“No more than I have forgotten the brave man who came to my rescue.”
“Brave?” He leaned against the stall opening, the gesture casual. She could almost believe he did it out of habit, but she could see it also took weight off his bad leg without him having to use his cane.
“You were the only one brave enough to take on the ferocious Sweetie.”
He glanced down at the pig, who was no snuffling about the hay on the ground, moving it here and there. “She is quite fearsome.”
“You should see her when she’s hungry.”
“I’m afraid, Miss Blackstock, even my bravery has limits.”
She smiled at his quip and realized in the past few moments with him she had smiled more than she had in weeks. Not only was he handsome, he was charming. A dangerous combination, especially for her. She’d been snared by his charms, and now every smile he gave her caused her belly to flutter.
Sweetie had discovered some edible item just beneath the trough and frantically pushed at the wooden box in order to reach it. The trough jolted sideways, right toward Amelia. She heard the screech of the wooden legs just in time to jump out of the way. The only place to jump was toward Lord Nicholas, who caught her just as she careened into him. But her momentum was too great, and she put them both off balance and they tumbled to the ground. Fortunately, her landing was soft, as he held onto her so his body cushioned her fall.
“I’m so sorry!” she said as soon as they landed. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “The hay softened my fall. And you have nothing to apologize for. It’s my damn leg that gave out.”
“Rubbish. I crashed into you like a pair of oxen.” She was still lying half on top of him, her skirts tangled under his legs, making it impossible for her to move away. He would have to shift his weight, and she worried it might be painful. Fortunately, she had landed on his right leg, which seemed the stronger of the two. “I should try and stand but you’re on my skirts...”
“Ah, sorry.” He seemed to blink and come out of a trance. “Give me a moment to catch my breath.”
He was in pain. He didn’t want her to know it, but she could see it in his eyes. They creased at the corners as though he was trying to avoid flinching.
“Take all the time you need. I’m perfectly content to sit and admire your eyes. They really are the loveliest shade of blue.”
Lord Nicholas went perfectly still, his gaze darting to hers and holding. Amelia realized too late that she shouldn’t have spoken her thoughts out loud. Women were not supposed to compliment men. It was considered forward. Not to mention, she should not be complimenting a man she just met. He would think her some sort of wanton.
Which wasn’t far from the truth.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” she whispered. “You will think I have no manners.” She looked away from that piercing gaze, lowering her chin.
“Actually,” he said, his voice soft. “I rather like your lack of pretensions. It’s a refreshing change.”
She glanced up at him. “It is?”
“Not to mention, it’s nice to have someone mention my eyes. No one looks at anything but my legs these days.” His voice was low and like velvet over her skin. Her thoughts were all muddled now at the feel of his body against hers and the warmth of him. The scent of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s not. Why, when I was here the other day, I couldn’t stop staring at your eyes and your face and that hair.” She really should stop talking. “Why should I care about your legs?”
He shook his head, seeming not to believe her.
“Do you know I even started home the wrong direction because I was so busy thinking about how your eyes matched the color of the sky?” She gestured to Sweetie, who had eaten whatever it was that had drawn her attention and was now back to snuffling about. “Sweetie had to correct me and remind me of the right path.”
Lord Nicholas stared at her as though she were a unicorn. She couldn’t help it. Her gaze lowered to his lips. This is how you end up in trouble, she reminded herself. This wasn’t exactly how it had started with Wickersham, but she now knew that a kiss led to a touch led to...well, a baby. And that led to ruin.
But the way he looked at her. The way his gaze slid over her lips made her forget she was ruined and her life was in shambles. What was one more sin? How could she possibly resist when he was looking at her like she was a tropical island, and he was a man who’d been swimming in the middle of the ocean for weeks.
“Would you think me terribly forward if I kissed you?” she murmured, her voice low and seductive without her even meaning to make it so. A kiss would take very little effort. They were so close that she only need lean forward slightly.
“Yes, but I think I should mention that I’m coming to realize I like forward women.”
Amelia smiled and tilted her head, leaning close until their mouths were just a breath apart. Although she had intended to kiss him, he was the one who finally bridged the gap and pressed his lips gently against hers. A frisson of pleasure coursed through her at the barest brush of his mouth. Her hand closed on one of the buttons of his coat. She needed something to keep her grounded.
He nibbled lightly at her lips, and Amelia’s chest grew so tight she feared she couldn’t breathe. And then she feared she would never breathe again if he didn’t kiss her more—kiss her fully. She yanked at the button she held, pulling Lord Nicholas closer. His hand, which had been resting on the small of her back, slid up to cup the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue flicking out to taste her lips. Amelia couldn’t stop a small moan from escaping. She craved physical touch, craved the sensation of being held, pressed close. Her breath quickened, and she met Lord Nicholas’s tongue with a touch of her own. He started in surprise then yanked her closer and kissed her more deeply.
And then Sweetie gave a loud squeal and scrambled to one side of the stall, jolting Amelia and causing her to fall completely onto Lord Nicholas. He gave a grunt of pain as her weight pressed on one of his legs and then the bright light of several lanterns temporarily blinded Amelia.
She shaded her eyes with her hand and looked up into the faces of three angry people.
HE DIDN’T KNOW WHY he’d done it. Once upon a time, flirting with an attractive woman, bantering with her, and even kissing her would have been an everyday activity for Nicholas. But even before the war and his injury, Nicholas had not been an idiot. He would never have risked spending time with the unmarried daughter of a gentleman in a stable alone where they might be discovered and she compromised. Nicholas could only attribute the mistake now to the fact that it had been so long since he had touched a woman that he’d quite lost his head.
And now they would both pay for it.
“What is the meaning of this?” the dowager marchioness demanded, staring down at Nicholas and Miss Blackstock with fire in her eyes. It was probably just the reflection of the lantern one of the footmen held, but she truly appeared to have flames blazing from her eyes. “Who is this person and what are you doing?”
Henry cleared his throat. “I think it should be obvious what they are doing, Mama.”