Leaving the older man to rest, he wandered about the house, attempted to read the Chronicle, and gave it up with a heavy sigh. She was in his head, under his skin, making his blood tingle with need.
What was he going to do? He had to stop obsessing about the taste of her tongue, the fullness of her breast … the sparkle in her dark eyes! Stop! In his head, he heard someone shout out for her … Go to her, take off her clothes, take out your dick, man, and—
What was wrong with him?
He didn’t seduce innocent maids—he just didn’t. He had no honest intentions towards her, and yet, damn, he didn’t know how he was going to get through the season with her bouncing about in front of his face.
He strode hard towards the stables, not bothering to put on his hat or even his riding gloves. It only took a moment to saddle one of the squire’s horses, and off he went into the field. His trot turned into a canter, and his canter suddenly was a gallop as he headed for a line fence and took it into another field …
The inn was in sight.
And so was the woman he lusted after … riding towards him, her long black hair all about her beautiful face as she cantered to a stop and laughed. She looked like a wild and sensual woman, and he felt his cock make a demand … and damn, he wanted to give in to that demand.
“Hallo. Were you headed for the inn … to see Sir Frederick?” she asked him sweetly.
“No, I thought I would look in on him a bit later in the afternoon,” he
said softly. He found he could not stop staring, first at her lips, down the length of her lovely neck, further to the white piece of lace protruding from her buttoned navy wool riding jacket. He wondered what she would look like naked on her horse.
“Oh … then, just out for a ride …?”
“You could say that,” he hedged and allowed his horse to fall into step beside hers.
“He is doing better, though … Corry gave him a horrid tisane, but it did bring down his fever.”
Nick frowned. “He had a fever?”
“Oh yes. It started shortly after you left … and he tossed and turned and … he called out for Corry over and over.”
“Ah, my friend, no doubt is smitten.” Nick smiled and thought he had never seen such luscious full lips. He wanted to feel them beneath his own. He wanted to part them and dart his tongue in to taste her once more.
“Charming countryside.” Babs attempted to make idle conversation because her throat felt as though something was stuck in it. She had to clear it in fact, before she pointed and observed, “Oh look … that broken-down barn, it must have been so pretty once …”
“Aye, no doubt it was a stud barn at one time. The squire used to enjoy breeding his prime bloods, and this is where he must have put the stud paddock—keeping them separate from the mares, till it was time for … er breeding.”
“Oh, then I am trespassing on the squire’s land …” she peeped at him, and he had the feeling she knew very well that she was.
He suddenly stopped his horse and said, “Let’s walk a bit …”
“Lovely,” she said.
He hopped off his horse and managed to get to her, reach for her, and hold her trim waist as he helped her dismount.
He hadn’t meant to press her so close—or had he? He had meant only to lend a gentlemanly hand, but he didn’t seem to be in control any longer. He held her against himself still; he held on so tightly that he felt her full breasts through her clothing and imagined them bared before him. His cock throbbed in his breeches, and he wanted to rip off her clothing and …
When she looked up at him, he saw desire in her dark gaze and knew he was most definitely lost in the moment.
He couldn’t stop.
You can’t stop—or won’t? he asked himself.
The next thing he knew he was crushing her in his strong embrace. He bent and brushed his lips against her full, delicious mouth, parting her lips so he could search out and find, oh … damn, there it was, smooth and tasty … so very tasty …
He slowly moved his tongue in the depth of her mouth, teaching her with slow precision what he wanted, what they both needed, and she responded wildly and with abandon.
He wasn’t the sort to be guided by desire. He had always been in control, but he found he could not resist her kiss, her body; he couldn’t resist all that she was.
She seemed more in control than he, more intent on what she was doing as she managed to scramble out of her riding spencer and, with it dangling from her hand, to throw herself once more into his arms. He found himself unbuttoning her lacey blouse and opening it wide. His mouth started to water.