Robin barely noticed Katherine's departure as she pulled each rose to her face for a better inspection and continued telling Winnie about just how rich Victor was.
Winnie, on the other hand, couldn't help but notice the frightened look in Katherine's eyes when she had met Garrett. Her brother's smug smile reaffirmed that he was up to some sort of mischief and she knew something was not right. Before she could run after her friend, Winnie felt her brother's eyes bore into her back. Turning to him, she watched Garrett shake his head, before motioning for her to sit.
“What did you do to her?” she hissed quietly as she took the seat next to him, ignoring Robin as she listed what kinds of horses Victor kept.
“Leave this alone,” Garrett told her, turning his attentions back to his plate and the large portions of roasted meat and eggs that he began to devour.
After picking over a few pastries that she had found in the kitchen, Katherine sat just inside of the sitting room, waiting for Garrett to pass by. She had not seen Mrs. Brentley this morning and she needed to know if he had kept his promise not to speak to his mother about what had happened between them. He could ruin everything, she thought to herself. But the fact that she and her sister had not yet been kicked out led her to hope that he did not intend to tell his mother, and that he would keep his promise.
Then why had he come here today, she wondered. Winnie had made it clear that her brother hated being in London at this time of year. Growing up with a mother who had sponsored a young woman each season had led him to become very cynical about the entire process. Was he now so reformed that he had decided to join the parade of young women, matchmakers and the bachelors they sought after like prey?
Winnie had even told her that he should be leaving early the next week to return home. She had been debating whether or not to return with him as she usually did each year. “But I like you better than most of my mother's other charges,” Winnie had said bluntly. “It might be fun to stay here and help you and your sister keep out of trouble.”
Katherine was supposed to be in London hunting for a husband, she did not enjoy the feeling of being hunted instead. Somehow she knew that Garrett being here this morning foretold many other times that he would try to insert himself into her daily life.
Questions continued to run through Katherine's head. Had he known that he was kissing one of his mother's charges that night by the inn? No, that was ridiculous. He had believed that she was some woman named Amelia. He could not have known who he was kissing that first night. Then why wasn't he off tormenting his Amelia instead of her? Was she a former charge of his mother whom he had also followed around?
She couldn't remember the name Amelia being mentioned at the party by any of the women, but most of the women had been referred to by their married names, not by their first names. She couldn't recall Winnie or Mrs. Brentley using it during their previous conversations but until now she hadn't cared much about the previous charges.
The loud footfalls in the hallway betrayed a much larger form than her sister or either of the Brentley women possessed as the figure slowly came closer. Katherine poked her head out of the door to make sure it was Garrett, before stepping out into the hall and motioning him to follow her. Once they were both inside she shut the door tight behind them, even locking the latch to ensure that they were not disturbed. Turning back to face him, she found Garrett smiling broadly at her without a trace of guilt.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, becoming more annoyed with him than even the night before. He seemed so sure of himself, something that Katherine did not approve of when she was stuck feeling flustered and tricked.
“This is my house,” he reminded her, as if it were that simple. Sighing heavily, Katherine rested her face in her hands.
Watching her distress, Garrett's smile waned as if he had not expected her to be upset by his presence. “Why does it bother you that I'm here?” he asked.
Katherine sat down on the settee to rub at her temples that were beginning to ache. She shot him an exasperated glance through her finger tips.
“I promised you that I would keep your secret if you kissed me last night. I won't betray my word to you.”
Searching his face for any twitch of a lie, Katherine found herself able to believe him, but that did not quell all of her fears. “Why do you insist on seeing me again? I already told you that I'm only interested in marrying a man with a title, which you don't have.” When he went to interrupt her, Katherine raised her voice. “I'm not going to let you keep kissing me, so that bit of fun is over.”
He hardly looked chastised as he watched her with another of his full grins.
“There is no reason to even stay in London when you hate this town as much as Winnie has said that you do,” Katherine huffed, finally lowering her voice to make sure that no one was listening in.
Garrett came to sit beside her on the settee. He laughed lightly when he felt her pull away and sit as far down the settee from him as she could. “I don't think you've been listening to me, Kat.” He spoke patiently, as if she were a child who did not fully understand.
Katherine bristled at being referred to so intimately by him, but this time he did not give her time to protest.
“I'm not just looking for a few stolen kisses with you. I already know that we are more than adequate at that.” He tried to look innocent as he shifted closer to her and only managed to look sinful, like he was plotting something. “I'm here to help change your mind about this whole titled husband thing. You should open yourself up to other possibilities,” he said and leaned in even closer to her.
“Like you?” she asked, stunned that he was in essence, proposing more than a courtship between them.
His body had come close enough that she could faintly smell his aftershave. “Yes, someone like me might be just what you need.” He moved swiftly in an attempt to kiss her neck.
Katherine leapt off of the coach before he could do so. “I already told you that I need to marry someone who has a title.” She hoped that it would be enough to get him to stop. Instead it seemed to egg him on; like he had to prove that he was indeed what she wanted.
“There are many disadvantages to searching for titled men, Kat. Most of them are quite old,” he told her as he stood to follow her about the room.
“I know,” she snapped back at him, taking a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs in the room, so that he couldn't sit down beside her.
“You'd be a second or even third wife to many of them.”
It was true. While trying to choose only the most upstanding titled bachelors to dance with, Katherine had found herself entertaining the company of men who were as old as her father. While the age gap had not bothered them, she had to admit that it had disturbed her. Besides, being someone's second wife didn't sound as special to her. But she couldn't give up, she had promised her mother that she would find one to marry. She simply had to try harder to find someone that she could be happy with, even if he was a much older man than she had wanted.
“Kat, why do you need to marry someone with a title?” he asked quietly as he watched her from across the room.
“Don't call me Kat,” she scolded him. “And leave this alone Garrett, I'm not interested in pursuing anything with you.”
Instead of fighting with her, he came to stand in front of her, watching Katherine fidget with a piece of lace on her dress. “You don't like sitting still with nothing to do,” he commented pointing out her nervous fingers.
She was annoyed that he watched her so closely, trying to pick up each of her little ticks. He must have been trained by his mother, she decided, thinking back to the night at the inn when Mrs. Brentley had advised them to be vigilante. “How long do you plan to be in London?” she asked to keep his mind off of tasks such as picking apart her character and motives in life.
“As long as it takes,” Garrett told her, moving closer to her as if he wanted to pin her in her chair. Katherine stood quickly, to back away from hi
s approach. His hand reached out to gently grasp one of the ribbons on her green day dress. His gentle tugs threatened to pull her in closer or tear the delicate piece if she tried to run away.
“I told you, Garrett, that I'm not interested in pursuing anything with you,” she told him, trying to sound annoyed but instead sounding breathless.
His other hand reached out to grasp her around her waist. Turning to flee, Katherine ran to the door and cursed herself for having locked it. Her hands blindly sought the latch but Garrett pounced on her, spinning her to face him and gently pushing her back against the door.
“Are you going to try and deny that there is a strong connection between us?” he asked while he brushed back a few hairs from her face and her cheeks pinkened at the touch.
“Yes. There is nothing special between us that I couldn't find with someone else,” she said, trying to convince both him and herself.
He leaned in closer, letting their bodies collide together as his knee pushed between her thighs, anchoring her to the door with his body. Katherine closed her eyes, her breath coming out in desperate gasps as she felt him descend to kiss her. He stopped just short of letting their lips touch. His breath fanned against her mouth and along her neck. It prickled the hairs near her ear as her bare skin hummed with the need to feel his lips. Katherine gripped her hands into tight balls at her side as she restrained herself from pulling him in closer.
“Tell me that you can feel this,” Garrett whispered, his lips only a breath away from her own, yet he was unwilling to move the necessary inches without her admission. Despite the distance between their mouths Katherine could feel something building within her. She clamped her lips shut to stop from telling him what he wanted to hear, or worse, moaning with need. Her eyes closed as she tried to ignore him, tried not to concentrate on the feel of him as his imprint soaked into her skin.
Garrett shook her shoulders lightly, trying to pry the answer from her stubborn throat. “Kat,” he whispered as his lips hovered over the strong pulse at the base of her throat. Breathing against the veins beneath the soft white skin.
When her eyes at last opened, he stared into them with his own. “Tell me that you need this Kat. I can give you what you're craving,” he said while his hands moved across her dress, never quite touching her skin until one of his fingers skimmed along the length of her throat.
Katherine's chest shook with the strain to contain all of the feelings that he was creating within her. When she tried to move him aside, his hands pushed against her ribs, keeping her pinned to the door while he refused to give her body the friction that she needed. She was surprised that this lack of physical contact was driving her crazier than the two previous kisses that they had shared. It seemed that Garrett knew what he was doing, slowly trying to drive her mad.
A part of her wanted to consent, to tell him that she did need to feel his lips against her own; to urge his hands to hold her. Yet, she feared the admission would only strengthen his resolve, and she decided that it was not a concession she was willing to make.
She knew her arousal was apparent to him. His smile became almost devilish as he leaned in closer to her once more, licking along the delicate tip of her ear, forcing her over the edge as a small moan finally escaped her lips.
Pulling back from her, Garrett looked into her flushed face. Gently, he ran one finger along her neck and down to the pale bulge of her cleavage to pinch lightly at the small hard buds that stood out beneath the fabric of her day dress.
Rubbing his thumb over a small bite mark on her lip, Garrett watched as her tongue came out to wet the dry area, accidentally licking his finger as she did so. That was when she felt him lose his restraint, pushing his body against hers, rubbing deeper into her billowing skirts and nearly lifting her toes off of the ground with the force of his desire as his hands came up to cradle her head.
Another moan escaped her lips as she stood lost inside all of the emotions that she felt but couldn't fully accept. “Tell me that you need this like I do,” he insisted and her light blue eyes flew open to stare deep into his.
Katherine was startled when she realized how far she had let him take her, like a dream that she had no control over its path or progression. Her treacherous hands were gripping his arms as she fought to pull him to her.
“Tell me, Kat,” he whispered as his lips descended to the rise of her breasts and he licked at a drop of sweat that trailed along her neck. “You don't have to keep torturing both of us.”
“No.” Katherine was barely able to whisper as she fought not to moan at the feel of his touch. Her hands came up to his shoulders, trying weakly to push him back. “No.” She spoke more firmly as his teeth nibbled the side of her neck. Finding her strength, Katherine pushed harder against him.
While she couldn't move him, the effort broke the spell that had been held over them and Garrett stepped back drunkenly as he stared at her lightly disheveled form as if wondering how he had lost all of his control. “Kat?” he said questioningly but was stilled by the pressure of her hand on his chest that attempted to keep a distance between them.
Turning to grasp the door for support, Katherine waited until she could breathe normally before looking back at him. There was a slightly lost look in his eyes as if he had taken her and himself too far this time. At that moment Katherine could relate to him, having felt her body take over and her mind completely shut down to all thoughts of reason.
“I am not interested in you,” she told him as evenly as she could manage. “You need to stop trying to see me.”
“I can't do that,” Garrett said gravely to her as he watched her re-straighten her clothing and hair. It was no use, anyone who saw her in the hall or on her way up to her room would know what she had been doing. “And you can't deny that this is happening Kat, even if it wasn't what you had planned.”
Turning to unlatch the lock and open the door, Katherine refused to look back at him. “Don't call me Kat,” was all she managed to say, before slipping out of the room to escape.
Chapter 7
Katherine had worried about explaining to her sister why Garrett had teased her earlier that morning, why she had disappeared from breakfast, and why she had arrived in their room looking disheveled and winded. However, the questions about Garrett never came. Instead she found that nothing except thoughts of Victor were crowding Robin's brain. The roses that he had brought earlier were later placed in their room where Robin could coo over them every time that she walked past them. They seemed to remind her of all of the wealth that Victor could offer her.
The rest of the day Katherine found herself jumping at every sound in the house and fearing that Garrett was lurking in the shadows to catch her off guard. But the hours came and went without further interruptions. He did not appear later that day or the next. It began to bother Katherine that she held her breath every time a door was opened and someone entered the room. She seemed to be expecting him every time instead of her sister, Winnie, or Mrs. Brentley.
It was not because she felt a need to be near him, or she told herself. It was that she feared seeing him again and she wanted to be prepared. But the feeling of loss, each time that it wasn't him entering the room, betrayed her emotions. She resigned herself to looking forward to the next dance, as an excuse to be out of the house and as a chance to search for a more suitable man to fill her thoughts with than Garrett.
Winnie had kept quiet about Katherine's strange behavior since witnessing the exchange between her and Garrett. Only once did she try to prod Katherine about what was going on between them.
“I appreciate your concern Winnie, but there is nothing to discuss. Your brother and I have already decided to set the issue aside,” Katherine assured her as they prepared the dresses for that night's dance.
It was clear Winnie knew that she was lying but luckily Winnie decided not to call her out on it. “I've never known him to 'set something aside' when he seemed as interested as he did with you,” Winnie warned her.
“I can handle Garrett,” Katherine said, trying to convince both her and Winnie at the same time.
Before leaving for the dance, Robin was gifted with another set of roses waiting for her at the door; however, they were a different color than the previous set. The short note informed her that Victor would also be attending that night's dance and asked her to wear one of the pink roses in her hair.
Pink was not Robin's favorite color, in fact she detested it. But because she wanted to please Victor she quickly borrowed Katherine's new pale pink dress to comply. It worried Katherine to watch her sister become so willing to change herself on a whim for her new beau.
“Is she normally this willing to wear something that she doesn't even like, just to meet someone else's demands?” Winnie asked after having helped freshly press Robin's new light green dress for the dance, only to now re-hang it and put it away.
“No,” Katherine answered. She watched Robin cringe at the light pink color before asking for help with placing one of the roses in her hair.
Katherine had more things to worry about than her sister's poor choices at the moment. The first thing on her mind was that she needed to find at least one bachelor that she could start to consider. The sooner that she was engaged the sooner that Garrett would leave her alone. Although she didn't know if the sight of a new suitor would really keep him away.
Next, she had to make sure that she was not caught alone with Garrett. After finding another small note under her perfume bottle that morning, she had no doubt that Garrett's absence from her would end, and much sooner than she wanted it to. Opening the letter she had found only one word sketched out on the paper.
Tonight.
Katherine could handle seeing him again as long as she didn't allow him to corner her alone once more. It was at those times that she lost her senses. It was strange that he appeared to lose his as well.
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