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The thought sobered him, and he pulled away from her.
What in the world was he doing? She was a virgin. An unmarried young lady! If anyone knew what they had been doing—hell, if anyone knew she was alone with him at all—she’d be ruined.
She swayed as he stepped back, and Sebastian steadied her. Lord, she was barely standing on her feet! And here he’d been delighting in her kisses, forgetting himself in the taste and feel of her while she was not comprehending what she was doing.
Sebastian closed his eyes in disgust. He never thought he’d be the one to take advantage of a helpless young lady.
“That was nice,” she said dreamily.
One side of Sebastian’s mouth kicked up in a smile. She was a delight, for certain.
“Now let me take you back to your chamber before anyone realizes that you’ve been missing this long.”
“Nobody will be looking for me,” she said with a sad lilt in her voice.
Lord, he’d taken total advantage of a lady who was clearly broken-hearted and vulnerable. He was the worst sort of scum.
He cleared his throat. “Can you walk?”
She looked at him, affronted. “Of course, I can walk.”
“Good. Then let’s go. I’ll escort you through the servants’ stairs so nobody notices you.”
She nodded, so he took her arm and weaved it with his. She leaned slightly against him, either to keep herself upright or dare he hope because she wanted to?
They walked silently down the stairs, her warmth at his side giving him comfort. He liked having her by his side; he realized. There was no need to speak, nor to paint. She was just there, and he felt peaceful.
They reached her chamber, and Sebastian opened the door for her. She stumbled, caught herself on the doorjamb, and laughed. Sebastian shook his head. “Will you make it to your bed without incident?”
She giggled again. “I don’t want to call my maid… But I suppose I can manage.”
Sebastian raised his eyes heavenward. “Fine, I’ll help you.”
He entered the room and barely had time to close the door when a tiny, black little demon with glowing green eyes jumped on top of him.
Wait… no, it wasn’t a demon. A cat?
“Oh, no!” Lavinia exclaimed. “Careful, Miss Gale doesn’t like…”
She didn’t finish her sentence but just watched him with a strange expression on her face as he cuddled the cat close to his chest and she started purring.
“…men,” Lavinia finally said. “Or at least she never liked a man before. Are you certain you are a man?”
Sebastian barked a laugh. “Perhaps it’s just Englishmen she takes exception to.”
“Perhaps.” Lavinia watched him as Sebastian rubbed the kitten behind her ears and lowered her to the floor. The cat rubbed herself against his legs, unwilling to step away.
“Traitor,” Lavinia whispered, and Sebastian gave a bark of laughter.
“You needed help?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes. Would you mind helping me out of my clothing?” She turned with her back to him and started working on her bodice and stomacher. “I can remove my front, but I’ll need help with my corset.”
Sebastian watched her as she shed the top of her dress and then the overskirts and petticoats. He gulped, watching the expanse of her back that now opened to him above the corset. His lips itched to kiss her, bite her, lick her.
He touched his fingers to her corset strings while trying to divert his mind. “Does Miss Gale spend her days in this room?” Miss Gale, as if hearing her name, started purring.
“Victoria was nice enough to assign me a maid since I haven’t brought mine with me. A lovely girl named Beatrice. She takes Gale out for walks, feeds her, and takes care of her.”
