Page 76 of Last Night with the Duke
Esmeralda’s couldn’t fight the sensations her body was craving. She raised her hips up to meet his demand. She felt him shudder. A soft moan of pleasure passed his lips. He dipped his tongue in her mouth, deeper, farther. They kissed again and again. Harder and then softer. Slower and then faster. Each kiss was building to something, but Esmeralda didn’t know what.
She gasped with each new place he caressed.
Quickly Griffin lifted his head and stepped away from her. His breathing was fast and erratic. “I hear the twins coming down the stairs.”
“For the love of heaven!” she whispered, whirling away from him. “What madness came over me to allow this?”
Griffin combed through his hair with his fingers and straightened his coat. “Passion, Esmeralda. The raw passion that we have been fighting since the first day we met. And it was as powerful between us as I knew it would be.”
“We could have been caught,” she stressed while straightening the neckline of her gown.
“But we weren’t. I’ll go out and meet them while you catch your breath. I’ll tell them you are checking on something for Lady Evelyn.”
His gaze caressed her face and he smiled so sweetly her fears melted away.
“No hurry,” he said. “Join us whenever you’re ready.”
Chapter 24
Don’t ever think life is easy.
MISSMAMIEFORTESCUE’SDO’SANDDON’TSFORCHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS,ANDNURSES
Esmeralda sat in a chair near the doorway that led into the drawing room, looking at her book. There was no way she could read it. Even though it had been over a week since their last kiss, the Duke of Griffin was the only thing she could concentrate on.
It was a blissfully quiet afternoon—except for Napoleon barking in the back garden as he and Josephine frolicked. He must have sensed a cat nearby or another dog because he was being unusually noisy. If he didn’t quiet soon, she’d have to talk with Josephine about him when they came inside.
Lady Sara and Mr. Lambert were on the settee, a respectable distance apart, having a quiet conversation. If she’d tried, she probably could have understood most of what they were saying, but she had no desire to intrude and listen in on their intimate conversation. Though Griffin continued to have his misgivings about the young gentleman’s intentions toward Lady Sara, Esmeralda didn’t. From all she could tell, Mr. Lambert was smitten with Lady Sara and had been since he first saw her. And it was easy to see she’d grown quite fond of him in the few weeks they’d been seeing each other.
Lady Vera and Lord Henry were off for a ride in Hyde Park in his fancy curricle. They’d left shortly before Mr. Lambert had arrived. Lady Vera’s rejection of Lord Henry’s first invitation for a ride in the park didn’t deter him from asking again. That it had taken Lady Vera until the fourth week of the Season to get Lord Henry to this point in her objective hadn’t bothered her in the least. She insisted she knew what she was doing and what it would take to get the very handsome but equally elusive earl’s son ready to propose to her by the end of the Season.
It had certainly made Esmeralda’s job easier since she hadn’t had to worry about the twins competing to win the affections of the same beau. Esmeralda still had her doubts that Lord Henry would be ready to take Lady Vera to the altar by the time the last dance was held, but Mr. Lambert just might be ready to make a match with her sister.
Life was moving along more quickly than Esmeralda wanted but there was no way to slow it down. Once again, after their last kisses, Griffin had fallen into the routine of not coming inside when he picked up Esmeralda and the twins nor when he delivered them home. She knew what he was doing. If they weren’t alone, there would be no chance of passionate kisses, earth-shattering caresses, and desires she had that were too intimate to contemplate. She didn’t know whether he was simply trying to be an honorable man and not touch her again while she was in his employ or whether he simply did not want to kiss her again. That was a disheartening thought, but one she had to consider. Maybe because she had allowed him to touch her so freely, he no longer had the desire to do it.
In less than two weeks, she and Josephine would pack up and return to live at the agency. What she didn’t know was if the duke would forget about her or would she have to forget the duke. A heaviness settled on her chest. Not seeing him again would be heart wrenching. Esmeralda sighed, uncrossed her legs, and then immediately crossed them in the other direction. She would make herself go mad if she thought about how her life at the duke’s house would end, in the not too distant future.
Esmeralda folded her book in her lap and let her thoughts drift. Even if he never came to see her when she returned home, how could she ever forget him? How could she ever forget his soft touch, his whispered words of passion, or his heart-stopping kisses? The taste of his mouth, the scent of his soap. Not that she wanted to, but it would be impossible even if she did. She smiled to herself. Why would she want to forget all the wonderful feelings she’d experienced with him? Those sensations were meant to be enjoyed, and she would enjoy them every time she thought about the duke.
The back door opened and quickly slammed shut, making Esmeralda jump. Lady Sara and Mr. Lambert jumped too and looked around at Esmeralda. Rising from her chair, Esmeralda looked down the corridor. Josephine leaned against the door. Her eyes were unusually wide and her cheeks looked red and blustery. Napoleon stood at her feet and barked up at her.
“Josephine, what are you doing? You know that’s not the proper way to close a door.”
“I know,” she said breathlessly. “I didn’t mean to close it so hard.”
“All right. You and Napoleon have been playing too hard. Go to the kitchen and get water for both of you. And find a way to keep him quiet for a while.”
The two of them disappeared around the corner. Esmeralda turned back to tell Lady Sara and Mr. Lambert all was fine, but they were already back into their quiet conversation and, Esmeralda noticed, sitting a little closer together than they were before the distraction. She smiled to herself. The book was a good ruse, so she settled back into her chair and opened it.
A short time later, she heard a loud knock from the front of the house, and soon after male voices. She didn’t let it disturb her thoughts of the duke. It wasn’t unusual for people to drop by throughout the day and leave their calling cards for Lady Evelyn, the twins, or sometimes the duke because some people weren’t aware that he didn’t actually live at his Mayfair home when his sisters were in London.
It wasn’t long before Esmeralda heard someone coming down the corridor. She looked up to see Sparks lumbering her way. His expression was grim. She rose when he stopped in front of her.
“There’s a gentlemen here you need to speak with, Miss Swift. A Mr. Verney Chambers. He lives a few streets over.”
“I can’t speak to him now, Sparks.” Esmeralda quickly glanced over at Lady Sara and Mr. Lambert, who were paying no attention to what was happening in the doorway. “I can’t leave Lady Sara. He’ll have to come back at a later time.”
Sparks dire expression didn’t change. “I’m afraid he says it’s urgent, and I believe it is.”
