Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The darkness shrouded William as soon as he stepped outside. It was too late for a Lady to be out here by herself, or at least that was how he rationalized his behavior to himself so he did not worry that he was acting like a stalker. He simply wanted to take care of Lady Katherine and make sure that she was safe. He was caring for her. That was all...

But the way that his heart thundered in his chest suggested otherwise. The way that his breath got caught in his throat as a nervousness like he had never experienced before clung to his chest in a vice-like grip, he knew that this was more a case of him putting his heart on the line for a young lady in a way that he vowed never to again. But then Lady Katherine had changed him.

An inadvertent gasp erupted from William's throat as soon as he spotted her glowing under the glorious moonlight, staring up right at the stars. As stunning as she was inside the ball room, out here under the night sky she was a goddess. William actually stopped in his tracks for a moment simply to admire her because she was a dream come true. He did not want to shatter the illusion.

She was a princess, an angel, an oil painting once more. One he wished he could hang above the fireplace to admire all the time. He almost got lost in that thought, staring at her idly for a little too long.

But then, in a heartbeat, Lady Katherine seemed to sense the intense pair of eyes upon her, and she twisted around to see William, too. Their eyes locked in, although William found it challenging to just look at her eyes when those delicious plump lips of hers were so enticing. He wanted nothing more than to be free to kiss her. But this was not a mistress of his, someone that he could only spend one night with and act however he wished. Lady Katherine was worth so much more than that. So, however intense the desire was, he was going to have to lock the temptation down and not act upon it. Even if it threatened to swallow him up whole...

He should have walked away from Lady Katherine. He had checked that she was all right, there was nothing left to worry about, she was simply sitting on the garden bench, probably enjoying the moment alone in the fresh air.

But as Lady Katherine drew to her feet without uttering even one word, William could no longer resist. He edged closer to her as well, that magnetic force dragging him in. However wrong this was, there was something about the temptation that made it utterly impossible to ignore. His feet walked in Lady Katherine's direction, and he merely went along.

Her reputation...he was endlessly worried about her reputation and what he might do to it. He cared for the way the world saw her in as if it were a sweet and delicate way, a precious gem that needed to be handled with the utmost respect. Especially after all the trauma that she had suffered. His own was behind him now, out of the way; there was nothing that he could do to affect it now, but Lady Katherine's was something different.

Being alone with William would really destroy what the ton thought of her. And yet, his feet continued to move, bringing them much closer together, forgoing any worries of what anyone else might believe. As he found himself completely intoxicated by Lady Katherine, William found himself thrilled by the idea of having to do the honorable thing for a change, rather than worried.

If they were to be caught outside of the building alone, in the gardens, and away from the ball, it would be expected of him to marry her. Or, at the very least, ask her for her hand in marriage. If Lady Katherine chose to reject him, there was nothing that he could do about it. Although he was not sure if his ego could handle another rejection. Especially not from Lady Katherine.

But if she did choose to marry him, now that would be a wonderful thing. He liked the idea of having such a fine Lady for his wife. It would be a nice life, he could picture it now. He wondered if Lady Katherine was thinking along the same lines...

They drew so near to one another that William lost all the thoughts inside of his head. There was nothing there aside from this gorgeous woman and the flames of desire dancing wildly behind her gaze. This was the time when he really should have said something, anything, to make this moment a little less thick with heady lust. But truth be told, William did not want to change anything. He wished to remain where he stood, feeling the tickle of her breath upon his face.

The moment was magical. Words would only destroy that. She did not seem to want them either. Even as the intensity of the tingles surging down his spine overpowered him, William did not move. His hands twitched to hold onto her, but he kept himself back for just a moment. Much as he wanted this, he needed a clue from Lady Katherine as to what she wanted as well. He would never be the sort of gentleman who did whatever he pleased without considering the wishes of the Lady involved.

William moved slowly, inching his head ever closer to Lady Katherine, his eyes hooding with need the nearer he got to her. The night air might have had a crisp chill to it, but it did nothing to cool down the burning hot blood surging through William's body. This was taboo, it was wrong, it was breaking all the rules. The precious gem that was Lady Katherine's reputation might as well have shattered and splintered in his hand. Yet she was moving ever so slightly toward him as well. Her movements were almost imperceptible, but William could feel them; he could sense her wanting him, too, even if she shouldn't.

What could he do? How could he resist? William simply did not have the willpower to keep himself away. Her scent overwhelmed him; he immediately needed more from her. He might as well have been twitching with desire...

And then it happened. Her lips grazed against his at the exact same moment a delighted gasp rumbled in her throat. It was only the slightest of kisses, barely even a touch, but it set William alight. Never before had a kiss surged through his veins, burning through him, making him feel so alive. He couldn't get enough of it; instantly, he needed more from her.

William pulled back, only ever so slightly and just for a moment so he could try and get his breath back. The air caught in his lungs, dizziness overcame him, he rested his forehead against Lady Katherine's so he could see how she felt as well. The liquid amber in her eyes danced with delight. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and brought her lips to his once more.

The next time William kissed Lady Katherine, he was filled with a burning deep desire that literally claimed him. There was nothing gentle and soft about this kiss, it was much more passionate. The chemistry surging between them intensified, the bond grew by the moment. William knew with no doubt that all he wanted to do was keep kissing her forever...

A crackle of footsteps resting on something in the garden made both William and Lady Katherine jump apart for fear of being noticed. They could not disguise what had happened because they were both panting breathlessly. Lady Katherine's eyes darted around the yard, seeking out where the sound had come from, and as soon as she spotted who it was, her eyes became wide like saucers. William knew, in that moment, the magic had been shattered for them, and he needed to move away.

It was wrenching to leave Lady Katherine behind when all he really wanted to do was hold onto her, but the reality of her losing her reputation was now afoot. It was one thing to disregard the consequences of their actions while no one was around them, but having someone else in the picture really did change things. He needed to get away.

"There," Lady Katherine hissed, pointing toward a nearby bush. It certainly was not ideal, but since William did not have any better ideas, all he could do was comply. He hurried himself into the rose hedges and ducked down, hiding himself from view and feeling very foolish as he did. Now, this was the sort of thing he could have expected when fooling around with his mistresses, but this was supposed to be different. Lady Katherine was a proper lady with a bright future ahead of her that he had to respect.

His pulse raced as he ducked to his knees, but with the memory of Lady Katherine's lips still bruising his, he could not be upset by this sudden change of events. There was still a little smile curling up on the corners of his lips which only vanished the moment Jonathan came into the frame. He seemed to loom above his sister as he scolded her for vanishing.

Oh no, this was even worse than a stranger catching them. This was her brother, the man who already despised William. If Jonathan knew what had happened then they would never be permitted to be in the same room again.

Jonathan would not push William to do the right thing; he would send him away instead.

"Where did you go?" Jonathan snapped, temper lacing his tone. "I have been looking all over for you. I was worried about you when you vanished."

"I came for some air," Lady Katherine replied with a smile. If she was struggling to hold it together as well then it was not showing. Somehow she had managed to keep it all hidden away which left William impressed. "I was burning hot, but I am feeling a lot better now. I am terribly sorry that I did not come to inform you beforehand. I did not think."

"Well, I am supposed to be chaperoning you, so it does not make sense for me not to know where you are."

Jonathan sounded a little too hurt for William's liking, it was almost as if he knew that she was not exactly being honest about what she had been doing outside but this did not bother Lady Katherine. She simply continued to smile at her brother as if there was no sarcastic under tones in their conversation at all. She had to sense it though, William knew it.

Much as there must have been a temptation for her to look William's way, to check that he was hidden well or perhaps to see if he was real and the passionate kiss really happened, she kept her self-control in check and did not even glance his way.

"I think we should go back inside now," Lady Katherine declared. "Since it is getting a little bit cold out here."

"Right, yes. Well, you also need to think about your reputation while you are out here," Jonathan insisted, not quite done with his lecture yet. "You do not want to be the person that everyone walks away from the ball talking about."

"I do not think that just because I came out for some air, people will be thinking about me."

"You do not know what will get people talking. You seem to have no idea what can ruin a reputation. Once a reputation is ruined, you cannot get it back. I have some stories that I could tell you..."

Lady Katherine linked her arm with her brother's, and the argument faded away as they headed inside the building. William did not move at first. He was a little afraid that Jonathan suspected he might be there, and he did not want to be caught out like this. Much as he felt silly crouched down in the bushes, he would do it for Lady Katherine.

Eventually though, he had to move, it was getting too uncomfortable bent double. Once he had stood up and stretched out his legs, he wandered around the garden for a little while longer, debating whether or not he wanted to go back inside. He did, because he wanted to see Lady Katherine some more, but he also was not prepared to face everyone else in there. Maybe it was better for him to leave instead.

"Mother will not let me," William whispered. He had to remind himself that as the host of the ball, he could not just up and leave whenever he wanted to. His mother would certainly seek him out and berate him for his bad behavior. He would have to head back inside however much he did not want to. "I cannot hide away."

Yet he had spent time with Lady Katherine now. Perhaps not talking and dancing as he had planned, but secretly kissing her instead which was delightful, far better. He could not have asked for something more wonderful on the night of his birthday celebration. What a way to enjoy the moment he turned thirty years of age. He now knew with absolute certainty that he did indeed have strong feelings for her, that he was probably in love. So, he could face anything, even inside that ball.

If his mother forced him to dance with a hundred different women and he also had to see Lady Katherine spinning around on the dance floor with someone else, it would not hurt him as bad as it would have before because they had a secret now.

Even if no one else knew that they shared feelings, that they had kissed, that things were progressing between them, they would know, and that was all that mattered. Every discrete look shared between them now would be loaded with what had just happened. The most phenomenal kiss that William had ever experienced. It truly was glorious.

He brushed his fingers against his lips, noting how it still felt like she was there kissing him now. William hoped that tingling sensation would never end.

With a deep sigh, he headed back toward the ball, wondering where Lady Katherine would be now. He was not going to get a chance to go near her again, not with Jonathan watching her like a hawk, but even her brother could not take away from them what had just happened. That was always going to belong to them, and them alone.