What if no one else could raise her passions?
Recognizing her lack of response, Tomas redoubled his efforts, his tongue sweeping over her lips and pushing into her mouth. Charlie remained pliant in his arms and simply waited, her body remaining stubbornly uninterested.
This was horrible.
A gasp finally brought the tepid embrace to an end. Pulling apart, they turned as one to see Radcliffe standing frozen in the door, a drink in hand. He looked shocked. Frozen even. But no more so than Beth, who stood beside him.
Groaning inwardly, Charlie fatalistically awaited the outburst of rage that was burning in Radcliffe's eyes. There was none, however. As quick as a blink he forced the rage from his face, stepped forward, handed her the drink with a cold, courtly bow, then turned and walked back into the ball.
Sighing, she looked down into the drink briefly, then glanced at Tomas who, taking a page from Radcliffe's book, suddenly bowed toward her with stiff dignity, then walked into the building as well. It figures, Charlie thought wryly. Just like a man. Kiss a girl, then blame her for it. She hadn't asked either man to kiss her, had she? Yet here they were, both of them storming off as if discovering she were some sort of tart. Men! Her gaze slid to Beth to find her glaring daggers. "Oh, for heaven's sake,"
Charlie snapped. "You do not think I asked him to kiss me, do you?"
When Beth's anger wavered, she added, "He came out to see Radcliffe kissing me and"
"Radcliffe kissed you again?"
Charlie waved the question away impatiently. "Aye, and Tomas saw it, waited in the shadows until he left, then gave me a furious kiss of his own. And it was awful."
Beth straightened in offense at that. "Tomas is a very good kisser."
"I am sure he is. But not for me. I did not feel a thing when he kissed me.
What is more, it seemed pretty obvious that he was disappointed in the kiss as well."
Eyes widening, Beth turned and glanced back into the ballroom. "Oh, no,"
she gasped. "He is leaving."
She raced off to chase after him, leaving Charlie alone on the balcony to brood over Tom's lack of effect on her, and her all-too-heated response to Radcliffe.
Surely it was just a fluke? she thought hopefully. Surely Radcliffe was not the only one who could stir a response in her? Perhaps her lack of reaction to Tomas was merely because she'd thought of him as Beth's. Perhaps she already thought of him as a possible brother-in-law?
That possibility gave her great hope. She had quite enjoyed the passion Radcliffe had wrung from her with his kisses. The marital bed would be quite an enjoyable place if it contained anything like those kisses. But if Radcliffe were the only one who could raise those passions, she had a problem.
"Lady Elizabeth."
Charlie turned at that surprised greeting and forced a smile as Lord Norwich stepped out onto the terrace. "My lord."
"Whatever are you doing out here on your own?" he asked with concern.
"I was just thinking, my lord," she answered evasively, and found herself studying him curiously. He was a handsome man and he had raised some response from her earlier. Of course, he wasn't nearly as striking as Radcliffe, but-Scowling, she forced the other man's image from her mind. "Would you kiss me?"
If he was shocked at her question, it was no more so than Charlie herself.
The words popped out before she had even realized that the thought had occurred to her. She wanted to convince herself that Radcliffe was not the only one who could gain a response from her. And, that her lack of response to Tomas was because he was Beth's love interest and therefore almost a brother-in-law.
To that end, it did seem she needed to kiss at least one more man.
Hopefully, Norwich would be able to soothe her fears.
A moment of silence passed as he contemplated her, and quite suddenly Charlie was embarrassed by her forward behavior. Shifting uncomfortably, she cleared her throat. "I am sorry. Please forget that I"
Her words died in her throat as he caught her arm and swept her against his chest in an embrace. Then his lips were on hers, firm and forceful, pressing her head back. Clutching at his shoulders, Charlie gasped in surprise and he took immediate advantage of that, his tongue sweeping in to conquer. He was most masterful, and Charlie felt relief slide over her as she felt the first faint stirrings of a response awaken within her.
It was a short-lived relief. The faint stirring was as much as he could muster from her, and Charlie's heart sank slowly as the embrace continued. Even his caresses did not help. They were pleasant, but did little more than capture her attention. They raised no fire. Fanned no flames. Left her lukewarm, not feverish. It was most distressing. Not that Norwich seemed to notice.
While her response was tepid, his was more heated. She could feel how affected he was by the bulge pressing against her stomach.
"Elizabeth!"
Norwich released her so abruptly that Charlie stumbled a step or two before regaining her balance and turning in resignation to face the owner of that voice. It figured that Radcliffe would show up again at another inconvenient moment. Really, the man had to work on his timing.
Charlie watched Radcliffe pace the floor with growing irritation. After snapping her name on the balcony, there had been a tense moment as everyone had merely stared at each other; then Radcliffe had snarled that it was time to leave.
Embarrassed at being caughtonce againin a man's embrace, Charlie had rushed silently back into the ballroom. Radcliffe had whirled to follow, then taken her arm in hand and steered her firmly out of the ballroom, the house, andinto his carriage, then had sat in contemptuous silence all the way back to the townhouse. It was that contempt that had slowly worn away Charlie's embarrassment and guilt and begun to awaken a responding anger in herself. An anger that had only grown as hehad marched her tight-lipped into the townhouse, straight to the library where he had slammed the door shut, left her standing before his desk, and begun to pace irately before her.
He had been pacing for a good ten minutes, and aside from being angry Charlie was impatient now as well. It was partially his fault, after all. If he had not kissed her, she never would have realized how important that part of marriage could be. She would not haveHer thoughts died as he suddenly stopped pacing and whirled to face her.
"I do not know what has come over you. Twice tonight I caught you kissing men out on the balcony."
"And once you kissed me yourself," she snapped back, her face flushing with embarrassment despite her anger.
"Aye. Did you think then that meant you could run about kissing everyoue?"
"I hardly did that!" Charlie fought the guilty flush that wanted to color her cheeks. "I did not even kiss Tomas. He kissed me. It was unexpected, and if it makes you any happier, I did not enjoy it in the least."
That seemed to bring him up short. His gaze narrowed. "And Norwich?"
He would ask that, she thought, but admitted, "I asked him to kiss me."
Radcliffe seemed to deflate with disappointment. "Why?"
She debated whether to lie, but he looked so miserable "Because I did not care for Tom's kisses."
He blinked in confusion. "Tom's kisses?"
"Aye. He is a skilled kisser, I can tell, but his kisses did not affect me at all."
Radcliffe shook his head as if tryingto scatter a fog clouding his brain.
"You asked Norwich to kiss you because Tom's kisses did not affect you?"
When she nodded solemnly, he was silent for a moment, then, "And did you like Norwich's kisses?"
Charlie hesitated. "They were nice."
"Nice?"
"Aye. They were pleasant enough, but they did not make my knees go all weak and my stomach quiver as if it were full of butterflies," she admitted, then glanced up with surprise when he was suddenly standing before her. A hair's breadth away.
"And whose kisses do that to you?" he asked huskily.
Charlie swallowed. Her breathing had turned shallow at his proximity, the blood roaring in her ears like rushing water.
"Hmm?" he breathed, raising a hand to the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. It immediately began to race. "Do my kisses affect you that way?"
Charlie swallowed again to keep from groaning as his finger slid down to trace the neckline of her gown across the swells of her br**sts. His other hand slid to her neck, rising until his fingers curved around the base of her skull, his thumb resting before her ear and caressing gently.
Charlie's eyes closed, her face pressing into his palm like a cat nuzzling its owner.
"Do they?" he whispered, his head lowering until his lips were inches away from her own, his breath a warm caress across her mouth.
"Aye," she moaned in defeat as the finger at her neckline feathered over her breast, brushing one painfully erect nipple through the cloth of her gown.
"Radcliffe?"
His breath catching at that plea, he finally dropped his lips to hers. It was as if he had poured whiskey on embers. The flame exploded within her, her body arching violently,pressing her br**sts hungrily against his chest. Head falling back, she opened her mouth for his invasion and clung desperately to his shoulders.
For a few moments it seemed more a battle than a kiss. Both of them were fighting for more, demanding it. There was no tenderness, just burning need as they devoured each other, bodies thrusting and hands grasping. Then Radcliffe broke free of the kiss, to worship her chin, cheek, then her earlobe with his mouth.
Charlie shuddered wildly as his tongue laved her. His hand slid to cup her breast through her gown and she cried out as he squeezed it frenziedly.
When he released her at once, she nearly wept with disappointment until she felt his hand at the neckline of her gown tugging at it until he had freed her breast to his uninhibited touch.
"Oh, God," he breathed into her ear as his hand closed over the warm swell of flesh, and Charlie gasped as his thumb brushed over her puckered nipple.
When the weakness she had spoken of suddenly hit her knees and she sagged in his arms, he slid one leg between hers, his thigh rubbing against her pelvis through the cloth of their apparel.
"Please," she breathed into his ear, nipping at the succulent lobe, then sucking hungrily until he pulled his head away and pushed her back against one arm to drop his mouth to the breast he had revealed.
Hands catching in his hair, she twisted her head feverishly, shaking her hair loose from its pins. But then she wanted his kisses again, needed them, and she tugged at his hair until he released her breast and claimed her lips once more.
Running her hands over his chest, she suddenly pushed his coat off of his shoulders, and he helped her, shrugging out of one sleeve, then the other.
It wasn't enough for Charlie, though; she wanted his bare flesh against her own, and she began tugging at the buttons of his shirt.
Releasing a half-chuckle, half-growl at her frustrated whimper as she struggled with the buttons, Radcliffe tugged the shirt out of his breeches and slipped button after button free of its hole until the shirt hung loose. Charlie immediately pressed her hands to his chest, marveling over the hard strength of him, the width, the curly dark hairs that brushed her fingers making them tingle.
She bent to press a kiss to the very center of his chest, then shifted her lips to one small pebble-like nipple. Closing her lips around it as he had done to her, she grazed it with her teeth, then gasped in surprise as Radcliffe suddenly stiffened and pushed her away. Her eyes shot to his face in hurt surprise until she recognized the intent look he had acquired. Then she heard Beth's voice sing out, vibrant with excitement. "Ch-Elizabeth! Beth!" Her footsteps pounded up the stairs and faded.
She saw the passion fade from Radcliffe's eyes to be replaced with regret, and felt her anger stir. "Do not even consider apologizing for what just happened,"
she warned icily. "It was as much my fault as yours and I enjoyed it too much to be sorry."
Radcliffe's eyebrows shot up even as his jaw dropped.
Charlie felt at least a smidgen of satisfaction at that fact as she nicked her neckline back up, smoothed her skirt, lifted her chin, and sailed out of the room before he could regain his voice.
"There you are!" Rushing down the stairs, Beth grabbed her arm excitedly.
"You will not believe it. I am so happy. Tomas has asked me to"
When Beth closed her mouth abruptly, Charlie glanced over her shoulder, not in the least surprised to see Radcliffe standing in the door to the library. No one looking at him now would believe he had been in flagrante delicto just moments agounlike herself she supposed with a sigh, running a self-conscious hand through her hair.
"Tomas asked you to what?" Radcliffe queried when Beth stared at him blankly.
"He er to" Panic began to color her face, then it cleared. "Go hunting with him. In the country. For a couple of days." She was positively bearmng with a happiness Charlie very much doubted had anything to do with hunting, but it had been a good save and Charlie could not resist smiling in return, until Radcliffe said, "I am afraid that is impossible."
"What?" Beth and Charlie both cried the word at once, turning to glare at him.
"I am sorry. You cannot go." He did not sound sorry. "How would it look?"
"How would what look?" Beth asked warily, her gaze shooting to Charlie, who had also stiffened at his words. Did he know? Did he know they were both girls? And if he did, how long had he known?
"Your running off to go hunting and leaving your sister alone here with me Unchaperoned."
"Unchaperoned?" Charlie relaxed. He did not know. "Radcliffe, everyone thinks you are our cousin. I have no need of a chaperone."
"Everyone thinks we are cousins now, but what happens when it comes out that we are not related? What then? There would be whispers about the fact that at some point during the charade Charles had run off leaving you here unchaperoned.
Besides, our supposedly being cousins does not make us above scandal.
Cousins marry all the time."