But she didn’t expect to see this, Rowland simply sitting in peace. He stared out at nothing, as if his mind was far away from here.
Hannah braced herself for what she was about to do next. She made it this far, so she might as well reveal herself to him. She couldn’t go back in any case. She was bound to be lost.
Slowly, she stepped away from the tree she was hiding behind and stepped into the clearing. Mr. Albertson’ eyes darted to her the moment she came into view and he shot to his feet, those eyes growing wide. “Lady Hannah!” he gasped. “What are you doing out here?”
“I followed you,” she answered truthfully. “I can see you from the window of my bedchamber. You’ve been coming here often, haven’t you?”
Mr. Albertson didn’t look like he was comprehending what she was saying well. His eyes remained wide, his brows dipped into confusion. “You’ve been watching me?”
“’Watching’ is a bit of a stretch, Mr. Albertson,” Hannah said, laughing nervously. “I haven’t been watching you. I’ve simply caught sight of you making your way to the woods a few nights. My curiosity got the best of me and so I decided to follow you.”
“My Lady, this isn’t safe.” He took a step forward, then, as if he thought better of it, decided to stay where he was. “Allow me to escort you back to the manor.”
She shook her head. She didn’t want to go back. She wanted to go near him. In her haste to follow him, she’d forgotten her shawl and now that the adrenaline had worn off, she could feel the chill of the night on her shoulders. I want his arms around me, warming me.
And that was the mildest of her thoughts.
Now that she was standing before him, alone as they were in the middle of the woods, she couldn’t help the riskier thoughts that pushed forward. The ones that, despite the cold, wanted clothing to be shed. Her nipples peaked and Hannah didn’t know which of the two—the cold or her lustful thoughts—to blame it on.
Can he see my arousal through my nightdress?
Hannah knew it was best to cover it up, but she half hoped he would catch sight of it.
“I’d rather not leave so soon, Mr. Albertson,” she told him. “And you don’t need to, either, on my account.”
He opened his mouth—to protest, she was sure—and then he closed it again. Hannah took that as a good sign. She ventured a step closer. “Why are you here?” she asked. “Are you meeting with someone?”
“No, My Lady,” he said. And then he sighed, as if he was giving up trying to do the right thing and ensure she went back to her room. Hannah’s heart soared and it gave her the confidence to step closer yet again. “I came here to clear my thoughts.”
“Clear your thoughts?”
“Yes. The peacefulness of being surrounded by nature always has a way of putting me at ease. I come here to feel relaxed and at peace.”
“Ah, I see.” Hannah wouldn’t have guessed it was something as simple as that. “I can see why you chose right here. It really is very peaceful If you don’t count all the many frogs singing throughout the night, that is.”
Mr. Albertson chuckled softly. “I suppose you are right about that, My Lady.”
Hannah smiled. Feeling brave, she made her way over to him. She could feel his eyes weighing on her but she didn’t meet them, not until she had taken a seat on an old fallen log near the rock Mr. Albertson had sat on. Then she looked up at him and gave him her brightest smile. “Well, Mr. Albertson, don’t let my presence disturb your peace. Why don’t you sit down?”
He hesitated, but only for a second. Hannah had a feeling he was thinking how wrong this was, but she hoped that, like her, he didn’t care.
Or better yet, Hannah hoped that, like her, he would take advantage of it.
She bent her legs underneath her, only half aware of the fact that her nightdress was getting dirty. She was more concerned with the way she was feeling, imagining her intimate place responding to his arousing touch. It tingled in his presence, begging for his attention. It did nothing but excite her even more.
Silently, she made a vow. She caught his eyes, noted the slow heat burning behind them and decided that she would let him know just how much she wanted him. It was about time she let her feelings be known.
Chapter 23
Hannah could sense his tension. He didn’t look at her, not directly. Instead, he stared out into the darkness between the trees, as if he was seeing something she wasn’t. Hannah allowed him a few moments of silence, allowed the situation they were now in to sink in. She didn’t want to behave strongly toward him, fearing that he might turn away from her. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.
The cold air brought goosebumps to her skin and Hannah wrapped her arms around herself. The movement caused him to look at her. “Are you cold, My Lady?” he asked.
She nodded. Her arms were wrapped around her chest, hiding the aroused nipples from his sight. But she was sure that, even in the dim lighting, he could see that same arousal in her eyes. She didn’t bat an eyelash when he turned to her, instead, willing him to see what she really wanted.
Mr. Albertson rose and began shrugging off his coat. Hannah watched him and when he wrapped the coat around her shoulders, she trembled at his touch.
“I can’t fathom what possessed you to run out here without a shawl at least, Lady Hannah,” he said on a sigh, sounding slightly worried. That made her want to smile but she held it back.
“I wasn’t thinking, in truth. I knew that if I was a second too late, I might have lost you.”
“And would that have been so bad?”
“Yes,” she said simply, watching him carefully to note his reaction. It wasn’t much, just a simple blink. Hannah sighed, pulling his large coat closer around herself. It was warm and smelled just like him. “You must be well aware by now that my curiosity tends to get the better of me at times.”
“I’m also beginning to think that there is no stopping you when you want something, as well.”
Hannah looked at him in surprise.
Does he know what I want right now?
“Yes, that is also true. But are you not the same, Mr. Albertson? Or,” she said before he could respond, “am I wrong?”
Mr. Albertson only stared at her and Hannah held her breath.
Did I overstep? Heavens, did I misread this comfortable air between us?
Then he released a low breath in the form of a laugh. “To answer your question, My Lady, I believe we share the same thoughts on that matter. I tend to be pretty determined. At least, I believed myself to be. Now, I’m not too sure.”
“Oh? For a moment there, you sounded as sad as someone who’s lost a lover.”
Hannah chuckled lightly. Her mirth faded into silence when she noted how serious Mr. Albertson was. Did she say something wrong?
“That wouldn’t be completely incorrect,” he murmured after a while.
Hannah stared at him. Mr. Albertson was gazing out into the distance, his mind clearly far away from here. Her chest constricted and Hannah pulled the coat closer, as if that would shield her from whatever was to come. She dreaded asking the question, fearing what he might say, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to let it go.
“Were you in love once, Mr. Albertson?” Hannah murmured, her voice barely noticeable.
Again, he took a moment to respond. This time, Hannah did not know if he was pondering the proper answer or if he was thinking back on a painful bit of his past. Either way, she knew she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
“I was,” he said with a nod. Still, he didn’t look at her. He continued to stare out into the distance, resting his back on the tree and lacing his fingers together. “Her name was Miss Peggy Flynn and I met her back home. We met at a ball put on by one of my father’s friends a few years ago and…she was lovely. She was beautiful then and as time went by, she only seemed to get more beautiful. And before I left, I asked her to marry me.”
Hannah was having a difficult time breathing. She cl
utched the coat as if it could save her, blinking rapidly to keep the frustrated and angry tears from her eyes. Jealousy stabbed her straight through the heart but instead of shying away from it, Hannah let it consume her.
Oh, goodness. I’m in love with him.
The revelation couldn’t come at a worse time. Not when he’s confessing his love for someone else. Hannah suddenly felt defeated, but a small part of her mind willed her to keep going.
I don’t just want him. I love him. His sweetness, his smile, the way his eyes twinkle with humor before he laughs, everything. I can’t…I can’t let him go.
“What did she say?” she whispered, tears clogging her throat.
Mr. Albertson sighed deeply. “She rejected me.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I suppose it was meant to be, however,” he continued, completely oblivious to what was happening to Hannah at his side. “I’m beginning to think that perhaps I was meant to be with someone else.”
There was a roaring in her ears. Hannah struggled to focus, to not give into the sudden sadness that had come over her. “So you come here to think about your love, Mr. Albertson?” she asked, though it didn’t sound as questioning as she wanted it to.
It hurt her to think about it, jealousy lancing her heart. But at the same time, Hannah swooned a little at the emotions in his voice, thick with intensity. She couldn’t decipher it well, but it proved her inkling that his heart wasn’t as icy as he made it seem.
Mr. Albertson looked at her and he frowned. “Sometimes, I do. Most times, I find myself thinking about other things.”
“Like what?” she squeaked.
“Like you.”
Hannah looked at him, eyes going wide. Her heart skipped a beat and she gripped the coat so tightly that she feared her nails might go straight through it.
Mr. Albertson’s eyes were undecipherable. He turned to her and her breath hitched in her throat. Like a tap, those sad thoughts were turned off. In its place came the ones she was used to, the ones that begged for his attention.
He was beautiful in the moonlight, she realized suddenly. Strikingly handsome in a manner that made her toes curl. Even now she couldn’t help herself from wondering what his body might look like, what he might be hiding beneath those garments.
“I find myself thinking about you a lot, My Lady,” he said, holding her gaze. Hannah couldn’t find it within herself to look away. Some may say she had magic because of her eyes, but right now, Mr. Albertson was the one casting a spell on her.
“About…me?” She knew she sounded like an idiot, but she couldn’t help echoing his words—as if it wasn’t sinking in.
He didn’t smile or laugh. No, instead, the air was suddenly no longer cold. Heat warmed the space around them, sizzling with an intensity that she wanted to explore.
“Your beauty,” he said. “The way you laugh to make me feel at ease. The way your beautiful eyes twinkle with such intense emotions. The way you look at me and the way I can’t help being caught within your presence.”
Words failed her. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening right now. Mr. Albertson came closer until he was sharing the piece of log with her. As soon as he was in her space, Hannah knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back. Despite what he’d said about this Miss Peggy Flynn, his final words were the ones that resounded with her.
Hannah pulled him into a kiss. She could sense his surprise, but he melded into it instantly, wrapping his arms around her body. As soon as he did, Hannah couldn’t help letting out a little moan.
This is just what I wanted. His arms around me. His chest pressed against mine. His lips on my lips.
But Hannah wasn’t feeling happiness right now. She was consumed with another emotion, one that demanded every bit of her attention—one that demanded their heated skin pressed against each other.
The kiss was fiery. Hannah’s hands were in his hair, threading through the silky strands. His tongue invaded her mouth and they battled, swiping against her bottom lip and tugging it into his mouth for a bite. Hannah knew that her arousal now filled every part of her body—her nipples stood erect against his chest, the dampness between her legs, the tight coiling in the pit of her belly.
“Oh, Rowland…” His name slipped easily off her tongue and he moaned against her lips in response.
Before she knew it, he had broken the kiss and pressed his lips to her neck. She clung to him, panting through the pleasure that filled every inch of her body. She could feel his hand, snaking around her waist, inching its way upwards. Hannah cheered him on. She waited for the moment his hand reached her breast, tensing in anticipation.
His tongue swiped up to her ear and back down, nibbling there. This was all new to her, new sensations, new techniques. She didn’t think having his lips on her neck would feel so good. But she did know that when his hand covered her left breast, fingers pinching her nipple delicately, that she couldn’t contain her bliss.
“Hannah,” he rasped against her skin. She arched into his touch, leaning closer to the kisses he peppered down her neck.
He moved with constrained frenzy. Hannah closed her eyes at the intensity of this feeling. She could feel his hand tugging at her nightdress, reaching up to the sleeve. He already had one sleeve halfway down her arm before he pulled away.
“If we don’t stop now,” he rasped, “then we won’t ever stop.”
“So?” Hannah’s mind was too muddled to focus on what he was saying. She opened her eyes, frowning at him.
He shook his head. He didn’t withdraw his hands though, not immediately. But then finally, he pulled away from her and sighed heavily. “May I call you Hannah?”
Pleasure spread throughout her body at the call of her name and she nodded instantly, eager to hear it over and over on his lips.
“I don’t want to dishonor you, Hannah.”
Hannah didn’t know what to say. Again and again, this gentleman always managed to render her speechless. The rejection wasn’t as cold a slap in the face as his confession of love for Miss Flynn, though it lingered in the back of her head.
“I don’t care about that,” Hannah said, though she knew what she was saying was madness. “And no one has to know.”
He took her hand. Hannah looked down at it, crossed between wanting to pull closer and wanting to listen to the reason in his words. “We can wait until it’s our time, Hannah,” he said softly. “I won’t dishonor you. Instead, when we are ready, I’ll make sure you are comfortable and treated the way a lady should be.”
Then he kissed her softly on the cheek. The tender touch brought her back to reality and Hannah sighed, cheeks warming in embarrassment.
Now he must think me a harlot. How depraved I must look to him right now.
“Believe me,” Mr. Albertson went on, a slight smile on his lips, “you cannot fathom how much I want to have you right now.”
Then have me.
Hannah smiled, ignoring the urge to say it out loud. “I never thought hearing such words would make me feel so…”
“Elated?” He squeezed her hand. “I feel the same way.”
“But…what about Miss Peggy?” Hannah loathed having to ask about her, but she was suddenly feeling very much at odds, now that she could think clearly again.
Why did he kiss me like that if he’s in love with someone else? He says she rejected him, but he comes here nights to think about her, so what is the truth?
Rowland frowned. “I don’t love Miss Peggy anymore, Hannah. Did I not already make that clear?”
“You certainly did not,” she said. “The last thing you said was that you come here to think about her, with that soulful look in your eyes.”
“Have you never thought about an old love, Hannah? Or someone you used to fancy?”
“I’ve never fancied anyone before. Not until you came.”
He smiled, slow and wide. It made her heart thump. “I’m happy to hear that. Does this mean I am your first love?”
“I…I ne
ver said that.”’
“How endearing you are when you blush,” he went on. “Only a moment ago you were telling me that no one had to know about what we do, and now you’re blushing at the mention of feelings?”
“Rowland, please stop teasing me!” Hannah’s face went bright red and she looked away. It was one thing to be consumed by her lustful thoughts, wanting to act on them in any way she could. It was another thing to express deep meaningful feelings for someone else when she’d never felt anything like it before.
Courteously Seduced By An Enigmatic Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 15
