The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl (16 page)

Time to face the music. She turned, her breath catching in her throat. Mike had removed his dark red mask and was staring at her with the strangest expression on his face. It wasn’t the anger she’d been expecting. Instead, his brows were slightly lifted, his mouth was soft, and his eyes were curiously tender.

Jamie froze. Mike pulled her to the darkened corner beside the balcony, dropping his mask to the ground. Her heart pounded harder with every inch she drew closer, beating like a hummingbird’s wings when he stood close enough to touch.

He reached out and removed her mask, lowering it gently from her face. She felt oddly naked when it was gone. There was nothing hiding her from Mike. She’d screamed in his ex-mistress’s face that she loved him. She hadn’t really planned to reveal that tidbit of info at all, let alone at max volume while pummeling a professional paramour. What would he think of her now? Was he angry, despite the gentle way his palm cupped her cheek? Why was he leaning closer to her?

“Jamie,” he whispered softly, then kissed her.

Jamie barely registered the soft thump as her mask hit the earth. Mike pulled her close against him, and she melted, completely boneless. Her arms wound around him, delighting in the feel of his lean muscles beneath his tailored coat.

His tongue traced the line of her lips, teasing her. She parted her lips for him. His tongue entered her mouth, and she moaned. She let him possess her, his mouth, his hands, whatever he wanted. She didn’t want to deny him anything.

While he explored her mouth, his hands ran down her back, cupping her ass. He brought her hips into sharp contact with his own, and she nearly cried out at the feeling of him against her lower belly. She cursed the thick layers of clothing that separated them. Heat grew low in her loins, a burning tingle that drove her to grind her hips against his.

He tore his lips from hers and gently guided her under the shadowed edge of the balcony. Before she could completely register their surroundings, he started kissing his way down the bare column of her throat. His teeth grazed the pulse that beat there, and she dug her fingers into his shoulders.
God, his mouth
.

He nibbled at her collarbone, and she threw her head back to give him better access. Her hips were moving now, silently begging for the hard heat that pressed against her.

When his lips traveled downward, to the soft mounds of flesh that rose above her dress’s neckline, she thought she’d die. Mike’s mouth was on her breasts. He tasted her skin, running his tongue down her cleavage, as low as the dress would allow. His hand moved upward, cupping her breast, thumbing the hard peak through the silky silver material.

“Mike,” she whispered hoarsely, hitching her leg up against his hip. She tangled her hand in his hair, trying to keep him close to her. “Oh God, Mike…”

Her breath exited her lungs in a squeak when his hand delved into her bodice, lifting her left breast free of the material. Under the soft light of the moon, her nipple looked dark, its usual rosy color muted. Mike pulled back, his gaze captivated by the sight of his hand on her flesh.

“So beautiful,” he said, his voice almost a growl. Jamie shivered with anticipation. He flicked her nipple gently with a finger, the peaked point hardening further at his touch. It was so tight now, it was almost painful.

“I want to taste you,” he said, bending his head low. His breath blew against the point of her erect nipple as he spoke. “I want to put my mouth on you, Jamie. May I?”

Holy
shit.
In answer, she pulled his head down farther, eliminating the last inch that separated his lips from her breast.

She couldn’t stop the soft cry that escaped her when his mouth captured the aching tip of her breast. He sucked, licked, tasted, nipped, and almost drove her to the brink of insanity with his talented tongue. Her knees went liquid, and only the desperate clinging of her hands on his shoulders kept her upright.

He pressed a soft kiss to the hardened bud and lifted his head. He reached for the right side, fingers running along the neckline of her gown, gently dipping past the fabric to free her other breast, when loud voices suddenly sounded from the balcony. A burst of laughter came, and footsteps thumped just above their heads.

With a deep sigh that sounded suspiciously like regret, he helped her fix the front of her dress. He grabbed both their masks from the damp ground and then took her hand.

“Where are we going?” she whispered as he started walking toward the front of the house.

“Home,” he said over his shoulder, causing a little flip in her heart. “We must speak privately.”

After locating Mrs. K and sending the other carriage back home, Mike helped them into the shiny black conveyance with the Dunnington crest on the side. Jamie looked over her shoulder to the side of the manor house, and she could have sworn that she saw a woman’s pale face with dark curls surrounding it, watching from the veranda. Before Jamie could be certain of who it was, the face disappeared behind a column. She ignored the shiver that went down her spine and enjoyed Mike’s oddly comforting proximity. He sat next to her, cradling her hand, staring into her eyes. Neither of them said a word. With Mrs. K right there, Jamie didn’t know what to say. Anything she could think of immediately got lost in the delicious feeling of his thumb rubbing against her knuckles.

The bumpy ride was over with too quickly. He helped her down from the carriage and escorted her through the door that Thornton held open for them.

“That will be all, Thornton. You may retire for the evening.” Mike dismissed the butler curtly. The old man’s face registered zero surprise at the order.

“Yes, my lord.” After a quick bow, the elderly gentleman disappeared down the hall, followed by a beaming Mrs. K. Before Jamie could make a comment about the high-handed way he’d gotten rid of Thornton, Mike shuffled her into the front sitting room, closing the door behind them.

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, but Mike only used that to his advantage as well. He kissed her wildly, both hands cupping her face, his tongue exploring her mouth.

She took advantage of their privacy and let her hands run underneath his jacket, her fingers tingling at the warmth of his body. She let them trail lower, settling on his hips. He pushed them into her, and she moaned softly at the thought of his erection again.
Too
many
damn
clothes…

As if he read her mind, he stopped kissing her long enough to turn her around. Cursing the long row of buttons at her back, he dealt with them rather quickly. She tried not to imagine how much practice he’d had.

“Jamie,” he said roughly as he revealed the stays and petticoats beneath her dress. “You are so lovely.”

He kissed the nape of her neck, his breath gently blowing the small curls at her hairline. She leaned back into him, feeling suddenly beautiful and desirable. He pushed the shoulders of her gown down, and she pulled her arms through the short sleeves, letting the bodice fall. His hands wandered upward, reaching in front to lift her breasts free of her stays. Their only cover now was her thin shift.

Her breath hissed out slowly as he palmed her flesh, then softly rolled the nipples between his strong fingers. She pressed her ass back into him, wanting to be closer to him. She could never be close enough to Mike.

“Your body feels so exquisite,” he said, his breath blowing hot against the skin of her shoulder. “You have bewitched me.”

She laughed a little at that, twisting her hips slightly. “Well, thanks, but I’ve never been great at that nose wiggle. I’d prefer to think that we’re really compatible.”

With a sigh, he let his hands fall away from her breasts. He stepped backward, and a chill went through her, one that was only partway due to the loss of his body heat.

“What’s wrong?” She turned, trying to fight the urge to cross her arms in front of her breasts.

His brows were drawn in consternation but that look in his eyes warmed her blood again. Whatever he was thinking now, he still wanted her.

“I am sorry, Miss Marten. I should not have taken such liberties with your person.” He stepped closer, lifting her bodice to help her put it back on. She grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Wait just a minute, sir. That was mutual, consensual, and downright delicious. No apologies for that. Well, except maybe for stopping it.”

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. His voice was rough when he spoke again.

“You do not know what you say. It would mean ruination.”

She shook her head, one corner of her mouth crooking up. “Mike, I’m not from here. I can’t be ‘ruined.’”

His eyes turned dark as he grabbed both her arms. “You are here now, Jamie. And whatever force has brought you here has not seen fit to take you back, has it?”

She looked down, unwilling to let him see the guilt on her face. She hadn’t told him about Mrs. Knightsbridge’s plan or her powerful relative. He didn’t know that she was still there because of him.

He placed a finger beneath her chin, raising it so she was forced to look into his eyes.

“I would treat you with care. Is that difficult to fathom? That I would care enough for you to treat you with respect?”

“You…” She trailed off, biting her lip. After swallowing hard, she continued, “You care for me?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she got worried. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him. Maybe she was pushing him too fast. Maybe she was delusional and imagined that this had happened.

After four heartbeats, he spoke.

“I care for you deeply. As deeply as I’ve cared for anyone.”

“Even Louisa?”

He winced a little at the mention of her name, and Jamie felt like a bitch for bringing up the ghost from his past.

“Louisa was my first lover. I was quite taken with her. When she died—” He shook his head, jaw tight. “When she died, I blamed myself.”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Jamie said quickly, putting a hand on his arm to soothe him. “It sounded like she had a seizure or something. You couldn’t have done that.”

His eyes flew wide and he stared at her. Whoops. Guess she should have remembered that she wasn’t supposed to know anything about that.

“Mrs. Knightsbridge told me. She was trying to help me understand why you’re so grumpy all the time.”

He gave her a long look, and she started to squirm. “Here. Let’s sit down and talk for a minute.”

Jamie turned her back to him and shoved her arms back through the sleeves of her gown. If they were going to have serious conversations, she wanted to be more clothed. Without the buttons fastened behind her, she had to press a hand to the neck of her dress to keep it upright. Small price to pay for being covered during this conversation.

She sat next to Mike, being careful to keep her bodice in place.

He kept his eyes locked on her face when he said, “You said you love me.”

Caught. Skewered like a frog on a pole. Hand in the cookie jar. Red-handed, come ’n’ get her.

“Yes,” she said, looking into her lap. “I really think I do.”

A finger beneath her chin lifted it, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Do not be ashamed of it, Jamie,” he whispered. “Love is a wondrous thing.”

“Not when it’s impossible.” Her voice broke. She stood to put some distance between them, shoving the sleeve of her gown back up to her shoulder as it fell. “You said it yourself. Noblemen can’t marry for love. And I’m not willing to stand by while you marry some other woman because she’s got the right pedigree to be a countess.” She stood by the fireplace, keeping her back to Mike.

Big, warm hands cupped her upper arms, and it was all she could do to stop herself from leaning back into him.

“I was planning to propose to Miss Lyons tomorrow.”

“I know.”

Her admission silenced him for a few moments. When he spoke again, he stepped even closer, cradling her body in the heat of his own.

“I will postpone that. I cannot plan nuptials with another woman, not now. Not until things are more settled between us if it comes to that.”

She let her eyes flutter closed, hoping he couldn’t tell exactly how relieved she was. When he pulled her back, closer to him, she didn’t resist.

The soft kiss he laid on her neck gave her shivers.

“It is late. Permit me to escort you to your room.”

She tried not to let it show how much that statement disappointed her. Keeping her bodice up with one hand, she slipped the other through the crook in Mike’s arm when he offered. They ascended the stairs together, and she tried to tell herself it was a good thing that they were going to be sleeping in separate beds. They were still from opposite ends of the timeline. Not a damn thing was different than it had been three hours ago. Well, except for the fact that Mike now knew she loved him. She should still probably disappear in the morning…

When they reached her bedroom, Mike pulled her into his arms. Lowering his head, he kissed her thoroughly, passionately. Their lips and tongues melded together. She savored the kiss, letting herself fall into the swirls of desire that capsized her brain.

“Good night, Jamie,” he whispered when he lifted his head. He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “We will speak more tomorrow.”

She nodded numbly and entered her bedroom. When the door shut softly behind her, she slumped against it.

What
the
bloody
hell
do
I
do
now?

***

He stood with his palm pressed against her bedchamber door.
What
the
bloody
hell
do
I
do
now?

She’d appeared from nowhere, attacking Collette like an avenging angel coated in spun-silver. She’d handled her with no help from him, proving that she was no wilting flower or simpering miss. She’d stated, rather loudly, that she loved him. Their encounter beneath the balcony, her soft flesh against his skin, the way her breasts had looked in the dim moonlight, dusky nipple puckered, ready for his lips…He could enter her chamber right this moment, help her out of that gown, see all of her lying there, naked to his gaze, arms up, inviting him with a smile…

His palm slid down the door, and he stepped backward.

He was undone. He was, quite simply, undone.

He entered his bedchamber and began removing his evening clothes slowly, methodically, trying to make sense of the tightness in his chest and the heat in his blood. When he was nude, he turned and caught sight of his form in the bureau’s mirror.

He was a man. Only a man. And when Jamie had said she loved him, something inside his brain had turned, shifting his entire world. He’d been as unable to stop touching her as he’d been to transport himself to her time. Her body had drawn his as if magnetized.

With a groan, he stroked his length. She was so beautiful. Her body was exquisite, and the feelings she roused in him…

He dropped his hand. He’d not spill his seed in his hand like a callow youth. Defiling the thought of her in such a way was not the mark of a gentleman.