A Spinster's Awakening (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 2)

short given her voice trembled with the raw desire that pummelled her.

It was impossible to resist him when his head lowered toward hers. Everything within her screamed at her to step away, to preserve her already bruised heart, and not allow herself to give in to the rampant desire to touch him again, but it was already too late.

For a few brief seconds, their lips touched. Her breath hitched, but Angus was there to reassure her she was safe. His hands gentled as they kept her steady while his lips swept against hers again and again. Once, twice, the gentle caress swept backward and forward softly teasing temptation out to play. He felt her swift intake of breath and waited but she was pliant in his arms. When she didn’t pull away, he swept his lips across hers but rather than wait again, or lean back to put some distance between them, he lingered and savoured the silken glide of her warm flesh beneath his lips.

How many moments passed he couldn’t be sure but eventually the need to increase the pressure drove him to distraction, especially when she inched closer and leaned toward him. Angus groaned when he realised whatever hold she had on him was impossible to fight. Everything within him screamed at him to stay away; for both of their sakes he had to remain professional, but he swiftly shoved his doubts aside and caved in to the need to experience what they had shared last night, if only so he could satisfy himself that it hadn’t been a figment of his imagination.

Damn, it isn’t something I imagined. This is real. Very real, he groaned mentally as he slid a hand into her hair to guide her gently into allowing him to deepen the kiss the way he genuinely had wanted to do since the first moment he had set eyes on her only a couple of days ago now.

It felt as though a lifetime had passed since he had first crossed the threshold into her house. So much had happened that he was a little shocked by it. Such a large part of himself had changed his view on her, what he wanted from life, his attraction toward her, that he was struggling to keep pace with the speed in which everything was changing. Still, there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it, especially when her fingers clenched the soft folds of his shirt tightly and tugged him infinitesimally closer.

Bit by bit, Angus gave in to her insistent demands. He ignored the clamouring need to edge her backward until she fell onto the chaise behind her, so he could follow her down and give in to temptation. Instead, he drew her as close to his solid length as it was possible to get and allowed her to feel every inch of his raw, masculine need for her.

While what they were sharing was wonderful, Angus knew that indulging in this way was probably the most foolish thing he had ever done. In that moment, he didn’t care if she was frightened. He wanted her to be wary of him. If it helped to put a little distance between them so he wasn’t so plagued with frustration, then so be it. But, while he had that thought it was accompanied by a bitter regret that slammed into him and made him realise that he truly was fighting a losing battle.

What he was supposed to do now, though, was far, far beyond him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Cooeee!”

Angus groaned. He couldn’t find the strength to do anything more than rest his forehead against Charity’s while he willed his shattered senses to cool.

“God in Heaven, what have we done?” he whispered.

“I have no idea,” Charity cried.

She wasn’t at all sure what she could say. She had never been more shaken, or more certain that she wanted to be with a man before. Nobody had ever made her feel this, well, desired. No man had ever been this compelling to her, so much so she forgot about everything, including that they were standing in the middle of her sitting room, on plain view to anybody who happened past – or was inclined to stare through the window at them like most of the ladies of the tapestry circle was doing right now. Being in Angus’s arms made her forget everything but the way he made her feel.

“Oh. My. God,” Charity whispered when a persistent rapping on the glass shattered the silence.

Her gaze locked with Angus’s. Charity’s eyes were wide with fear, but she knew they were already doomed.

“Charity,” he whispered, his voice tinged with a plea that was heartfelt.

“I won’t put myself at risk,” she promised.

“Let me deal with the ladies,” Angus offered.

Charity shook her head. She struggled to focus on anything other than she truly wished they hadn’t been interrupted. She wanted nothing more than for them to be alone, so she could savour the delicious sensations Angus made her feel. They were intriguing. She wanted to experience them again, they were so addictive.

“I think I have to, don’t you?” she whispered. “They are my friends after all.”

Charity studied him. In truth, she was unable to comprehend the horror of being found in such a shockingly intimate embrace. She had absolutely no idea what she could say to the ladies, her friends, to excuse her rash behaviour. What could she say? Words failed her. It was impossible to focus on anything other than finding out just how badly her reputation lay in tatters. If only one of the ladies had seen them then Charity knew she might have been able to persuade the witness to keep it a secret. That was impossible now that all her friends had witnessed her shocking fall from grace.

“Oh Lordy, it is all of them,” Charity moaned when they both turned their heads and saw several familiar faces pressed against the glass with an array of surprised, shocked and intrigued expressions on their bemused faces.

“Jesus,” Angus hissed. “Now they are either really dedicated to their tapestry or they suspect you have lied and have come to find out what is really going on.”

“I dread to think what impression we have just given them,” she muttered.

Angus shook his head. He didn’t know what to say. The thought of having to offer for Charity filled him with quiet horror. It was the last thing he wanted, for himself or her. It wasn’t that he was averse to the idea of offering for Charity. He just didn’t want either of them to be forced into having to marry.

Charity sighed. “They are going to be even more curious now. What do we tell them?”

Angus cursed and snatched his hands off her small shoulders. He had forgotten he was still holding her.

“Good God.” Angus ran a frustrated hand through his hair and forced himself to put some distance between them. “Do you know something? I have absolutely no idea.”