Page 37 of A Perfect Engagement
“What sort of corset is this contraption? I thought ladies wore short stays these days.”
Charlotte let out a strangled sound. “I cannot believe I am having this conversation with you.” She sighed. “During the day I normally do wear short stays but for the more fitted evening gowns Mother insists I wear the full-boned corset. She was the one who tightened my stays tonight. She was in quite a foul mood because we skipped the hunt.”
He finished loosening the strings. “Better?” he asked.
Charlotte took in a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. Her head bent forward, exposing the long, elegant lines of her neck. His fingers hesitated just inches from the skin there. The sleeves of the dress fell off her creamy shoulders as she grasped the front of her dress with her hands, holding it in place. What he wouldn’t give to brush his lips across the satin skin at her nape.
Instead, he placed his hands at her waist, running them down the stiff boning of her corset. He wanted to strip her of this blasted thing and soothe the skin underneath. He wished to have her naked in his arms…in his bed. Words tumbled out of him unheeded.
“I would much rather feel the soft curves underneath this stiff garment. I would rather wrap my arms fully around you and pull you close, then admire a tiny waist from afar,” he murmured in her ear.
Charlotte stiffened in his arms. With a sigh, he buttoned up the back of her dress. As he fastened the last one, he said, “I’m sorry. My last comment was uncalled for, forgive me.”
Charlotte turned to face him, but instead of anger, confusion filled her eyes. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek. Her eyes roamed across his face, landing on his lips. His breath caught. He didn’t know who leaned in to close the distance between them, only that the minute her soft lips brushed his, they ignited the fire which had smoldered in him all day. Hell, if he was honest, all week. He pulled her roughly against him, slanting his lips to fully taste her sweetness. This was it. She was what he had been waiting for all his life. The rightness of having Charlotte in his arms poured through him like fresh water.
Her lips moved against his, warm and sure. Her fingers roamed across his cheek and traced one eyebrow. A sigh escaped between them. Had it been her or him? He darted his tongue over her bottom lip, giving its fullness a nip with his teeth. She responded by pressing herself more fully against him—a move he approved of as her full breasts pushed tantalizingly against his chest. All the blood from his head drained to regions far lower. He groaned, thrusting his hips against hers. She fit against him perfectly.
Charlotte gasped and pulled back from his lips, leaving him bereft. When he opened his eyes, hers were wide with shock. One hand rose to cover her mouth, and she shook her head.
“What are we doing?” She stepped back out of his arms. “No. This isn’t right.” She shook her head again. Then, before his brain could catch up, she turned and ran to the door. The lock turned with a deafening click, the door swung open, and she disappeared into the shadowed corridor beyond.
Chapter Sixteen
Charlotte blindly turnedleft and raced down the corridor toward the front stairs. She needed to escape to her room. Tears she could barely hold back, gathered in the corners of her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder. Would Daniel chase after her?
“Charlotte, watch out!”
She skidded to a halt just before crashing into Susanna. Susanna, Olivia, and Sophia stood staring at her with concerned expressions. “Why on earth are you running down the hall?” Susanna asked.
But Charlotte had no words to explain. Laughter filtered out of the drawing room, and she flinched. She couldn’t go back in there. Would everyone know what had just happened? It was as though she had been turned inside out, with all her feelings on display.
Sophia peered carefully at Charlotte, confirming her suspicions. “Mussed hair, swollen lips, panic in her eyes. I think you have been kissed.”
“What?” Susanna exclaimed with a grin. “Where is Hawksridge? That devil.”
“Are you running from him? Did he hurt you?” Olivia grabbed her hand. “Charlotte?”
Charlotte finally found her voice. “No, no, he didn’t hurt me. It was wonderful.” She closed her eyes. All the feelings the kiss had let loose within her swirled, making her head spin. What had she done? “But I’m an awful person. It shouldn’t be him.”
“Charlotte, you’re not making any sense,” Susanna said.
“Let’s go upstairs to my rooms. Please, I can’t talk out here.” Charlotte headed for the staircase.
On the second step, she looked back toward the library one more time, and she could see Daniel’s shadowy shape standing in the doorway. He took a step forward, but she shook her head. She didn’t want to face him now. She needed time to think. She turned her back to him and continued up the stairs.
When they had reached the sanctuary of her rooms, Charlotte flung herself down on the settee. She couldn’t believe that kiss had just happened. She brought her fingertips to her lips. Not just a kiss, a revelation. Being in Daniel’s arms had felt so right. But why did it have to be him? She should be kissing Hawksridge. Did this make her an adulteress? She hadn’t even said her vows, and she was already in the arms of another man. Charlotte buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
“Charlotte, please tell us why you’re upset. What’s happened?” Sophia asked.
“I kissed him,” she mumbled from behind her hands.
“What’s so bad about that? Was the kissing terrible? Does he slobber?” Susanna asked.
Charlotte giggled through her tears but did not raise her head from her hands. Daniel definitely did not slobber. His lips had been warm and firm, and so had his chest and his thighs and the large bulge in the front of his trousers. She could have stayed tucked in his strong arms forever.
“Charlotte, there is nothing wrong with kissing your intended. No matter what your mother may have said,” Susanna said.
“He’s not my intended,” Charlotte muttered.
