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She cocked her head to the side. “Such a strange thing to promise. Seems like something quite vengeful to promise.”
He took her hand in his. “Perhaps I may tell you the whole truth some time.”
“You had me bare my darkest secret.”
“I appreciate your honesty, with you trusting me.”
He caressed her fingers. He wanted to tell her this burden he had lived with for years but telling her would not change the outcome.
“Besides, Joseph will inherit the estate after me. He will make an excellent duke. Or, perhaps his children, if he dies before me. I’m sure he and Kitty will prosper as parents.”
Lydia made a face at the mention of Kitty, but she said nothing. Instead, she looked down, watching him caressing her hand.
“Shall I stop?” he asked, nearly whispering.
She shook her head, then replied in a barely audible voice, “No.”
He picked up her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles, letting his lips linger against her skin. Relishing at the scent of her, a light perfume that reminded him of lilacs, he trailed his lips over each finger. He watched the skin on her arm prickle into gooseflesh which made him chuckle.
When she did not pull away, he flipped her hand over, kissing the soft skin of her palm, then her wrist. He pressed his thumb into the hollow below her thumb, feeling her heartbeat racing. Looking up to her face, he could see her chest rising and falling heavily. Seeing how she reacted to him, he could not help himself. He pulled himself closer to her on the blanket, his face hovering over hers. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and pupils dilated. There was no reason he could think of not to kiss her.
So, he pressed his lips against hers, firmly, and her lips parted almost immediately, allowing him to deepen his kiss. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her against him hungrily. Moving over her, he lowered her head to the blanket. With his tongue seeking hers, he let his hand wander down her chest to cup her breast. She let out a gasp that made him groan against her mouth. She reached out to him, grasping the lapels of his coat to pull him against her. He wanted to take her there, have his way with her.
Forcing himself to pull back, he flopped over on his back.
“My lady,” he gasped. “You torment me.”
She said nothing, but he could hear her laborious breathing next to him.
“I must apologize. I promised to behave today.”
She said nothing still, which caused him to feel anxious. He looked over to her and she met his gaze with a hungry look in her eye. She rolled toward him, leaning over his face.
“Do not apologize, Michael,” she whispered, before setting her mouth against his again.
Surprised, he wrapped his arm around her back to crush her against him. He fought the urge to pull her on top of him, to have her straddle him. Just the thought of being between her legs started to drive him mad. He moved his hand down her back to grasp her buttocks.
“Lydia,” he breathed, breaking from her kiss for just a moment before returning. His fingers pressed into her skin, wanting more. “Lydia, we cannot -”
She broke away from him to press her forehead against his chest. From the rise and fall of her back, he could tell she was breathing deeply to calm herself. He laid his hand against her back, holding her against him as they let their heart rates slow.
The minutes passed as they laid there. Michael simply wanted to hold her there for eternity, to never let the moment go. While his lust abated, he stroked her hair, felt the fabric of her dress between his fingers, lingering over each sensation of her. Then, his stomach betrayed him, grumbling loudly, just below where her head lay. She sat up, laughing.
“We completely forgot about this lovely picnic that you packed for us,” she said, pulling away from him. Inspecting the food, she picked up a piece of bread. “The cook would be quite suspicious if we returned with a full pack.”
“I could just toss it out to the birds,” he teased, sitting up again. He was happy that the evidence of his arousal had dissipated, so that she had not seen it.
“What should we do about this?”
“This?” Michael asked, confused, as he picked up a pastry.
She pointed back and forth between them. “This obvious attraction between us.”
“Why does anything need to be done about it?”
Chewing slowly, she thought for a moment.
“You are here for what, another twelve days or so?” he asked. “What harm is there in an occasional kiss?”
