“A jaunt?” she repeated, teeth chattering.
“Yes, or adventure. Would you rather I use the word adventure? How about if I say it’s a Christmas adventure, hmm?”
Katherine’s eyes narrowed.
“No? Alright.” He placed her arm within his and trudged with her through the snow. “I thought rather than freezing to death in that carriage, that we would build a fire in that lovely looking cabin over yonder.”
“That?” she repeated, dread filling her voice. “It looks haunted.”
“It’s nothing of the sort,” he assured her. “It’s merely dark, besides things aren’t allowed to be haunted during the holiday season.”
“Says who?”
“I say, and I’m a duke, so the ghosts have to listen.”
“Arrogance, arrogance.” She laughed, but followed him to the cabin, within minutes they were inside. He helped Katherine to a chair and searched for wood.
Fortunately, the moonlight mixed with the set of matches he had acquired the night before, while smoking cheroots with the gentlemen, helped shed enough light that he was able to locate where the wood was hiding.
Soon, he had a roaring fire, and was thankful to feel heat begin to radiate from the hearth.
He motioned for Katherine to sit near him by the fireplace.
It was a tiny hunting lodge, nothing to boast about truly. It held one small bed in the corner, a table in the middle of the room, and two sitting chairs in front of the fire. No stove to speak of and no food.
Pity, for his stomach needed sustenance.
As if on cue, it growled.
Katherine smirked. “Hungry?”
“Only for you,” he teased, though the sudden plummet in his stomach should have hinted him toward the truth of those very words.
They were alone, very alone.
He should have laughed at their circumstances, was he not merely days ago planning on fully ruining the girl in hopes that she would cry off? And the day after finally giving up and realizing how deeply he cared for her, he found himself completely alone with the girl.
His conscience fought an epic inner battle as his eyes continued to rake over her with a mixture of desire and interest.
“When will we marry?” Katherine asked, breaking the silence.
Benedict wasn’t sure what the correct answer was to be. After all, weddings were sort of a sacred ritual to women. They were cause for great joy, weeping, insanity… so he needed to tread carefully. “When would you like to marry?”
“Oh, you mean it?” She clasped her hands together in excitement allowing him to exhale with relief.
“Of course.” His chest puffed, just slightly.
“Tomorrow, let’s marry tomorrow.”
“Pardon?” He coughed.
“Tomorrow,” she said slower and reached out to touch his arm. “I’m already ruined. We both know I don’t need any sort of fanfare. After all, the ton has seen my knees, have they not?
Benedict chuckled.
“I know we wanted to wait until after the Kringle Ball, but I truly cannot wait to start our lives. Don’t you agree?”
He suddenly felt very, very hot, and deuced uncomfortable, and the innocent look in her eyes haunted him.
“Er, yes.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“To think! In just a few hours, I’ll be able to move into your house, and we’ll be able to…” She blushed profusely and looked at her hands.
“Be able to?” He leaned forward and lifted one eyebrow in question.
“You know…”
“No, I truly don’t.”
Her look was incredulous. “Benedict!”
“Katherine.”
She scowled. “We’ll be able to really be together.”
“Like we are now?” He played innocent. Gads how he loved the way she became so easily flustered. Her cheeks took on the most beautiful shade of pink, tempting his tongue to caress the spot right below her jaw where the pink met ivory skin.
“No, not like we are now.” Her little bum shifted in the chair.
He leaned even closer, placing both hands on either side of the chair until his face was so near, he could hear her shallow breaths. “You mean like this?” His hands reached out to touch her neck and then moved down her shoulders, her arms, and finally to her legs. With little effort, he lifted her into his arms showing her how to wrap herself around him, and just held her there as he placed long lingering kisses on her neck and face.
“Y-yes… Oh, heavens yes, like this.” Her head fell back exposing her throat.
Careful, his inner voice warned him. Take it slow.
But he was never one to listen to his good conscience.
So he laid her across the dusty bed and hovered over her, watching her squirm and sigh beneath his touch.
“Benedict.” Her voice was hoarse.
“Yes, love?”
“Will your servants like me?”
What an odd question. And dreadful timing considering his hand was already placed halfway up her creamy thigh.
He kept his arousal in check and tried to answer the question, mentally going through every person in his employ.
And then his body went cold.
Maria.
Suddenly, he was disgusted with himself. Withdrawing his hand from the pleasure of her leg, he leaned back on the bed and shuddered.
“What is it?” Katherine asked.
“It’s just that…” Benedict couldn’t even look her in the eyes his shame was so great. “I had forgotten about some business at the house, business I need to attend to before I welcome you with open arms.”
“Oh.” She looked down.
“But…” he interjected. “It won’t take long. Before you know it, you’ll be the mistress of the house.” He gulped against the bile that rose in his throat at the use of the word mistress. Could he have not come up with a better description? She was so much better than that.
And he, the Devil, did not deserve her.
If she knew…
Well, if she knew, she wouldn’t continue to give him a chance. He was afraid, devil take it, he was terrified that if she truly knew about some of the things that took place under the roof of that house, she would be more than scandalized.
“Let me buy you a house.” The words fell out of his mouth in a rush.
“A house? You want to buy me a house?” Katherine shook her head. “Whatever’s wrong with your house?”
“It’s old.”
“Alright...” Katherine’s eyes searched his. “And you want to buy a newer house, is that it?”
“Yes. I want you to have the best.” At least that part was true.
“I’ll buy you a house, move you into it…” Why in the blazes was he going on in this fashion? As if she was some type of mistress. “Naturally, I’ll live there too,” he added.
“I should hope so.” Katherine laughed. “We are to be married.” She lifted her hand to cup his face. “After all, you won’t get a traditional ton marriage from me.”
“I won’t?” He feigned depression, though he couldn’t have been more pleased.
“No.” The minx leaned closer to him, her arm hooking his neck like a shepherd’s crook, pulling him down closer and closer until he once again hovered over her. “I’ll want you by my side every day.”
“That can be arranged.”
“And in my bed every night.”
What was that? Angels singing?
“I believe I can manage to agree to your terms.”
“Promise.” Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
He took a shuddering breath before lowering his lips to hers and mumbling against them, “Promise.”
Now all he needed to do was make sure she never found out his secret, never know the depths of his depravity, lest she lose that sparkle he so adored.
****
Something was bothering Benedict, though Katherine hadn’t a clue what it could be. By all standards, he was acting the perfect gentleman.
That should have been her first hint.
Originally she had thought he was going to seduce her, not that she minded one whit.
And then he had pulled back, a look of absolute horror on his face as he began to sputter nonsense about buying a new house.
He was wealthy. Everyone knew how wealthy, even though he gambled as if he truly desired to lose his entire fortune. He never lost.
So it could not be lack of funds.
She bit her lip and looked at him again. Benedict had kissed her and then told her to sleep.
As if she could sleep after his hands had been halfway up her thigh.
Ridiculous!
Perhaps, she thought as she closed her eyes and tried to relax, he was embarrassed about the state of his house? After all, bachelors were known to be careless in their décor as well as their upkeep. The poor man probably didn’t even pay a full staff.
What his house needed was a woman’s touch! There was no need for him to spend money for her sake.
A smile curved her lips. That was it! She would surprise him. Tomorrow after he dropped her off, she would quickly change, and then arrive at his house and offer her help. After all, the way things were going, they were planning on gaining a special license as soon as possible. It wasn’t as if she was not ruined already.
With a grin, she finally relaxed enough to try to sleep, all the while thinking of ways she could surprise Benedict.
Chapter Twenty-one
Not All Surprises Are Welcome
By the time the carriage dropped off Katherine at her home, it was some ungodly time of the night. At least two or three a.m.
The footman had taken another hour to trudge back to the cabin with different transportation. The snow storm had let up enough for them to continue on.
Though there was a part of Benedict that wished he and Katherine could have stayed in that cabin forever, away from his past, away from his uncertain future.
Stupidity seemed to be the only way to describe his actions. How had he not remembered Maria?
Or the six before her?
Exhausted, his legs felt as if he had poured sand into his boots. Slowly, he made his way into his house, not bothering to deal with the situation as of yet. He would need energy and sustenance to do what he had to do.
He pushed open the door to his room and cursed.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” a lush feminine voice said in the darkness.
He wanted to hit something. How the devil did she know he would be arriving at such a time?
“You must be exhausted,” the throaty voice continued. “Let me relieve some of that tension, your grace.”
“No.” His response was cold, angry.
“No?” Maria laughed as Benedict lit the candle nearest the bed.
The woman was draped with nothing but a sheet, her hair tumbling around her waist, a coquettish pout on her lips. “Feisty tonight, hmm?”
Benedict pinched his nose and prayed for patience. “Listen to me.”
She leaned forward giving him a view that made him ill with disgust.
“If you do not leave within the next five seconds, I’m going to remove you myself, and I guarantee you there will be nothing sensual or erotic about it. Now, get out of my bed chambers.”
Maria’s smile fell, her eyes narrowed. “Is this a new game?”