Authors: Lindsay Kiernan
His eyes looked glazed and confused as if he didn't fully understand what words she was saying. Closing her eyes she licked her lips, horrified at how daring he made her feel. This will prove to him why we can't be together, she told herself, trying to reason her insane actions. When he still hadn't made a sound she brushed her knee up against his leg, coaxing him on. “Show me, you coward,” she urged quietly.
His tongue reached out to lick her lip and she began sighing with the feelings that exploded within her at the tiny movement. She loved the earthy smell of the leaves crushing beneath her feet and the crisp scent of his shirt as he leaned in closer without bringing his body fully against hers.
She grasped the edges of his jacket, trying to pull him to her. Demanding more as his tongue continued its trail up to her ears and finally, slowly down the hollow of her neck. She purred like a kitten with each movement that he made and her body reacted like it was on fire writhing around beneath him. “Kiss me,” she whispered. It had been too long since she had felt his lips on hers, his tongue delving into her mouth as she played back with her own. “More,” she whispered when the kiss was fleeting and his lips continued their path with gentle caresses.
Katherine wanted to take back what she had said. She did not want him to be gentle, the light, teasing touches were driving her crazy as her body knew what it craved and she began to try to feed the desire.
He refused to push against her so she decided to push against him. The tips of her breasts were sore through the fabric and she rubbed them along his chest listening to him curse in response and his body start to shudder. She stopped, worried that she'd done something wrong but when he kissed her neck again she felt the choppy huffs of his breath and she rubbed against him once more.
“I thought you wanted gentle,” he said with a mixture of laughter and torment coloring his words.
“No, Garrett I can't handle it. My entire body is heated and I feel restless.” She rubbed against him to prove her point.
“Calm down,” he tried to tell her as he placed his hand above her breast, trying to quiet her heart beat. But her shaking hands pulled his hand down lower until he cupped her breast feeling the peak of her hard nipple poking against the fabric and his fingers instinctively massaged it.
“Yes,” she moaned as she found some of the release that she craved.
“Kat, tell me to stop this,” he urged as his fingers started messaging the warm flesh and he pinched lightly at the hard bump, causing her body to shudder and moan.
“Don't call me Kat,” she lectured weakly as she tried to bring his hand to grasp her other breast that tingled with the need for the same friction. He gave her what she wanted and watched her delicate face as he discovered what made her moan. In the company of others she was tame and civilized, but for him alone, she became something else. This was the kind of thing that she would never have with Kent.
A loud shuddering moan escaped her chest and Garrett placed his finger against her lips. “Shh. We don't want to be found like this,” he warned her.
“It aches,” she whimpered and Garrett dropped to the ground to examine her sore ankle.
“I'm sorry Kat; I shouldn't have you up against a tree standing on it, where does it hurt?”
Her face colored bright red as she looked down at his worried face. “It's not my ankle,” she told him sheepishly but was unable to put it into words.
His hand stilled on her calf and he realized what she had meant.
“It's wicked, isn't it?” she asked and hid her face in her hands. “I just don't know why it feels so different.”
“You've never touched there?” he asked huskily as his hand drifted slightly higher up her leg.
Katherine peeked out from behind her hands; sure that he was teasing her. “Of course not. Why would someone?”
His hand drew further up and she realized what he intended to do. “Will it make the aching go away?” she asked unsteadily as his hands went even higher and brushed the ticklish, soft skin of her thighs.
He cupped the curls behind the thin fabric, his finger running along the wet surface as her hips bucked towards his hand in need of release. “You might want to bite your lip,” he warned.
Pushing aside the fabric of her drawers he slid his hand down to find the tiny spot that ached like a beacon forcing him closer. As his fingers drew across it she gasped and one of her hands came to sift through the hair on his head. “We don't have to finish this.”
“Would I still be a virgin?” she asked staring
into his eyes. Good girls were
n't supposed to talk about such things but after this, Katherine would never kid herself into thinking that she was a good girl.
“No, I would leave you intact,” he told her.
“Then do it,” she whispered and through the layers of her skirts she urged his hand to touch her again.
As his thumb massaged the little bud, he let the tip of his finger slip inside of her only a little before she shuddered, then further as her tight body tried to refuse him and waves of pleasure sent shivers along her limbs spiraling out until she could barely stand. He stood up to hold her, feeling the light tremors subside as he rubbed her back in slow lazy circles.
“Does this mean that you'll let me court you?” he asked with a light laugh as he lowered his mouth to her neck, feeding on her.
“No,” she told him, twisting around in his arms so that she hugged the tree instead of his body. It was a little too late for rational sense but it came flooding back in waves of shame. “This has been a perfect example of what I'm afraid of,” she told him as tears sprung to her eyes. “My emotions are too violent when I'm with you. I couldn't live my life needing you to touch me like this every time we see each other. It's not right, this isn't who I was supposed to become,” she sobbed.
“You let me touch you like that, to then tell me no?” he asked as he stared at her back and she could sense how upset he had become.
“With Kent I could have something more comfortable. He doesn't make me feel this way, this needy.” She tried to explain everything to him as she sensed his rage. “Garrett I'm too afraid of us to even consider being with you.” At last she turned and drifted her fingers along his face soothingly before bringing her lips to his, trying to make him understand.
Garrett pushed her back, closing his eyes as if he were in pain. “You can't have it both ways Kat,” he growled before walking away, leaving her panting and confused.
“Is your ankle good enough for you to attend the week retreat that your sister and Victor have planned?” Kent asked when Katherine returned from her walk in the gardens alone. She glanced around to find Garrett off in the corner, watching the dancers but avoiding her gaze.
“What retreat?” she asked still staring in the distance, trying to read Garrett's emotions.
“The one that Victor is putting on for your sister, next week,” he answered, confused that she had not yet heard about it from Robin when she had been the one to invite him.
“My ankle was never very bad to begin with,” she assured him as he handed her a glass of warm wine that he must have been holding for awhile. Just how long had she been outside with Garrett? Had anyone else noticed?
“Good, then you owe me a dance. Victor injured you before I was able to have the pleasure last time,” he reminded her and threw in another of his dashing smile. It did nothing for her insides, not even a quiver she realized with a tinge of guilt and relief. Life with Kent could be enjoyable and comfortable. And more important, she would be able to keep her promise to her mother. She had to hope that it would be enough for her.
“I would love to dance with you at the ball next week,” she assured him. They continued to discuss some of the polite and mundane subjects that she and Garrett never discussed like the new hairstyle that Winnie had chosen for her, and what her life before London had been like. It was comfortable and she had to admit that it was also a little boring.
“Aren't you sleeping upstairs?” Robin asked once they were back at the townhouse and Katherine began readying for bed in the same room as her sister.
“No, my ankle's fine now, I don't need to use that room anymore.” After tonight she could not allow herself to sleep in Garrett's bedroom. She was mortified at what she had done and blamed herself for not being able to control the situation. Garrett was right to be mad at her. He had tried to stop them, had even held back and she had used him. It was that simple.
“Maybe I should sleep up there tonight,” Robin suggested. “It looked like a very comfortable bed and Victor nearly sprained my ankle during one of the dances. I think I might spend tonight up there instead of with you. I'm sure that the family won't mind.”
Katherine's head flashed to an image of Garrett sneaking into his room to finish what they had started earlier and finding Robin instead. He could tell them apart when they were awake but what about in the dead of night while they were asleep? Katherine decided that she couldn't risk it. “I don't think that's a good idea. It's his bedroom, not ours,” she insisted.
“But he isn't using it,” Robin complained, and then remembered another subject that she wanted to talk to Katherine about. “And I don't like the way he looked at you during the carriage ride tonight. I think he may have some feelings for you.”
Katherine remembered that she still had not explained his identity to her sister who had been too busy thinking about Victor over the last week to care about Katherine's life. It had not been intentional to keep it secret from her sister, until now. She decided to continue keeping it from her sister who she knew would become quite upset if the truth were revealed about Garrett.
They dressed quietly for bed until Robin could hold it in no longer. “He has no title you know, and I don't think he's that rich either.”
“Who?”
“Garrett Brentley of course. I'm worried that he likes you, and since you've had very little luck in finding someone suitable, I didn't want you to upset me and mother and settle for someone like him, someone who has no title and is no help to our family,” Robin informed her again in case she hadn't been heard the first time.
“I know that he has no title,” Katherine told her, not really paying attention as she sat to write a short letter to their father before bed.
“Well he must be staring at you for some reason,” Robin said as she practiced rearranging her hair into a new style before letting it drop down past her shoulders again. “I don't want you leading him on when it's clear that he won't work for what we need.”
Katherine hated the way her sister had begun referring to the men they met, like they were pawns in her great game and she could play with them however she wanted to. Her increased interests in Victor seemed to have made her more cynical of men in general. Robin hardly seemed to be falling in love with anything except for Victor's pocketbook.
“I have not given him any sign that I want his attentions,” she assured her sister before setting down her quill. She was too upset to write a letter to her father anyway and she had not heard back from him since the last letter that she had written. There had only been a short note from her mother informing them that he was too ill right now to write her back.
“Now Kent, he might work well for us. I was happy to see you talking to him tonight. Titled, handsome and moderately wealthy, mother would certainly approved of him as a choice. If you work quickly enough we could have a double wedding as I expect Victor to propose quite soon.”
She had a hard time believing that her sister would be willing to share the spotlight on her wedding day. No, it was just that she wanted Katherine to find a man and be done with it.
It was the only thing that they both seemed to agree on.
For the next couple of days things became blissfully slow. As they would be leaving for Victor's retreat in three days, Mrs. Brentley had decided to decline any further invitations until after they returned from their trip. Katherine took the opportunity to write to her father and mother again, sending them Robin's love and asking after their father's health. She also tried to assure her mother that they were behaving for Mrs. Brentley, though that was not entirely true.
Katherine stayed mostly in the parlor during her days, reading one of the many books that the late Mr. Brentley had collected. “You should visit our estate sometime,” Winnie had insisted as she joined her in the room. “My father's library is very large and includes a small reading nook hidden behind one of the book shelves.” Katherine had to admit that she was enchanted by the idea.
“Kent's estate is very close to yours isn't it?” she asked only to receive a deep frown from Winnie. “I could visit you from there too.”
“If you marry him, I won't let you come over and spend time with us,” Winnie pouted.
“Yes you would. We'd visit nearly every day,” Katherine assured her, trying to win her friend's acceptance of Kent as her future husband.
“All right, I'll invite you over, but not Kent and you'll never be allowed to bring him with you.” The two had laughed then, although Winnie still warned her away from making Kent her choice. “Even if you don't marry Garrett, you have to promise me that you won't choose Kent. You deserve better.”