You, and Only You (8 page)

“Tell me.”

Oh why couldn’t she have just kept her mouth shut?
 
She shook her head once again.
 
Though his voice had softened, Tiffany kept
her eyes glued to the marble floor.

Alex studied her for a moment, then reaching out he placed
his index finger under her chin, gently tilting it upward.
 
As their eyes met, he cocked one eyebrow
questioningly.

Oh well, she may as well brazen it out.
 
“Baroness Langdon,” Tiffany whispered, barely
loud enough for him to hear.

Ah, it was all beginning to make sense now.
 
Tiffany’s pained expression as he’d led
Lucinda from the dance floor, then her dazzling smile for Geoffrey Fitzpatrick
and her subsequent exodus to the darkened terrace with the simpering fop.
 
If he wasn’t mistaken, Lady Tiffany was
jealous.

“What about Baroness Langdon?” he asked quietly, pinning her
with his steady gaze.

“I overheard someone talking,” she admitted softly.
 
“About the two of you.”

“I see.”
 
Damn the
tattle mongers and their wagging tongues, he thought in irritation.

“Clearly it’s none of my affair,” she acknowledged, her tone
contrite.
 
Then, realizing what she’d
just said,
affair
, she blushed
furiously.
 
Thank goodness it was
dark.
 
Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

Christ, he couldn’t believe they were having this
conversation.
 
He was about to tell her
that she shouldn’t take stock in idle gossip, but then thought better of
it.
 
Considering the physical attraction
that clearly existed between them, perhaps it was best that he dispel any romantic
illusions she might be holding onto.
 
“No, it isn’t,” he replied simply, releasing her chin.
 
He watched as her face fell, feeling like an
ass.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, the
melodic resonance of the orchestra the only sound aside from their quiet
breathing.

“I should go,” Tiffany said softly, though she made no move
to leave.

“Yes, you should.”
 
He
made no move to let her pass however, studying her face for a moment
instead.
 
“Were you really going to let
him kiss you?”
 
The question left his
mouth seemingly without thought, surprising them both.

Tiffany hesitated, and then answered honestly.
 
“Yes,” she whispered.

He frowned.
 
“Why?”

She shrugged her shoulders the tiniest bit.
 
“I was curious,” she stated softly.
 
And because I’d just been confronted with the
heartbreaking reality that the man I wanted to kiss me, likely never would, she
added silently.

“Curious?”
 
His eyes
widened in disbelief.

“I’ve never been kissed before.”

“I should hope not,” Alex said.
 
Though he didn’t intend them to, his words
came out sounding more husky than stern.
 
He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“I’m not a child.”

His eyes strayed to the lush swell of her breasts, their
creamy white tops exposed by the fashionable, yet daring cut of her
bodice.
 
No she certainly wasn’t.
 
“Hmm,” he lifted his gaze back to hers.
 
“Eighteen today and already so eager for your
first kiss?”
 
His tone held a touch of
wry amusement.

She shrugged.

He harrumphed, shaking his head.
 
“And you wanted
him
to be the one to give it to you?”
 
Picturing Fitzpatrick, he couldn’t disguise
his disdain.
 

Summoning her courage, she looked him directly in the
eye.
 
“No.
 
Actually I didn’t.”

His breath caught.
 
Damn, they were treading on dangerous ground all of a sudden.
 
He needed to stop this, now, before it went
any further.
 
“Tiffany, I…”
 
His words trailed off as she stared up at
him, her eyes unblinking.
 
Bloody hell!
 
Why did she have to be so breathtakingly
lovely?
 
His eyes dropped to her lips,
noting that they were parted ever so slightly.
 
Don’t!
 
His subconscious shouted the silent
command.
 
Foolishly, he ignored it.

As his last remaining thread of rationality fell by the
wayside, Alex reached out and grasped Tiffany’s arms, drawing her slowly up
against him.
 
The contact was
electrifying.
 
Then, as he watched in
fascination, the tip of Tiffany’s tongue emerged and moved slowly along her
lower lip.
 
Deliberate or not, it was an
invitation he couldn’t resist; and in that moment he knew that there was no
going back.

The first touch of Alex’s lips upon hers nearly sent Tiffany
to her knees.
 
It was soft and tender and
absolutely wonderful.
 
And then, as he
gently began to apply more pressure, purposefully molding his lips to hers, she
realized that nothing she had ever imagined compared to the amazing reality of
his kiss.
 
It was simply divine, and
consequences be dammed, she wanted more.
 
Moaning softly, her arms quivering at her sides, she wanted desperately
to touch him.
 

Feeling Tiffany’s slight movements, Alex immediately assumed
she was trying to free herself from his grasp and promptly released her
arms.
 
Had he mistaken her intent?
 
Lifting his mouth he began to pull back, but she surprised him then,
wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer with a small, pleading
whimper.
 
No, he hadn’t been
mistaken.
 
She wanted him, just as much
as he wanted her.
 
The confirmation set
his blood afire.
 
His hands moved to her
waist, drawing her even more tightly against him.

Tiffany nearly sobbed in relief as Alex’s lips once again
melded with her own.
 
The first touch of
his lips had been gentle and coaxing, but now he plundered her mouth, ravaging
the delicate softness of her pliant lips.
 
She loved it.
 
She felt his tongue
glide across her lower lip then and shivered as a pleasurable sensation
unfurled in her stomach.
 
She parted her
lips at his gentle prodding and suddenly the kiss took on a whole new
dimension.
 

As his tongue swept the sweet, inner recess of her mouth,
Alex half-expected her to shy away, but she didn’t.
 
She uttered a breathy moan instead, her
fingers splaying wide at the back of his neck, delving into the thick locks of
hair that brushed against his shirt collar.
 
It felt good, too good.
 
Lord help
him, he couldn’t seem to stop.
 
Crushing
her to him, his right hand moved gradually upward, his thumb moving in small
circular motions as he leisurely made his way to the enticing swell of her lush
breasts.

As Alex’s tongue swirled decadently within her mouth,
Tiffany felt her legs turn to jelly beneath her.
 
Oh it was heavenly.
 
Lost to the astonishing and unexpected
sensations rioting throughout her body, she was oblivious to everything but
Alex’s intoxicating touch.

Alex, however, was slightly more attuned to their
surroundings and absently noted the abrupt cessation of music coming from the
ballroom.
 
But ultimately it was the
sound of voices that suddenly brought him hurtling back to his senses.
 
With a muffled curse, he reached up and
grabbed Tiffany’s arms from around his neck, pushing her backward he quickly
set her away from him as he surveyed the surrounding area.
 
Good lord, what the hell had he been
thinking?
 
Had he completely lost his
mind, he wondered in sudden consternation?

Glancing back at Tiffany, he noted the somewhat dazed
expression that lingered upon her face.
 
Her beautiful blue eyes were unfocused and she seemed to sway slightly
on her feet.
 
Grasping her shoulders, he
gave her a slight shake in an attempt to bring her back to her senses.
 
Christ, if anyone saw them as they were now
they would know exactly what they’d been doing.
 
Giving her another quick shake, perhaps a bit more roughly than he’d
intended, he was relieved to see awareness slowly reentering her eyes.
 
“Someone’s coming,” he cautioned in a hushed
whisper.

As the pleasant fog gradually faded from Tiffany’s mind, she
realized that Alex was no longer holding her in a passionate embrace, but
shaking her instead, and none too gently.
 
Blinking rapidly, it took a moment for his words to register in her befuddled
brain.
 
But then she heard them, the
voices, growing increasingly louder with each passing second.
 
With a small gasp of dismay she took a step
back, lifting her fingers to her mouth.

Pulling her from the shadows, Alex swiftly propelled Tiffany
in the direction of the voices.
 
Unfortunately, they would just have to brazen it out and hope for the
best.
 
“If you’re sure the dizziness has
passed, I shall escort you back inside now, Lady Tiffany,” he said, raising his
voice slightly.

Taking Alex’s queue, Tiffany responded, praying that her own
voice sounded as steady as his.
 
“Yes,
I’m feeling much better now, Lord Chesterfield, thank you.
 
I’m sure it was just the heat.”

A second later, he and Tiffany came face to face with
Nicholas and Ashleigh Leighton.
 
Alex
immediately noted the surprised look in Ashleigh’s eyes and the sudden,
speculative narrowing of Nick’s.
 
Despite
the grilling he was sure to receive from Nick later on, he breathed an
inaudible sigh of relief, for a potential disaster had just been avoided.
 
A quick glance at Tiffany confirmed that
notion, for with a telltale blush staining her cheeks, she looked as if she’d
just been caught doing
exactly
what
they’d been doing.
 
Alex silently thanked
his lucky stars, for if they had been observed by anyone other than the Duke
and Duchess of Sethe, it might well have been the beginning of a very juicy
scandal.
 

Ignoring Nick’s knowing gaze, Alex deliberately kept his own
expression blasé.
 
“Ashleigh, Nick,” he
began, nodding in greeting.
 
“Lady
Tiffany and I were just taking some air.”

“Yes, I’m afraid I was feeling a bit overheated,” Tiffany
murmured.

Nicholas gave an ungentlemanly snort as his lips quirked
into a knowing smile.

Overheated?
 
Alex nearly groaned aloud at Tiffany's
choice of words.

“But I’m feeling much better now,” she added quickly.

Nicholas opened his mouth as if to speak, but the only thing
that came out was a muffled grunt as his wife purposefully elbowed him in the
ribs.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a deep, calming
breath.
 
When he opened them again he turned
his gaze to Tiffany.
 
“Lady Tiffany,
would you mind if Ashleigh escorted you back inside?” he asked politely,
releasing her elbow.
 
“I’d like to have a
brief word with Nick.”

“No, of course not,” she said with a subdued smile.
 

Stepping forward, Ashleigh quickly snaked her arm through
Tiffany’s, her own smile overly bright.
 
“Excuse us, gentlemen.”

Watching as Ashleigh and Tiffany turned to reenter the
ballroom, Alex sighed, waiting for Nick to pounce.

As soon as the two women were out of earshot, he did.
 
“I thought you weren’t interested,” Nicholas
said, his tone clearly amused.

“It’s not what you think,” Alex muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Isn’t it?”

“No, it…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
 
“Oh, bloody hell!
 
I don’t know about you, but I could use a
drink.”

As Ashleigh all but dragged Tiffany through the French doors
and across the smooth parquet floor, she cleverly maneuvered them through the
crowd, making it across the overflowing ballroom in record time.
 
Once they reached the landing, Ashleigh
immediately turned to the right and then pulled Tiffany in the direction of a
door located a short distance down the hall.
 
Once inside, she closed it firmly behind them and turned to Tiffany, her
green eyes wide with curiosity and anticipation.
 
“Tell me everything!”

“Honestly Ashleigh,” Tiffany began somewhat breathlessly,
“you nearly wrenched my arm out of the socket.”
 

Ashleigh rolled her eyes, ignoring the admonishment.
 
“Tiffany!”
 

“He… kissed me,” Tiffany admitted bashfully, feeling her
cheeks grow warm.

“And?” she prompted.

“And it was… incredible.”

Turning from the liquor cabinet in his study, Nicholas
walked over to where Alex was seated and held out one of the two glasses of
brandy he’d just poured.
  
“So, when’s
the wedding?” he asked, as Alex reached for the glass.