Page 9 of Marrying a Marquess (Widows of Mayfair #3)

N ick weaved his way through the crowd to where Priscilla sat with her mother.

The closer he got to them, the more the tension inside his body eased.

His friends may have recommended this quest, but he was invested completely.

Kissing Priscilla was something he dreamed about quite often lately.

When he stood before both ladies, he bowed.

“Duchess, Lady Priscilla.” He paused and inhaled.

“Lady Priscilla, may I interest you in a stroll through the gardens?”

She didn’t hesitate. She stood and wrapped her arm around his. “That would be lovely,” she said, nodding to her mother. “I will return shortly, Mother.”

As they made their way out the double doors to the veranda and the well-lit gardens beyond, he noticed how lovely she smelled—making him wonder why he’d never noticed her flowery scent before. Had he truly been such a selfish idiot concerning her? She should hate him. He frowned. Perhaps she did.

“Look at all the stars. I’ve never seen them so vibrant,” Priscilla said, her voice full of excitement.

“The moon is not lighting up the sky making it difficult to see the stars. They are also not covered up with the usual clouds.”

They stopped along the stone path and smelled the night jasmine. “It is strange some jasmine plants only bloom at night.” Priscilla leaned forward and breathed in the white flower’s scent. “Heavenly. It’s one of my favorite scents. I’m wearing it tonight.”

Before thinking about what he intended to do, he buried his nose against her neck and inhaled. “You smell divine.”

Her body shuddered, and he prayed it was a good shudder and not one of repulsion from him sniffing her.

“I have something to ask you, and I’d like an honest answer,” he said.

She picked a jasmine bloom and tucked it around her ear. “I’ll be honest if I can.”

Here goes nothing. He hoped like bloody hell she didn’t laugh in his face. “Have you ever thought about kissing me?” Her face went from shocked to blushing in a matter of moments. He had his answer before she spoke. The tightness in his chest eased.

“Truthfully, yes, I have.”

“When?”

A gasp escaped her. “That is none of your business.”

“Fair enough. Since we entered the gardens, it’s all I can think about.” Her eyes widened, then her lashes lowered to fan against her delicate skin.

“I see.”

“May I?”

“Yes.”

Nick took her hand and pulled her into a little alcove of shrubs and trees away from the path and potentially prying eyes.

His insides vibrated, and he was shocked to find his hands shaking as he cupped her cheeks, stroking his thumbs across her jaw.

She trembled, closed her eyes, and leaned forward, giving him the necessary courage.

He bent, touched her slightly parted lips with his, and became lost.

The kiss started gently and sweetly until she curled her arms around his neck.

He moved his hands to the small of her back and pulled her tight against his body.

They touched everywhere, and he knew she would feel his desire for her evident in his trousers.

She gasped, and he took advantage by sweeping his tongue inside her mouth and tasting the sweet punch she had drunk, fueling the fire burning through his body.

He deepened the kiss. He devoured her mouth with his.

Nothing mattered but tasting all of her.

He nibbled her bottom lip with his teeth, and she moaned, gripping his shoulders tight.

“Nick,” she sighed.

His lips skimmed down her neck and throat to the other side. Her nails dug into his skin, feeding his desire for her exponentially. He licked across the swells of her breasts, peeking over the top of her low-cut gown, and her head rolled back, forcing her chest forward.

“Priscilla,” he breathed as he cupped one breast, tugged the fabric away from the twin, and snuck his tongue inside to lave her taut nipple. “You taste so good.”

“Oh my God, Nick,” she purred as she tugged on his hair, pulling him up and kissing him. She devoured him this time, and it was all he could do not to strip them out of their clothing and take her right there beneath the bright stars.

Instead, he let her lead the kiss. He slid his leg between her thighs, and she instantly rubbed her womanhood against it.

His control was breaking, and he slid his leg back and forth between her thighs; the more she moaned into his mouth, the more he did it.

His hands needed to be busy. He cupped her cheeks, tilted her head, and took the kiss beyond anything he had ever experienced.

Breathy sounds kept escaping her lips, and her entire body trembled.

Afraid she may collapse, he moved his arms around her waist, holding her up while she rode his thigh.

He kissed her to smother up her cries of pleasure, as there was no doubt she’d just orgasmed.

She buried her face in his neck, panting as her body’s trembling peaked and eased.

Suddenly, he didn’t know what to do. They’d just experienced an intimate moment so profound he never wanted to let her go. If only he had known.. .

“Well, that was unexpected.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Hmmm,” she murmured into his neck. “I would say so. Who knew a leg could do that?”

He expelled a nervous chuckle as he kissed the top of her head, wondering if his heart would ever be the same. “Yes. Who knew?”

“Nick?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you take me into the gardens and kiss me?”

*

“Honestly?” he said in a voice still seductively deep in tone.

“Yes. I expect no less from you.”

“I wanted to know if there was a spark between us. If we would be a good fit in the bedchamber.”

Nervous giggles escaped her lips, and she tried to swallow them down because as far as she was concerned, they would fit well together.

If his thigh and kisses could arouse her, she could only imagine what being unclothed in a bed with him would be like.

Still, she hesitated before asking, “Do you have your answer?” Her breath whooshed from her lungs as she waited for him to respond.

He chuckled into the top of her head, then kissed her. “I believe I do. I truly believe we would have a very interesting, active, and satisfying married life.”

The air escaped her lungs, and she inhaled and exhaled several times. “I believe that to be true, also.” She desperately wanted to ask where they went from there but didn’t want to spoil the intimate mood.

“Too bad I never kissed you before, when our mothers expected us to wed.”

She stepped away from him and cupped his cheek, looking into his eyes. “We were not the same people as we are now. Life experiences have played a part in who we have become. Frankly, I wasn’t ready for you and your sexual prowess then. And you weren’t ready to settle down.”

“Still. We could consider it now. Properly, not just a fake courtship.”

As much as she wanted to believe Nick wanted a real courtship, some part of her didn’t believe him.

She had hidden much pain and disappointment regarding him and she didn’t want to go through it again.

She closed her eyes, regretting what she needed to say.

And it was hurting her more than she thought it would.

She wasn’t the starry-eyed eighteen-year-old girl she used to be.

Nor did she want to be. She’d been vulnerable then, she wanted to think she was strong now.

“I promised Latham he could court me. I can’t go back on my word now. ”

His head fell forward and he inhaled and exhaled making her know he wasn’t happy with her. “I don’t like it. But I understand. You committed and must honor it. As you must honor to continue our fake courtship.”

“I will honor our arrangement.” With those words, she left him standing in the gardens as she entered the house and hurried to the ladies’ retiring room.

Standing in front of the large mirror, Priscilla tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her gown, as tears started flowing at remembering how those wrinkles came to be.

Drat, she’d never been a watering pot and refused to turn into one.

Damn Nick for kissing her and making her want him.

She pulled several pins out of her hair and replaced them, making her look presentable again and not like she’d had a tryst in the gardens. Her hand flew to her heart.

Ducking out of the ladies’ parlor, she ran into Baron Latham. She actually bumped into him. His arms came out, gripping her to steady her. “Forgive me, Lady Priscilla, you came out of nowhere. Are you hurt? ”

Was she? Besides her heart, she was right as rain. “Forgive me, as I’m the one who bumped into you. And no, I’m not hurt. Are you injured in any way?”

He dropped his hands to his sides. “No harm done. But while I have run into you, I wonder if you would like a bit of fresh air. I hear it is lovely outside. Clear skies and hardly a breeze in the air.”

Could she survive another gentleman’s attentions tonight? If she were to give the baron a chance with her and get to know him better, she needed to do this. In all fairness, she needed to give him the same privileges she gave Nick while courting. “Why yes. That would be lovely.”

Placing her hand on his arm, they walked back into the ballroom while the guests danced a lively minuet.

“If you’d rather dance, we could do that instead?” he asked.

“I would prefer the fresh air.”

“As would I,” he said with a smile. His blue eyes sparkled, making him look younger. He was extraordinarily handsome and debonair.

The veranda was quite crowded, more so than when she’d recently been there. So they walked into the gardens and down the same stone pathway she had earlier with Nick. She breathed evenly, trying to keep her body from tensing and her mind from comparing the two—not very successfully.