He broke the kiss all too soon.
“Are you wet for me?” he rasped in her ear.
His question made her wetter.
She nodded bashfully.
“Is your little pearl throbbing? Does it want to be stroked?”
When he circled his thumb on her bottom lip, she felt his touch on the place in question.
“Yes,” she sighed.
“Well, you’re not to touch it tonight.”
She blinked at him. Heat scalded her cheeks when she realized that she couldn’t protest his unfair decree without admitting to her furtive bedtime activities. Activities, she thought with squirmy embarrassment, that had started because of him and the feelings he roused in her. Seeing him with Lady Foxton had awakened Livy’s body to a need that had to be assuaged, and she had discovered a temporary and altogether wicked solution.
His slow, knowing smile made her blush even harder. “Christ, you’re a naughty chit. Refrain this eve, and I shall make it worth your while tomorrow.”
She overcame her embarrassment enough to say, “Promise?”
“Promise. Now go back inside, before I debauch you on this balcony.”
“I wouldn’t mind—”
“Go, Livy.”
Reluctantly, she turned to leave, pausing at the door to say, “Sweet dreams, Ben.”
His smile reached his eyes. “If you visit them, they certainly will be.”
Livy floated back to the drawing room in time to see the ending of the magic show. From her vantage point at the back of the packed drawing room, she saw Glory go up and exchange a few words with the handsome magician, who at first looked surprised and then threw back his long braid and laughed.
Livy waited for Glory and the rest of the group to join her.
“Long wait in the retiring room, Livy dear?” the beautiful, russet-haired Duchess of Ranelagh and Somerville asked. “I hope you caught some of the show.”
“I was watching from the back of the room, Your Grace,” Livy said.
“I’ll never understand that trick,” Glory’s papa muttered. “How in the devil did the fellow manage to link and unlink solid metal rings?”
“I asked him,” Glory said. “In his native tongue.”
“What did he say, dear?” her mama asked.
“He winked and said, ‘That is the art of the illusion, young miss: to give the audience what they want to see.’”
Livy was waiting at the back of Lady Fayne’s house when Ben’s carriage pulled up the next evening. He handed her up, asking her if she had any trouble getting by the servants. Since she’d pranced out, waving farewell to Mrs. Peabody and the cook, she could truthfully say no. Hawker had muttered, “Duke or no duke, that fellow o’ yours better treat you well, Lady Olivia, or ’e’ll be answering to me,” but Livy knew he only had her interests at heart. Over the weeks, the Angels had discovered that the brawny butler was like a gently boiled egg: hard on the outside and mushy soft at his center.
Sitting beside her, Ben said, “How beautiful you are, Livy.”
Seeing the masculine appreciation in his eyes, she was glad she’d taken special care in choosing the rose-colored taffeta embellished with ruffles and lace. She’d also worn her hair in a different, more sensual style: her dark tresses were combed smooth and secured at her nape, thick curls hanging over one shoulder. Her only accessories were the fresh peony in her hair and the golden crown necklace Ben had given her.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “You look very fine yourself.”
He always did. Tonight, his frock coat matched his eyes, his silver-grey waistcoat and charcoal trousers fitted superbly to his virile form. A diamond stick pin winked in the folds of his cravat. The lamplight kissed the chiseled contours of his face, the lines of experience adding to his masculine beauty.
He cocked his head. “Where has my little queen gone?”
She knitted her brows, not understanding. “I am right here.”
“But you are such a polite young lady. You are not arguing with or pestering me.”
“I don’t always argue,” she said primly. “And things are different now that we are lovers.”
At the word “lovers,” his eyes smoldered, and he took her in his arms. His passionate kiss robbed her of her senses. When he lifted his head, she was clutching his lapels, panting.
“Would you like to know where we are going?” he asked.
What I would really like is more kisses.
“Yes,” she managed.
“We are making a quick stop to meet with a friend. After that, I am taking you to supper.”
“What friend?” She was instantly intrigued. “Where are we going for supper?”
He smiled, kissing her on the nose. “There’s my little queen.”
Yesterday, Ben had met with Chen, showing him Longmere’s journal and telling him about the plan that had taken shape in Ben’s head. The stratagem would require that Ben stay away from Livy for a time—to protect her from the perilous world he would be entering. He knew he couldn’t absent himself from her life without an explanation and, as much as he wanted to shield her from the dark business, he knew her. She would not accept the separation without a rationale, and who knew what measures she might resort to in order to discover the truth?
She might inadvertently compromise her own safety and Ben’s. In the long run, it was safer for him to tell her about his scheme. To be upfront about his undertaking and his expectations for her during that time.
That had led to his decision to introduce her to Chen this eve. While Ben was on his mission, the healer could act as the go-between if Livy needed to get a hold of Ben. Ben also trusted Chen to protect Livy if he, himself, was unable to get to her. Finally, it felt right to Ben that the two most important people in his life should meet.
When he introduced the healer to Livy, her eyes shone with genuine pleasure.
“It is an honor, sir,” she said sincerely. “Hadleigh has told
