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Her shoulders lifted in indifference. “Mmm. Perhaps.”
Ravencroft growled at her foolishness. He needed to teach her a lesson about what happened to a lady who wandered in the dark. His head lowered to whisper a scandalous suggestion in her ear when the fresh scent of lilacs on a warm summer day flooded his senses. The fragrance shifted his attention into wanting to give Noel a sweet kiss. To savor her innocence and let it invade his dark soul. Would her lips hold the same sweetness as her soul? Or would it strike a flame and burn him fiercely?
Noel softened at the desire burning in Ravencroft’s gaze. It stated his intentions. Her toes curled, anticipating her first kiss. Would he be gentle? Or would he ravish her lips with a passion out of control? Either way, it would finally happen. She had dreamt of this day since he first asked her to dance. She thought he would have by now, considering their engagement. Instead, he offered her his devotion by his gentlemanly attendance at every function and charmed her family. He played a gentleman to the highest esteem. As frustrating as it was, it was also something Noel admired about Ravencroft.
She had lied to Maggie about sharing kisses with Ravencroft. They were only figments of her imagination. She dreamt every night of his warm embrace and the kisses he ravished from her lips. How was she to admit to her younger sister that no gentleman, even her own fiancé, had ever attempted to kiss her after she had watched Maggie and Dracott share a kiss?
Ravencroft watched Noel’s eyes grow heavy with desire. Her eyelids lowered, and her lips formed a soft pucker. Hell! That was the exact spot he stood in at this moment. The devil in him pestered him to take what the lady offered. To kiss her innocence away and tempt her into sin. A simple enough act since Noel offered herself to him so willingly. How easy it would be for him to tempt her every desire to his benefit. To sweep her into his arms, lay her before the fire, and unleash his passion on her.
She didn’t realize how tempting of a package she displayed herself in the snug trousers that molded to her every curve. Her unbound breasts pressed against his chest. With one swoop, he could discard her shirt and feast upon them. Were her nipples a light pink or were they the color of berries? Either way, his mouth watered in anticipation of sucking them between his lips to savor the unique flavor. He wanted to hitch her leg over his hip and press his cock into her core. To make her aware of the danger she had placed herself in with her visit.
With a deep moan, he released her and drowned his desires with another drink, instead of kissing her. He stalked away, not even giving her the courtesy of helping her regain her balance. He must remove himself from her presence before he fulfilled every fantasy he held of them together. If not, Ravencroft would scandalize Noel by sticking his cock inside her with the tree against her back. He would press her into the bark and listen to her screams of pleasure filling the air.
Ravencroft had sunk into a dark hell, and he didn’t wish to ruin Noel. If she came anywhere near him, he didn’t know if he could hold himself to behave like a gentleman. He had kept himself reined in throughout their courtship, but now he was unsure of his ability to remain indifferent with his life engulfed in turmoil. Noel represented everything he desired but could never have. He had fooled himself into believing otherwise. However, he had awakened to his foolishness once his mother reappeared and threatened to expose his secrets.
“Return to your home, princess,” Ravencroft snarled.
It was how he viewed Noel. She held the quality of a gracious lady who only displayed her intelligence when needed. Her simple thoughts fooled most people. However, they were anything but simple. He had learned early on after he started courting her how unique she was. She allowed only those close to her to appreciate the intellect of her thoughts. Noel fooled everyone else, leaving them vulnerable to her cleverness.
Noel defied him. “No.”
“Yes,” Ravencroft growled.
She took a step toward him. “I deserve an explanation for your disappearance.”
Ravencroft scoffed. “My lady, I owe you nothing.”
Noel stomped her foot. “We are engaged. You will fulfill the promise you made me.”
Ravencroft’s dark chuckle sent a shiver along her spine. Instead of answering her, he took another drink from the bottle, then he walked over to her again. Noel trembled, not from fear but from how she yearned for his touch. He had almost kissed her before. Would he fulfill her dreams and kiss her now? Instead of drawing her in his arms again, he walked in a slow circle around her. At first she kept turning with him but grew dizzy as he continued the act.
When he passed her, she noticed the interest in his eyes. They kept sweeping up and down her body, much to her delight. On his next pass, he stepped closer, and the heat radiating off his body warmed her. Ravencroft stopped right behind her and paused. He never touched her, but he didn’t need to. His closeness wrapped her in a seductive embrace.
Ravencroft closed his eyes, willing himself to keep his hands off her. Her body trembled each time he passed around her. Noel wanted him to caress her. Ravencroft knew how a lady reacted when the desire she held went unattended. Soft sighs would whisper between her lips without her realizing it. Her tongue would wet her lips to prepare for a kiss. While her body would soften to having the one she desire so close, it was strung taut, waiting to have her every desire fulfilled.
Noel wanted him.
“I do not have to fulfill anything I do not wish to,” Ravencroft whispered near her ear.
Noel shuddered at the warm breath across her ear. It took a moment for her to understand his words. She spun around to confront him, but once again Ravencroft strode away. She moved after him and grabbed at his arm.
“You act like a drunken fool,” Noel berated him.
He shook off her hand. “I may be drunk, but I am no fool. You are the fool to throw yourself at me.”
“Fool? Throw? You?” Noel sputtered.
Ravencroft’s laughter grew more cynical. “Yes.”
Noel took a deep breath to draw in her temper, but she actually wanted to scream her fury at him to see reason. But she had learned at a young age from watching her parents argue that words spoken in anger only drove a deeper wedge and harmed the innocent. If she laid the foundation for this behavior, this evening, it would set a precedent for every argument they would ever share.
“I see you are unable to reach clarity because of your intolerance to the spirits you consume. So I will save this conversation for when you are sober. Perhaps then we can reach a compromise. For now, I wish you a good evening and my sympathy for the headache you will endure on the morrow.” With a nod, she turned and started for home.
Ravencroft couldn’t believe the audacity of this lady. For every argument he gave her to steer clear of him, she refused to see reason and fought him to continue their relationship. Why? Did she worry it would ruin her chance of securing another match? She couldn’t possibly hold any sort of feelings for him since she had never expressed them before, only preened over his attention whenever her family or friends were around. They may enjoy each other’s company, but not once had she ever shown him she desired more. Had he misjudged how she felt? Either way, it no longer mattered. He refused to risk her life for his wishful fantasies.
He raised the bottle to his lips for another drink, but found it empty. Ravencroft threw the bottle against the house after his frustrations took hold. The glass shattering echoed into the night, causing Noel to pause at the gate. If she thought he would allow her to leave without making himself clear, then she would soon learn to never walk away from him without his permission.
His long strides ate up the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and threw her over his shoulder. The drumming of her fists on his back didn’t break his return to the house. With one arm securing her legs against his chest, he threw the door open to his study and stormed inside. He dropped Noel into a chair and moved behind his desk. Ravencroft needed to place distance between them because his need to kiss her was stronger than ever after holding her in his arms.
