Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Next Morning, The Duchess of Maxwell's Bedchamber

M eredith groaned and rolled over as her maid pulled open the heavy drapes that covered the windows. She squinted and pressed her fingertips to her temples. Ugh. She was more than a bit under the weather. Which stood to reason. She'd downed two brandies in the space of an hour at the Onyx Club last night. Good heavens, what had she been thinking?

She rubbed her forehead. The truth was she hadn't been thinking. She'd been frightened and nervous and drank too much as a result. Mr. Sapphire had been right when he'd said she'd had too much to drink. But then he'd gone and made love to her anyway. Apparently, he hadn't been able to stop himself. And she didn't regret it. Not one bit. When he'd pressed his hips to hers again and again, it had been a completely different feeling from what she'd shared with Maxwell. Last night she'd felt wetness between her legs and desire, real desire. As if she couldn't get enough of him. And then when he'd touched her like that… Well, Maxwell had ne ver done anything like it. She'd been telling the truth when she'd told the stranger last night that she would never regret it. She already wanted to do it again.

It had been the most erotic night of her life. The feel of his hard shoulders beneath her fingertips, his lips on her neck. And when he'd touched the bare skin of her thigh, she'd thought she would go up in smoke. After that, his touch. Between her legs. She shuddered. She'd had no idea her body was capable of such ecstasy. It was exactly what she'd wanted when she'd decided to take a lover. Unparalleled pleasure with a man who knew exactly what he was doing.

Meredith smiled to herself again. She may have been foxed, but she had enjoyed every single moment of her time in that room with Mr. Sapphire last night, and she was certain she would enjoy it even more when she met him next time. Seeing him again, touching him again, was nearly all she could think about.

She bit her lip. There was only one thing that troubled her about last night. Each time Mr. Sapphire had touched her, Griffin's face had appeared in her mind. She knew why, of course. Mr. Sapphire was quite like him. His height. His body. His eye color. His hair color. They could be brothers.

She shook her head. Oh, what did it matter? She couldn't—no, wouldn't —ever have a relationship like that with Griffin . Did it matter if the man she chose to pleasure her looked like him? She obviously had a sort that she found attractive, and Griffin's physical characteristics were that sort. That wasn't anything to be ashamed of. It was perfectly natural to be attracted to tall, dark, and handsome men with muscles for days. And if one of them had fingers that could drive you wild with passion, all the better.

But…they did look quite alike…

Only Griffin wouldn't be at the club. Griffin wouldn't? —

Meredith shot straight up in bed, clutching the sheet to her chest as panic spread through her limbs. Wait a moment. Griffin wouldn't be at the club unless he'd gone there to follow her!

The memory of how she'd met him last night played through her mind. She'd sought him out. He'd been there. Close by. Watching her. She'd asked him to help her, and he'd seemed so familiar.

Her mouth dropped open with wonder as the impact of her thoughts fully settled into her pounding head. Suddenly, it all made sense. The warnings he'd given her about drinking too much, his mentioning that it was the first time he'd been there too, the way his voice and scent had triggered her memory. If she hadn't had two brandies, she would have known immediately.

She'd gone to bed with Griffin last night!

She sat in silence for several moments as the thought filtered through her mind. Then, a small smile curled her lips, and an unexpected thrill shot through her. She'd gone to bed with Griffin last night .

No wonder he'd put off her attempts at going further at first. But then he'd— Another shudder went through her at the memory of his touch. Thrilling . Now it made sense that he'd shut his eyes and said, "Please don't…" when she'd begun to remove her shift. He'd gone on to say that if she did so, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. It wasn't that he didn't want her. He'd been trying to wait until she was sober-minded, until she knew it was him.

Which meant…he'd wanted her too!

Because she didn't have one moment's doubt that, all along, Griffin had known it was her.

And oh, my God, what exactly did that mean?