Chapter Seventeen

U nderneath the imposing silhouette of the castle wall, Nick found himself entangled in an intoxicating battle with restraint. He was about to lose the struggle not to kiss Pippa.

Her expectant breath was the only sound he cared to hear over the backdrop of rustling leaves and muted city life. His hands journeyed down her arms, a path marked by smooth skin and a shiver of anticipation. She watched his hands trail along her arms and met his touch by pressing against his torso with her middle. He lifted her wrists, pressing them gently against the ancient stones above her head. The gesture elicited an arch from her chest, a silent beckoning. He positioned his body against hers, tentatively bringing his thigh between hers.

She was tall for a woman, slender, with gorgeous long limbs. Perfect for him.

And her response was even more than he'd ever imagined.

She parted her legs and let his thigh come to her hot sex. Even through the layers of fabric shielding them from one another, he felt her throbbing need.

His eyes, in a tempest of desire and doubt, lingered on her face before descending onto her exposed neck. He leaned in. Her breath was a warm contrast against the evening chill as he began a tantalizing exploration. His lips grazed her jawline, each kiss a spark igniting the kindling of their shared passion. He knew he'd risked everything, but it was too late already. If he'd compromised a lady with just a kiss, he'd go as far as she'd welcome him.

The thrill of the forbidden coursed through him, the knowledge that she was a lady and he but a doctor adding a poignant intensity to their stolen moment. Yet, her willing acceptance of his touch, the way her pulse quickened under his lips, spurred him on.

He ventured further, leaving a trail of heated kisses across her décolletage, each filled with the simmering desire threatening to consume him. He paused, savoring the intoxicating scent of her skin, the feel of her heartbeat against his lips.

Time slowed, the anticipation building with every passing second. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, finding the same potent mix of desire and uncertainty reflected in her eyes that he felt deep inside. Yet, in this secluded corner of the park, beyond the watchful eyes at the ancient castle, they were no longer lady and doctor, but two souls caught in the throes of a passion they could no longer deny.

And then, in a moment that was bigger than forever, his lips finally met hers. She opened her mouth to his kiss. It was a gesture of surrender that spoke volumes, bursting with passion and longing that was as inevitable as it was forbidden. It was a silent admission of a desire too powerful to ignore, a flame too bright to be extinguished.

This time, she returned the pressure with her lush pink lips, and Nick responded by slightly opening his mouth for her. For a moment, she hesitated. She was new at this, oh so precious a flower he was not allowed to pick, and yet deep in his heart, Nick knew he'd be worthy of her because no other man would ever cherish her as he did.

With one hand, she pulled his head close, and he kissed the apple of her cheek, then the corner of her mouth, and then she opened up more.

Her other hand cupped his face. Her skin was deliciously soft and smelled of fresh air. His heart pounded in his chest as she pulled him closer, her hand guiding his head to hers. His lips found the soft curve of her cheek, then the tempting corner of her mouth, each kiss a silent plea for more. And when she darted her tongue out, it was as if he had been granted access to a world he never knew existed.

Nick hesitated to reach for her breasts. The sight of her hardened nipples, visible through the thin fabric of her clothing, sent a surge of desire coursing through him. Yet, he could not, would not, cross that line. Not yet.

He grabbed her waist, holding her atop his thigh, and she rubbed her womanly body against him a little.

It was glorious to be the subject of her desire, to serve her in pursuing the friction she needed.

As Nick lost himself in the exquisite contact, a sense of liberation washed over him.

When he gripped her waist, pulling her onto his thigh, she deepened the kiss and pressed her center against him, a subtle admission of how much she wanted him that left him breathless. To be the object of her desire, to cater to her needs, was a privilege he hadn't known he craved.

In that moment, under the leaves glittering in the sunlight and the castle's shadowy silhouette, he realized he could no longer imagine a world without her. She had become the first person who ignited a passion within him so strong that he thought his entire world would shift toward her. From now on, she'd be his first thought in the morning and last in the evening. She'd be his priority. His heart.

This kiss transcended the boundaries of their worlds, a kiss that promised a future filled with shared laughter, whispered secrets, and stolen moments. It was a kiss that would forever be imprinted in his heart as the moment he realized he had found his forever in her.

And with that realization, Nick made a silent vow. A vow to cherish her, to protect her, to love her. She was as essential to him as the air he breathed.

Their kiss, a fusion of longing and forbidden desire, was a symphony that played the most beautiful music he had ever heard. It was a melody he wanted to drown in, over and over again. The sight of her, pressed against him, her chest rising and falling with each shared breath, was a vision he wanted etched into his memory until the end of time.

And then, just as the intensity of their kiss began to wane, she pulled away a little. Her eyes, wide and shimmering under the sunlight, met his. There was a question in them, one he knew he would spend the rest of his life trying to answer.

"Nick," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. "Do you…?"

But before she could finish, a sudden noise from the park interrupted them. They pulled apart abruptly, their moment of intimacy shattered. Nick turned towards the sound, his heart pounding in his chest.

"P-iiiii-pp-aaaa!"

"Your cousin," Nick whispered as he moved farther away. He turned his head to Chromius and slapped his leg to signal the dog to join him.

"Pippa?" A few twigs cracked. Her cousin must be close .

"I have to go," Nick said sadly, fearing it was the last time he'd see her, lest he be seen kissing her by the cousin. If they were caught, his career, his practice—his friends' practice—could be completely ruined. And Wendy…

He cast one last glance at Pippa. She was a little disheveled but her swollen lips betrayed what they'd done and had been doing. Nick gulped. "Are you all right? Can you find your way home safely?"

Pippa nodded and then stepped away from the wall. "Coming, Bea. I'm here!" But as she walked away from Nick and he withdrew into the shadows under the trees, she turned and cast him a smile that was so sweet, he knew he'd fought the battle not to love her and lost. Not because she was a lady, but because he'd fallen, he was at her service, with body, heart, and soul.