Stolen Kisses (33 page)

Lilith grinned. He was jealous. “He asked me to marry him again.”

Jack’s eyes darted in the direction Nance had disappeared. “Ah. And you decided…”

“I decided that no one but you, Jack,” she murmured, “has ever cared about me, about my opinion, and about my happiness.”

“Lil,” he said, swallowing and looking quite ill at ease for a rakehell, “I heard that you left your father. I hope it wasn’t because of me.”

“It was because of
me
, Jack. And because of you, I suppose. But I need to know something from you.”

He scowled, his eyes uncertain. “I’m a terrible match for you. I gamble, I drink, I have no scruples—”

“The reason you risked your life to save me, I assume?” This was not going to work. As long as he was able to convince himself that the most noble choice would be to let her go off and make a wretched match with someone other than himself, no matter how miserable that would make the two of them, she hadn’t a chance. She needed to get him somewhere where she could be more…persuasive. “We can’t talk here.”

“Lilith—”

She cut him off again. “Meet me in the library in a few minutes, will you?”

“I shouldn’t,” he said, his eyes holding hers.

“Yes, you should, if you don’t want me to marry Nance.”

Again a slight scowl touched his face. “He’d be a good match.”

“All right, never mind, then. Shall I invite you to the wedding?”

The marquis glared at her, reluctance and yearning clearly vying with one another on his face. “Baggage,” he finally growled. “I’ll meet you in the damned library.”

He did want her! Well, that decided it. The only detail
was, as William had said, to return Jack to his natural state of scoundrelhood. By the time the waltz ended, Lilith had decided on just how she might accomplish that—if she had the courage.

Jack returned her to Lady Sanford, and then excused himself. The evening couldn’t be all that easy for him, considering the way his fellows had treated him over the past few days, but he appeared to be enjoying their momentary discomfiture, and made a point of going about greeting all of his acquaintances. Lilith tried not to watch him, failing utterly as he slowly made his way along toward the stairs and then vanished.

“I think I’d best go chaperon Penelope and your brother before we have another scandal on our hands,” Lady Sanford said after a moment, and smiled as she glanced in Jack’s direction and then back at Lilith. “Neither of them can boast subtlety as their strong suit.”

“I’m afraid not,” Lilith agreed with a grin, and watched her hostess make her way over to where Pen and William sat against the wall, chatting and laughing and completely oblivious to everything going on around them.

As soon as the next dance began and everyone was distracted, she slipped out of the ballroom and up the wide staircase. The butler passed her, looking at her curiously, and Lilith raised a hand to her hair, as though trying to fix her curls. He must have believed that she was headed to a bed chamber to repair her coif, because he continued on his way.

The library door was halfway open, and Lilith slipped inside. Jack stood gazing out the tall window into the darkness. He turned as she entered and locked the door behind her.

Jack lifted an eyebrow. “A bit suspicious, don’t you think?”

She shrugged, strolling over to the door on the far side of the fireplace and locking it, as well. “I want to be with you, Jack.”

This time he looked truly startled. “Here?”

“Yes.” She stepped toward him, but he lifted a hand as if to hold her off.

He drew a ragged breath. “I’ll give you one minute to retract that statement, Lil,” he said gruffly, remaining planted by the window as though by sheer willpower alone. “Because you shouldn’t think I’ll be noble and refuse your request. I’m not remotely that much a gentleman.”

She gave a slight grin and tilted her head at him, heard him draw a quick breath in response. Lilith reveled in the power she had over this cynical, fiercely intelligent man, for she’d never had such a thing before. Yet with Jack Faraday, her slightest change of expression sometimes seemed able to distract him from everything else until he had deciphered and responded to it. “Your lack of restraint is rather what I was counting on, my lord,” she whispered.

Slowly she stepped forward again, not stopping until she was able to slide her hands about his waist. Lilith leaned up and brushed her lips across the base of his jaw, trailing kisses along his chin and over to his ear. Jack stood very still, his eyes closed and his breathing uneven. Knowing she must be wearing him down, Lilith trailed the tip of her tongue along the rim of his ear.

The marquis drew a harsh breath. “Lil, if someone catches us, you’ll be ruined.”

“Shh,” she whispered, slipping her hands under the shoulders of his coat and sliding the garment down to the floor. She raised up on her tiptoes and very gently touched her lips to his. Before he could respond, she backed away a little, noting that he followed. Again she
kissed him, and this time he met her mouth hungrily.

Her fingers drifted down to slowly open the buttons of his gray waistcoat, and she pushed that to the floor as well. Almost as if against his will, Jack’s hands lifted to slide about her waist and pull her closer.

“This…this is completely improper,” he commented, drawing another breath as she pulled his cravat loose and tossed it to the floor.

Lilith smiled as she pulled his shirt free from his breeches. “I know.”

“May we at least move away from the window?”

That made sense, anyway. She kissed the exposed base of his throat. “If you insist.”

A country dance began to play downstairs, the sound muffled by the closed doors. Lilith took Jack by the hands and led him over to the deep, overstuffed couch. This time she didn’t have to coax him into kissing her as he pulled her close. She slid her fingers up under his shirt, running her hands over his well-muscled abdomen and chest. Small shivers of excitement and anticipation ran down her spine and her arms. As her hands moved down to the fastenings of his breeches, he lifted his face away from hers.

“Lil, are you certain you know what you’re doing?” he asked softly, his hand caressing her cheek.

She finished working and let the trousers slide down his hips. He was clearly aroused, and she took a quick breath. “Stop being such a bore, Dansbury,” she murmured, pushing him backward onto the couch.

Before she could change her mind, she removed her shoes and stockings. Gathering her emerald skirt and her shift in her hands, she straddled Jack’s hips and slowly eased herself down over his erect member. She moaned at the tight slide of their flesh together and lowered her head against Jack’s shoulder.

The marquis made a ragged sound of his own, chuckling breathlessly. “For God’s sake,” he muttered into her hair, “don’t leave me like this.”

Lilith raised her head to look down at him and grinned back. She kissed him deeply, then tentatively lifted her hips and lowered herself on him again. “How is that?” she asked.

“Splendid,” he groaned.

Gripping tightly around her hips, he guided her movements until she felt more confident about what he wanted and what she wanted from him. Jack began lifting his own hips to meet her, and she placed her hands on his shoulders and threw her head back. As the tension inside her exploded. Jack clutched her hips and held her close against him, sucking a breath in through his teeth as he erupted as well.

Lilith leaned against him, panting, and he gently wrapped his arms around her. “Lil?” he said quietly after a few moments.

“Hm?”

“I love you,” he murmured.

Lilith shivered, her eyes closed tightly. He’d said it. He’d said it when she had begun to think he never would.

As soon as she could breathe normally again, she raised her head. “Well, that settles it, then,” she said in what she hoped was a matter-of-fact voice.

He furrowed his brow. “Settles what?”

“You’ll just have to marry me.”

Jack’s eyes met hers with a startling intensity. “Beg—beg pardon?”

“I’ve completely ruined you,” she continued. “No doubt someone saw us both enter the room. If you don’t agree to wed me, I’m afraid no one else will have you.”

Slowly the wary look on Jack’s face slid into a smile.
His eyes dancing, he reached up to brush a straying hair from her eyes. “Is that so? You wouldn’t mind being leg-shackled to a poor excuse for a gentleman such as myself?”

“Not a bit,” she replied promptly. “If you don’t mind being married to a respectable chit who’s far too concerned with propriety.”

The marquis laughed. “I think you’ve cured yourself of that, my dear.” He pulled her face toward his and gently kissed her. “I suppose,” he said softly, “if you can become a bit more scandalous for me, then I can become a bit more proper for you.” He kissed her again. “Lilith, will you marry me?”

A tear ran down her cheek. This must be what absolute joy felt like. “Yes, Jack, I will marry you.”

Jack shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they were twinkling merrily. “And the sooner the better, I might add,” he continued, sliding his hands down her arms to entwine his fingers with hers. “You’ve already had seven proposals this Season. I don’t want to risk your finding someone more qualified.”

Lilith laughed through her tears. “Shut up, Jack,” she warned him, holding his hands tightly, “and kiss me.”

The Marquis of Dansbury was more than happy to comply.