“I don’t want to get married.” Perhaps if she said it out loud she’d be able to hold on to this conviction. She couldn’t allow herself to lose sight of her dreams.
“I know,” he said with gentle reassurance. “Neither do I.”
Her breath caught. She’d not expected him to say that. The words dealt an unexpected stab to her heart. Which made no sense at all. She shouldn’t care. After all, she’d just told him she didn’t want a future with him either. But to know he felt the same, hurt. More than she ever would have expected.
Determined to stay her course, she told him, “I’ve built an entire web of lies in order to avoid having to do so.”
“Yet another reason why I shouldnae have kissed ye.”
“Another?”
He chuckled lightly, easing the tension between them a little. “There’s also the fact that it’s frowned upon for an employee to take liberties with his employer.”
Swallowing, Charlotte took a step forward. “What if the employer didn’t mind?” She watched his chest rise and fall with heavier movements. His eyes darkened a fraction. She stepped closer still. “What if she actually liked it?”
“Lass…” His voice was gruff, his expression uncertain, but he did not back away.
Reaching him, she flattened her palm against the spot right over his heart. “What if she’s hoping he’ll do it again?”
“This isnae a good idea.”
The firmness with which he spoke made her second guess herself for a moment. She wasn’t this woman – this brazen temptress skilled in the art of seduction. That role was better suited to a character in a Charles Cunningham novel.
“You’re right.”
What on earth was she thinking? That she could become someone else for a few weeks and have an adventure with a brawny Scotsman? Live a little before she got too old to bother trying?
Yes, that was precisely what she’d subconsciously hoped for. Which made her an idiot – the sort who ought to retrieve her maid and return to the respectable life she was used to before it was too late.
“I’m sorry, Mr. MacNeil.” It seemed like the most appropriate thing to say. “Would you like to end our arrangement?”
“Not on yer life,” he growled as he swept one arm around her and pulled her against him.
His mouth met hers and she forgot how to think.
All she could do now was feel: his hardness and his strength. Just him. He was every bit as intoxicating as he’d been last night. Lord, how she’d dreaded getting chastised by Mr. Cooper, of having to explain herself to him and possibly to her parents as well. But when he’d failed to address what he’d seen, it had almost started to feel like the kiss had never happened.
Until now.
Charlotte raked her fingers through Blayne’s hair and clasped him to her. His teeth nipped her flesh and she instinctively parted her lips, inviting him in. Lord, he tasted good and the feel of him, so intimately caressing her in a way no one else ever had, flooded her body with liquid heat.
Clutching his thick upper arm for support, she kissed him back with equal fervor. Desperation for more tore through her. A dull thud sounded as her back connected with one of the bookcases. Blayne pushed her against it, his large hands gripping her hips as he pressed up against her with greater insistence.
Heavens, this was indecent and wicked and oh so good.
Sharing such closeness with him felt incredible, like a culmination of everything she’d ever wanted without even being aware. “Blayne…”
“Aye. I’m here, lass.” He kissed his way across her cheek while allowing one hand free reign to explore. It stroked over every curve, increasing her need and her pleasure.
His teeth scraped the side of her neck as he pressed himself to her, and as his kiss deepened, she felt more alive than ever before. He was staking a claim, linking them with a shared experience she would never forget. His hands gripped her more roughly. Urgent and fierce, he kissed her with a primal sort of possessiveness, and rather than fill her with dread or the need to add distance, it filled a place in her heart she’d not even known was empty.
Before she was ready, he tore his mouth away and gazed down at her with stormy eyes. “This is madness.”
“I know.” Her breaths were as ragged as his.
“Christ, Charlotte.” He kissed her again, more gently this time.
She kissed him right back.
This is where I want to be.
I wish I could stay here forever.
With a sigh of contentment she leaned against him, embracing his much larger body as best as she could. He stiffened for a second before relaxing once more.
His lips grazed her temple. “Ye’re like a dessert I cannae get enough of.”
“So are you,” she murmured, breathing in that now-so-familiar scent of bergamot, coffee, and something uniquely him. “Thank you for showing me what I’ve been missing.”
His chest rumbled slightly beneath her ear while his hand stroked her back. “There’s no need for that, lass. Indeed, it was my pleasure. And an honor.”
She smiled against the wool of his jacket. Heavens, this man would be easy to love.
Closing her eyes on that thought, she allowed herself another deep breath before pulling away. “We ought to find Daisy before she gets worried.”
“Go ahead.” He unlocked the door and stepped aside. “I’ll join ye in a moment.”
“But…” She searched his face. The strain in his features concerned her. “Are you all right?”
“I just need to make myself a wee bit more presentable.”
Charlotte held his gaze. “You look perfectly fine to—”
“Charlotte.” His voice was firm and slightly hoarse. “Ye need to go now. I’ll see ye in a minute.”
Deciding it might be best not to press him further, Charlotte made her way back to the taproom where she expected to find her maid sitting quietly at a table, drinking her tea. Instead, to Charlotte’s shock and dismay, she arrived just in time to see Daisy raise her arm and hurl something through the air while Claus cheered her on. Even more astounding, the generally quiet maid squealed with delight and shouted, “I did it,” before she flung her arms around Claus’s neck and allowed him to swing her about.
“Daisy?” How could this be the same prim woman who always reminded her of propriety and decorum?
Daisy stumbled slightly in Claus’s arms before finding her balance. Straightening, she stared back at Charlotte. “Sorry, miss.” She cleared her throat. “The tea’s ready. Would you like some? It’s really good and there are some tasty shortbread biscuits to go with it.”
“What were you doing?” Charlotte asked, her gaze shifting from Daisy to Claus and back again as she approached.
“Um…”
When Charlotte raised an eyebrow, Claus stepped forward. “I was teaching Daisy how to throw knives.”
The very idea was so outrageous Charlotte was forced to press her lips together to keep from laughing. Until a thought struck her. “Can I have a go?”
“Of course.” Clause went to retrieve the knife Daisy had thrown.
“I probably ought to dissuade you,” Daisy said with a smile so bright it lit her face. “But it’s great fun. You’ll see. But I warn you, it’s not as easy as it looks.”