his lap, and Richard helped her back to her seat opposite him. He readjusted his breeches, hissing at the ache in his loins. If her kisses didn’t kill him, wanting her surely would.
She tugged on her clothing, getting it back to a semblance of order, then looked up at him, her eyes vulnerable. “Richard… Where does this leave us?”
Richard frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Our relationship,” she clarified slowly. “You promised you won’t interfere with my acting. And I insisted that I am not going to be your mistress. So where does that leave us exactly?”
“I thought it was obvious,” he said, the frown not leaving his face. “We are going to marry.”
“What?” Her voice was small.
Richard let out a soft laugh. “What did you think was going to happen, Jo? You told me to accept you the way you are. I have. You said to be unattached. I am.”
“Yes, and I said after we would talk.”
