Wildfire Kiss (11 page)

BABS LOOKED AROUND and felt more than the usual
excitement. Vauxhall was, to be sure, a fairyland place alight with
torches, crystals, and the latest gas lamps. Everywhere flowers
were in perfect design with the landscaping. Fountains bubbled,
lovers strolled, music flowed, and London’s high and low in society
found their respective haunts and places of revelry at
Vauxhall.

However, it was something else altogether that had
Babs brimming over with anticipation. His grace, the Lord Wildfire,
had said he would be there, and she expected that he would seek her
out.

She and Corry had been told by Lady Jane not to
wander off, but at their first opportunity (when she was busy in
conversation with one of her dearest), that was exactly what they
did.

It was all so exciting. People’s identities were
hidden from discovery by their masks and hooded dominos. It seemed
to afford all with a sense of freedom to do as they pleased.

“Babs … Babs … this is like
paradise …” Corry said on a hushed note of awe. “Or at least
someone tried very strenuously to make it appear so.”

Babs laughed. “Oh, Corry, I love the way you are
forever summing things up. I had forgotten you have never been here
before.” Something caught her eye, and she pointed her chin in its
direction. “Look there, in the arbor. They are about to play the
harps!”

“Babs!” Corry said anxiously enough that her cousin
turned to look up at her.

“What?”

“There are three rogues at our heels.”

“Hmm, yes, I know. Ignore them,” Babs said,
seemingly unconcerned.

“So I should be pleased to do, but one is very
nearly at my elbow.” She looked up at the large brute who was now
leering down at her.

“Evening, m’lovely,” said the huge fellow, and
though he was a well-dressed man, he had a definite odor of gin
about him.

Babs noted at once from the wild gleam in his eyes
that the man was certainly in his cups. She took Corry’s trembling
hand in hers as the man called out to his friend, “Eh,
George … what say we have us a look under their masks?”

Babs smiled as sweetly as she could at the man named
George as he began to reach and shook her head. “
Not
a good
idea, George. You see, if you were tempted to put one finger on me
or my cousin, I should have not the slightest regret in putting a
hole through that silly smile of yours. It would not, of course,
ruin my evening, but I rather think it would ruin yours!”

“Ah …” George said, looking just a bit wary. He
turned to his friend. “Whot ye want to bother with gentry morts
fer? Lookee there, in the red gown …” He was already pulling
his friend off.

The third fellow without uttering a word chased
after them, and Corry turned to her cousin and declared, “Babs, you
are the most complete hand! Never say you brought your little
pistol with you?”

“As a matter of fact,” Babs answered a bit
sheepishly, “I meant to, but I forgot it.”

As Babs giggled, Corry raised her hazel eyes
heavenward and severely requested, “Give me strength enough to keep
my hands off her neck.” She looked back at her cousin. “You mean
you …”

“Bluffed them. ’Tis done all the time in poker,”
Lady Babs supplied happily.

“But,” a masculine and familiar voice at Babs’ back
said, “you executed it beautifully.”

The power of his voice sent her spinning around, and
she almost landed in his arms. He wore a black domino and a mask,
but even so she knew him, saw his glittering blue eyes in the
glaring light of the many torches. For a moment the world receded
and she was alone with him.

She was vaguely aware of Sir Frederick, who quietly
comforted Corry as he led her to a bench a short distance away. It
was as though she and Wildfire were sharing a breath. What was he
doing? He was taking her gloved hand. She should speak, she had to
speak, but nothing came to her mind or lips. Finally, she heard
herself say, “Your grace.”

“And so, dark eyes, you do indeed know me. When you
didn’t speak, I thought perhaps you were confused for the
moment?”

“I would know you anywhere,” she answered as she got
control of herself and flirted in her usual fashion. “There is that
something in your mien that gives you away.”

He regarded her intently. “And what is that in my
mien?”

“Your own unique sense of self,” she said and then
giggled at his expression.

“Am I to take that as flattery or—”

“In your case, flattery, yes,” she said, cutting him
off.

He pulled her arm through his and led her away as he
said, “As it happens, I too, would know you anywhere.”

He had her down a maze of evergreens created for
entertainment and moments like these, and he pulled her to him.
Babs was alive with anticipation. He was going to kiss her. And she
was right, quite right.

He took her into his arms and cursed softly, “Damn
me for a cad, I should tell you to run from me … run far away
and never look back …” And so saying, his lips brushed gently,
lightly against her own as he made a viable effort to stop himself
and pull away.

She felt it the moment he got control and thought,
Oh no
,
I have waited for this too long …

The next thing she did was to fling her arms up and
around him as best she could while she stood on her toes to make
that kiss more than a touch.

She found his lips parting for hers; her tongue was
met by his velvet tongue, and it entwined with hers in a way she
had never experienced before. Heat rushed through her body as his
hand went under her cloak and cupped her breast through the soft
silk of her gown.
Faith
! She was behaving like a tart …
and it was with him, with this big handsome man … absolutely
thrillingly perfect!

***

He had just been about to pick up the strength to
pull away from her. He was a demon to do this to an innocent young
woman, but hell and fire, he wanted her, wanted her so damn much
that his stomach clenched, his dick danced in his breeches, and
he …

What was she doing? She was reaching up, she was on
her toes, she was pressing her delicious lips to his, and Nick,
Duke of Barrington, lost control. His mouth worked her lips and
gently parted them. His tongue dove with almost ferocious need, and
she responded.

He was on fire. His body burned, his cock promised
to go off in his breeches if he didn’t pull away immediately, and,
somehow, he managed to take her shoulders and set her apart.

“My dear beauty … forgive me …”

***

“
Not
if you are going to stop kissing me,”
she answered dreamily. He wanted her, that was for certain. More
than that, she thought. She was pretty certain he wanted her more
than he had ever wanted any woman before. She knew this because she
had grown to know something of him. He did not want to ruin her. He
would not kiss her if he was in control, and her instincts told her
he was not in control … not at all … and that gave her
courage to pursue him.

“I must stop … I do you an injustice, and I
must get you away from here without anyone the wiser …” He
took her hand, and she allowed him to pull her along through the
maze, but they only found themselves in its deepest, darkest
area.

She giggled and went back into his arms. What she
needed was to make him realize that he had met his match. Could she
do that with some a boldness she had never felt before? “Again,
kiss me again.”

“
No
…” Lord Wildfire said, trying to be
resolute, but then he whispered, “
Bloody
hell,”
scooped her up, and did just that. He then set her apart by her
shoulders. “I have been many things … done many things I’m not
proud of, but I won’t ruin a maid.”

“You aren’t ruining me—you are expanding who I
am …” she said enticingly.

“Where did you learn to talk like that?”

“From the Godwin papers,” she said with a soft
smile.

“From what? Never say you were allowed to read such
outrageous …” He wagged a finger at her.

“Also, from you …”

“From me? I never taught you to talk like that!”

“No, but you have taught me to feel like that.”

“Now that is—”

“The truth as I see it,” she interjected. “You draw
out all that I am, and I like it …”

“Well, stop it, stop liking it, for it simply won’t
do.”

A tinkling ripple of laughter filled the air, and
she saw that he was using a great deal of self-control; his hands
were fisted at his sides, and he took a step back from her. “Turn
around, minx. It is time we backtracked, before your father comes
looking for you and decides to have my head, and rightly so.”

Her eyes lost their twinkle, and she said with a
gasp as she remembered her father and Aunt Jane, “Oh … oh
yes … let’s do.”

Just as they left the maze and came upon Sir
Frederick and Corry, Babs felt a pair of eyes glaring at her. She
turned and found her father staring directly at her.

“I better go face the music,” Babs said as she
started off.

“Not without me, little one,” his grace said as he
offered her his arm. She took it, and he led her to her parent,
with Corry and Sir Frederick at their backs chattering away.

However, Lady Barbara’s father smiled to see the
duke in attendance on his daughter. He waved her off, bade her
enjoy herself, and returned his attention to his cronies. To his
left, Lady Jane was chatting up her own circle of friends, and Babs
breathed a sigh of relief.

The duke released a laugh and flicked her nose. “You
are, most certainly, a minx. You slid through that one, didn’t
you?”

“So I did … Shall we return to the maze?” she
teased.

“We shall not. I am feeling like a scoundrel. I am
not in the habit of seducing young women, so I do beg your pardon
for my conduct and—”

“And what, promise never to kiss me ever again?” She
twinkled up at him.

He took her hand, pulled her out of the light and
into the shade of some large yews, and crushed her into his arms.
“You are driving me wild with your games. Do not play them with
me … you might be sorry.”

“Might I?”

“Do not mistake my dallying with you to be anything
more than that …”

She pulled out of his embrace. “Very well.”

He pulled her back against himself. She felt the
hardness against her belly, and the feel of it so blatant … so
primal, beat at her own desires. She couldn’t speak, though she
wanted to tell him his words did not match his actions. Or did
they?
Was he merely dallying
? It seemed so much more
intense.

From nearby, however, they heard, “Babs …”

Guiltily they jumped apart and moved into the light
to find Corry still chatting with Sir Frederick and Otto scanning
the masked people tripping about.

Otto grinned, and Babs looked at him and giggled.
His mask and his domino were askew, and he was trying to adjust
both as he called out merrily, “Ah, there you are …”

Sir Frederick was still attempting to whisper in
Corry’s ear, things she seemed reluctant to hear, as they also
approached, and Babs heard him say, “I can see you don’t mean to be
won over by any of my tricks.” Babs’ eyes opened wide as she
strained to hear Corry’s reply.

Corry lifted her chin and looked up at his face.
“Have you been trying to trick me, sir?”

He chuckled, and this time when he reached to touch
her face, she did not flinch away. Babs moved closer, thoroughly
intrigued.

“Certainly not! I have, however, been trying with
the utmost care to seduce you.”

She laughed. “Really? I would not have guessed,” she
said wryly.

He put a hand to his heart in mock show of pain.
“Wounded. Ah, gentle maid, do you know what you have done to my
pride?”

She laughed again, and Babs could see her cousin was
genuinely amused. “You should be flattered, sir. I have been
thinking what a gentleman you are.”

“And so I am,” he said on a quiet note. “But even a
gentleman, when assaulted by such beauty, may be overcome to do the
unthinkable.”

“What unthinkable would that be?” Corry urged him to
go on.

His answer surprised Babs, and she studied Corry’s
face to find she too was taken aback, for Sir Frederick had moved
to take Corry’s chin with his gloved fingers, tilting her face
upwards first to meet his intense gaze. He whispered, “If we were
not now surrounded … I would kiss those luscious
lips …”

“Ah,” said Corry demurely. “
Most
unthinkable.”

The two realized they were being closely observed,
but luckily a diversion took away attention from them and onto
Otto.

“Should have put a bullet in his head,” said Otto.
“Stands to reason, the blackguard will try that sort of thing
again.” Otto was oblivious to all but his recent experience.
“Damned brute needed a lesson … gave him one.”

“Bravo! But who needed a lesson, Otto?” Babs
exclaimed with a clap of her hands and a short laugh.

Sir Charles arrived and added, “Indeed, Otto …
I saw it, and you were most gallant.” He turned to the assembled
company and explained, “I noticed some poor peasant girl trying to
sell some sweets when this brute decided he wanted to have a go
with her …” He nodded at Otto. “I was on my way to teach the
fellow a lesson, when Otto popped in out of nowhere and landed the
fool a facer.”

“Well done!” said the duke, clapping Otto on the
back.

“What happened to the girl?” Babs inquired
worriedly.

“Charles here bought all the sweets she had and sent
her home,” Otto said with great pleasure.

“Oh, I do think you and Otto are heroes!” Babs
exclaimed.

Jesting and laughter continued until Lady Haversham
arrived and singled out Otto. Everyone knew that her ladyship had a
tendre
for Otto. They watched as she flirted outrageously
with him; eventually, pulled along by her own set, she left him in
peace.