Page 75 of The School Mistress (Emerson Pass Historicals 1)

He placed his hand over his chest. “Would you dine with me this evening? The children can eat downstairs with Lizzie.”

“Just the two of us?”

“That’s the idea, yes.”

“Yes, I would like to dine with you.” Was this courting? If so, I liked it.

“Supper at seven, then?”

“Supper at seven.”

A sigh seemed to come from deep inside him. He picked up my hand and caressed it with his thumb. “May I call you Quinn? I want to court the woman, not the schoolmistress.”

Desire, hot and swift, swept over me. “You may call me Quinn.”

“And you may call me Alexander.”

I looked down at the hankie in my lap, suddenly shy. “I should probably check on the children.”

He rose from the floor and offered me his hand. “As you wish.”

I allowed him to help me to my feet, then scurried away like a frightened bunny. As I came to the doorway, I glanced back, expecting him to send me off with a benign wave. Instead, he said two words. “Quinn, wait.”

My breath hitched at the sound of my name coming from his mouth.

With long strides, he quickly ate up the distance between us. “You’re not leaving here until I kiss you for the first time.” He pulled me to him with one arm around my waist. I gasped as he captured my mouth with his in a hard kiss. This was not like the chaste peck I’d had before. Lord Barnes was masterful—rough yet tender and tasting of whiskey. When he withdrew, I fought the urge to pull him back.

“What do you think of kissing?” He brushed a loose strand of hair away from my neck, and I shivered.

“I think I’d like to try it again.”

Always the gentleman, he obliged. This time the kiss was tender and restrained. “That’ll have to sustain us for now,” he said when he withdrew his mouth from mine. “I’d rather spend the rest of my life kissing you and never accomplish another thing, but we have work to do.”

“If I were never to be kissed again, I’d die happy, knowing I was kissed by you.”

He tightened his grip around my waist, drawing me close. The muscles in his chest and arms made my petite frame seem even smaller. “You will be kissed again. Hopefully by me and only me.” To prove himself, he kissed me again, this time teasing me with his tongue.

A soft moan came from deep inside me. I pressed my chest against him, wishing there were fewer clothes between us. I wanted to see all of him, touch all of him. “I’ve…I’ve never felt anything like this,” I said, breathless.

“You have no idea of the delights to come,” he whispered in my ear. “Now off you go before I kiss you again.”

“I’ll see you later.” I pecked him on the cheek, then slipped from the room and took the stairs two at a time to the third floor with my pounding heart and dampened skin. I shut the door and stood against it, reliving every moment. Pure joy flooded me. I twirled in a circle and wanted to sing and dance and tell my mother and sister and anyone who would listen. I’m in love with Alexander Barnes. And he loves me.

Chapter 22

Alexander

* * *

Still stirred from the taste of Quinn’s kisses, I headed downstairs to talk with Lizzie. The moment I entered the kitchen, a glorious scent of yeast and butter assaulted my senses. Lizzie kneaded dough at the kitchen island, humming to herself. Steam from a large pot on the stove fogged up the windows. Such a contrast to the hovel I’d seen earlier.

“Lizzie, may I have a word?”

She whirled around, still holding the lump of dough in her floury hands. “Lord Barnes, you scared me to death. What are you doing down here?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said as I came to stand at the island. “I have a favor.”

“You know I’d do anything for you.”