She felt her eyes widen in shock at the nearness of his body. They had once again placed themselves in an impossible situation.
The light from Thomas’s lantern cast shadows beneath the door as he paused outside in the hall.
The earl looked into her eyes with a lustful gaze that rooted her firmly to the spot. His hot breath sent shivers of desire throughout her body that made her heart race. Thoughts of what it would feel like to have his muscular body pressed up against hers invaded her mind and body, creating a visceral reaction down her spine.
Livinia’s skin tingled as she became more aware of her own lustful desires. She wanted to know the feel of his touch and the tender heat of his embrace.
It took a few minutes for Thomas to move on, leaving Livinia with her lips pressed against the palm of the Earl’s hand. His touch was firm and strong, yet gentle enough to allow her to breathe. The feel of his skin against her lips made her chest rise and fall in steady rhythms. She hadn’t even noticed that his hand was pressed against her waist.
Heat climbed up her spine, spreading over the back of her neck and travelling all the way to her face. The pit of her stomach knotted in a delicious manner with tiny bumps spreading over her arms.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Benedict whispered in laboured breaths before lowering his hand.
Livinia gasped for breath, not realizing she’d been holding it. His hand moved a little lower on her waist, resting on her hip. The attraction she felt towards him felt like an unstoppable pull, drawing her closer to his lips until they were inches away from each other.
“My Lord,” she breathed heavily.
“Yes?” Benedict raised his eyes from her lips, his gaze heated and passionate in the darkness of her room. The moon let in just enough light through the shut drapes.
“I think you better leave now.” Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, causing her pulse to race.
A look of surprise flickered across his face.
Did he think we were about to kiss?
The pit of her stomach fluttered at the notion. She’d been so caught up in her feelings and desires that she hadn’t taken into consideration what he must have been thinking.
Dropping his hand from her hip and taking a step back, he allowed a look of indifference to fall back into place. “I bid you a good evening, Miss Campbell.” He reached for the handle and left the room, shutting the door behind him as unceremoniously as he had entered.
Livinia let out a breath and brought the tips of her fingers up to her lips. His mouth had been so close to hers. She could still smell the scent of the soap he had used to bathe.
Her heart slowed as she slid down the wall with her back to it. The things he made her feel left her mind whirling in confusion.
***
Benedict paused in the hallway and looked back over his shoulder. For a moment, he had thought she wanted him to kiss her, but he must have been mistaken. The feel of her hot skin through the fabric of her nightgown still burned into his flesh.
He lifted his other hand and recalled the feel of her lips on his palm. Her breathing had caused her mouth to move gently against his skin. The motion had brought heated thoughts of her naked body to his mind. What did she look like beneath the layers of her dress? Was the rest of her skin as soft and creamy as that of her neck?
It had taken every ounce of his being not to let his hands wander down her throat and explore the beckoning valley between her breasts. Her nightgown had provided him with just enough leeway to see the shape of her perky breasts through the almost sheer fabric.
You can’t get distracted.
He resisted the urge to turn back to her room. He couldn’t allow his feelings to get the better of him as he’d done in the past. Beautiful women were nothing more than trouble. Had he not learned his lesson last time?
The brighter the flame, the greater the burn when everything came tumbling down.
***
Benedict clenched his jaw as he stared into the fire’s dying embers in the parlour. He hadn’t got much sleep after his encounter with the governess the night before. He’d got out of bed after hours of restless tossing and returned to his parlour.
Encounter?
That description wasn’t entirely truthful if he were being honest. He had gone to her room to confront her but had nearly given in to his desires. Desires of the flesh could be dangerous if left unchecked for too long. He blamed himself for being too caught up with Lady Eleanor Spencer to notice anything going on. Perhaps his parents’ lives could have been spared if he’d only paid more attention.
Theodora came bounding into the room with the enthusiasm and energy of a young girl. Benedict often admired her childlike outlook on life; he felt as if he’d done something right in protecting her from the evil in life.
“Benedict, you are up early.” She smiled cautiously at him. She had taken to being a little more cautious with him since the parlour incident.
“You know I don’t sleep very well.” He offered her a rare smile that he hoped would set her more at ease. “Why are you awake; I don’t usually see you until breakfast?”
Her shoulders seemed to stoop a little after returning his smile. The weight of the disagreement had more than likely been worrying her. “Miss Campbell said that the early bird catches the worm. I wanted to get ahead with some of the reading she set for me this week. Do you suppose the saying comes from an actual bird eating a worm?” She chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully after sitting on the sofa.
It did his heart good to see his sister in cheerful spirits. She had been bored with her life before begging him to at least employ a governess. Her cheeks were rosier now, and she displayed signs of maturing into a fine young woman. Livinia had only been there for a little over a week, and she had already positively impacted his sister.
“Although I am no lover of birds, I think the saying means those who rise and act early will reap the benefits before it’s too late.” He enjoyed their casual banter that hadn’t been present before Livinia.
“That makes sense; it’s better to fill one’s head with knowledge before the world fills it with frivolous things.” She recited Lavinia’s words before reaching for a book on the coffee table and burying her nose.
“Do you like Miss Campbell?” he asked, venturing a further question, not wanting to shut the door that had now been opened between him and his sister. Their family life had been strained for many years. Most of that was his own fault; the need to protect his younger sister had overpowered the need to bond.
She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I do. She teaches me things that I never even considered before. For instance, I thought that a lady only needed to look pretty and simper to gain a husband. It never occurred to me that one needed topics to discuss after the simpering.”
Her words would have amused him if he hadn’t begun to fear the very real possibility of her marrying. How would he be able to keep her safe if she left the house? Or even worse, how could he know the man she married wasn’t somehow involved in their past? The thought sent a chill down his spine.
“Benedict, why do you need to know if I like Miss Campbell? Are you thinking of sending her away? I know you don’t like the way she does things at times, but she truly is a wonder for me. I don’t think I will be able to go back to the way things were if she leaves.” Her voice was filled with panic as she quickly shut the book.
“I am not thinking of sending her away,” he lied to her. He knew deep down that the thought had crossed his mind when he’d seen her with his journal in the study. He couldn’t, however, act upon that impulse, knowing that she had made a big impact on his sister’s life in the short time she had been there.
