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Or maybe that was what she had wanted all along.

Had she hoped that Lady Arabella would be ruined?

Why? He left his hiding place and stalked toward her.

It was time for her to fess up and tell him the truth.

There had to be a reason for all of this secrecy and deception.

He caught up with Emma as she was about to exit the ballroom.

Perfect. He slid his arm around her waist and led her in the direction he wanted her to go.

“Unhand me,” she ordered.

“Not yet, love,” he drawled. “I can’t have you running off when we have much to discuss.”

She shoved at him, but he kept a grip around her. Once they were out of sight from anyone who might witness it, he lifted her into his arms and carried her. She still struggled, but it was far more manageable this way.

“Blake,” she gritted out. “I am not a sack of grains for you to haul around. I demand you put me down. Now.”

“I am pleased you remembered to use my given name, darling,” he said in an amused tone. “But that’s not enough for me to give in to any demands you feel like throwing at me.”

“You’re an insufferable lout,” she ground out vehemently. “Why are you doing this?”

“All in good time,” he said cheerfully.

Blake was enjoying this. Far too much… He liked having her in his arms. There was something about her. He’d been drawn to her from the moment he’d arrived at this house party. Now he couldn’t stay away from her. He was done fighting it.

He carried her into the sitting room at the back of the house, a good distance from the ballroom.

Blake shut the door and turned the lock before he set her down.

She shoved him against the door and stepped back, glaring at him.

The candlelight was low in this room, much like the other rooms for the masquerade.

“Why did you bring me in here?” she asked. “I don’t want to be here with you.”

He leaned against the door and folded his arms across his chest, then he tilted his lips up into a sly smile.

Blake had her locked in the room with him.

Now that he had her there, he could take his time.

They had all night to explore what was between them until they both had the truth.

He needed to understand her, and what it was he felt for her.

He’d never experienced anything like this with any other woman.

Emma was special. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew that deep down in his soul.

“Yes, you do, love,” he told her. “You want to be with me as much as I do you.”

“No, I don’t,” she said in a belligerent tone. “Now move away from the door, so I may leave.”

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that,” he told her in a firm tone. “We’re not done yet.”

Blake still had a lot more to do with her, but first, he had some questions. “What did you do with Lady Arabella and that coxcomb you were dancing with?”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “Do you mean Lord Clouston?”

“If that’s his name,” he said in a cool tone. “Then yes.”

Emma shrugged. “We danced. There was no grand scheme in that. Many of the guests were dancing.” She met his gaze. “That is usually what one does at a ball, or has it been so long since you have attended one that you’ve forgotten that basic aspect?”

He lifted a brow. “That’s not what I meant, darling.” Blake pushed off of the door and stalked toward her. “You’re deflecting. That little kiss between them under the mistletoe.” He moved a step closer. “You orchestrated that. Why?”

“The mistletoe is everywhere,” she said. “I had the servants hand more after that little incident where I ended up in your arms. It’s supposed to be all in good fun.”

“Until it isn’t,” Blake said.

She was still keeping secrets. What would it take for her to admit what she’d done?

Blake wanted answers, but he was also tired of it all.

There was something he wanted far more than the truth.

He wanted her. It was as simple as that.

He closed the distance between them until he stood in front of her.

“What are you doing?” she asked. It came out breathy, as if she anticipated exactly what he planned.

He reached up and stroked a finger over her jawline.

Then he slid his hand to her neck and up into her soft blond curls.

Her hairstyle tonight was one of the things that had driven him mad.

He wanted to pull out those pins and let her curls loose.

Blake wanted to muss her and leave his mark on her.

One that she would never forget. He reached underneath her hair and tugged on the ribbon that secured that red lace mask on her face and freed it.

“That’s better,” he said.

“What about your mask?” she asked.

“Remove it if it bothers you,” he ordered.

So she did. He grinned down at her before he lowered his head to capture her lips with his.

The kiss seared his soul. Every time they came together like this, he gave another piece of himself over to her care.

He brought her flush against him and slid his hand down to cup her waist. She pulled back and stared at him. She licked her lips and he groaned.

“We can’t keep doing this,” she said.

“I must disagree,” he said. “We definitely should do this, and often.” Blake should have taken her to his bedchamber.

Then he could have stripped that gown from her slowly, as he’d imagined since the first moment he’d laid eyes upon her that night.

He brushed his lips over her jaw and then drew her ear into his mouth and sucked. “You want this. I want you.”

She sucked in a breath. “We shouldn’t…”

“Tell me to let you go,” he said. “Say you don’t want me and I’ll walk away.

” It would kill him, but he would do it.

As much as he desired her, he wouldn’t push her into something she wasn’t ready for.

They would find their way back to each other.

He firmly believed that. If he had to, he could wait for her, and he would.

Because he suddenly understood something he hadn’t recognized before this moment.

That feeling he couldn’t identify—it was simple.

He loved her. Her clever mind and beautiful face had pulled at him.

Why he’d never seen her before, he couldn’t know.

But he did now, and he wanted forever with her.

“No,” she told him. Then she cupped his cheek. “Don’t go. Stay here with me. Be with me.”

He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “Be sure this is what you want.”

“I am,” she told him. “Kiss me, Blake.”

He didn’t need her to tell him again. Blake rained kisses over her face.

She sighed and then grabbed onto his waistcoat and yanked him forward.

He understood. His desperation for her had heightened.

They began to remove clothing as fast as possible.

When she stood before him in just a shift, and him in his breeches, they stopped.

Just long enough to take each other in. Then he carried her over to the settee and set her down.

He kneeled before her and removed her slippers, then reached beneath her shift and untied her garter, slowly peeled off her stocking, then repeated the process with the other one.

“You’re skin is so soft,” he said. Before he pushed her back on the settee and spread her thighs. He leaned in and kissed her thigh, then pressed a kiss to her core. She moaned, but once he began to stroke his tongue over that tight bud, she writhed beneath him.

“Blake,” she moaned his name. “More.”

And that would be his pleasure. He slid a finger inside her as he sucked her sensitive nub. One more lick, followed by a stroke, and then she peaked. God, she was beautiful when she climaxed. He’d never tire of that sight.

He pushed up her shift and removed it. She was gloriously naked now. Blake pulled off his breeches and joined her on the settee. He continued to stroke her and lowered his head to suck one of her pert nipples into his mouth.

“You’re destroying me,” she said huskily.

“No more than you are me,” he told her. He sucked on her nipple as he tweaked the other between his thumb and forefinger. She was his own little slice of heaven. “I need to be inside of you.”

“Yes,” she said. “I want you.”

He might be going to hell for this, but he had to have her.

Blake settled between her thighs and settled at her entrance.

He had to make this good for her, or as good as possible, considering her innocence.

To distract her, he kissed her as he entered her.

He continued to slide his tongue against hers as he pressed inside of her until he was completely seated.

She gasped as he pushed all the way in and he stopped. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes,” Emma said. “Love me, Blake.”

“Always,” he whispered. Then he began to move.

He slid out of her, and then slowly back in.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him deeper inside.

Blake kept the slow pace until she began to moan again.

Emma was close to reaching her peak again.

When she crested, it sent him over the edge until he spilled inside of her.

Everything went black as he climaxed. Nothing had ever felt so intense and consuming.

He rolled them to the side and he held her as she curled against him.

It was something he’d never forget. Loving her changed something inside of him.

Now he just had to convince her that this was where she belonged.