“Wouldn’t it just be too wonderful if he fell in love with you?” Adelaide drew her attention back to them as her eyes began to sparkle mischievously.
“I … I don’t think you should be saying such things. It isn’t appropriate,” Livinia hesitated as her breath caught in her throat. The idea took her entirely by surprise. There was most certainly a fierce attraction that pulsated between them, but would it ever be possible for something like that to lead to love? She felt her heart thudding in a strange rhythm.
There was also the matter of their differing stations to consider. Benedict was the earl of a large and impressive estate, while Livinia was a simple governess.
Olivia examined her face with a thoughtful look that brought a light flush to Livinia’s cheeks. The girl had matured far beyond her years, or perhaps she had always been this perceptive, and Livinia was only beginning to notice it now.
“Please don’t worry, Miss Campbell. Adelaide and I won’t say a word. Mama is here this evening, so I would stay clear of her just to keep things a little quieter.” She gave Livinia a reassuring smile.
“Thank you, Lady Olivia.” Livinia glanced over her shoulder at Lady Theodora, who was giggling a little too loudly. “And if I may ask you for a favour, Lady Theodora does not know anyone else at the ball. Would you mind befriending her and giving her some guidance? I know she would appreciate the help.”
“Adelaide and I will see to it at once,” Olivia reassured her before dragging her protesting sister away by the arm.
“I wasn’t done talking to Livinia yet,” Adelaide complained in a hushed tone.
“You know what Mama said about calling her Miss Campbell, and we are needed elsewhere,” Olivia admonished her with authority.
Strange how so much can change in a short space of time.
Livinia found herself smiling at the girls’ behaviours.
“Come with me into the garden,” Benedict whispered in a menacing voice behind her.
The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up from the feel of his hot breath against her skin. She wasn’t even sure how he had managed to sneak up behind her, but his presence was making the pit of her stomach knot with fluttering sensations. Her breaths suddenly shortened to gasps as she fought the desire and fear that mingled in her mind.
Chapter 14
Stepping into the cool air of the garden, Livinia felt the breeze kissing the exposed skin of her chest. The neckline was low enough that the swelling of her breasts could be seen as she walked.
Benedict’s sudden appearance behind her in the ballroom had left her with a racing pulse.
Where did he go?
She felt herself growing increasingly anxious with every step on the cobbled paths. He’d said to meet her in the gardens but hadn’t specified where that would be. The gardens were made up of winding, cobbled paths surrounded on each side by rows of roses and trimmed topiaries. It was almost as if a maze of sorts had been the end goal.
Following a path that looked as if it would lead to a small alcove, she picked up her dress and hurried along. The path ended beneath a small tree in the centre of what looked like a secret garden. The tree was boxed in by bushes on all sides, with two stone benches on either side. Her heart thudded in her ears as she looked around and wondered if Benedict hadn’t gone in another direction. She took a few more steps into the middle of the garden.
“Who were those girls?” Benedict growled in her ear before gripping her arms and swirling her around with lightning speed.
Livinia felt her back being pressed against the trunk of the tree. Benedict had her wrists pinned above her head with both his hands. The wild look in his eyes sent shivers down her spine.
“I was their governess before I came to work here. If you recall, their letter brought us here this evening.” Her breaths were ragged as Benedict came closer, shifting his hands to grip both of her wrists in one hand.
Suspicion filled his eyes as he leaned in closer, pushing his weight into her body as he leaned on her with his free hand resting beside her hip on the tree.
“Why did you leave like that?” His voice was dangerously low, caressing her ears with gentle strokes of breath.
“My Lord … I saw that they recognized me, and I wanted to stop them from saying anything before they made a scene.” Her lips parted a little with a soft gasp when his thigh parted her knees. She could feel the sculpted muscles of his legs against her inner thighs.
Benedict’s gaze dropped to her mouth and moved over her chest with a deep hunger that set her core on fire. Their bodies were far too close in the secluded little garden.
“I can assure you, My Lord, that my loyalties lie with you and this family. My motives in speaking to the girls in private were only in the interest of keeping your secret …” her voice trailed off as his eyes made their way up her neck, pausing at her lips before meeting her gaze once more.
Heat radiated between their bodies as his breathing slowed, catching the steady rise and fall of her breasts. Time seemed to stop as Benedict drew closer, his lips angled towards hers. His hand moved from the tree to her hip, gently holding her in place.
Livinia could sense the battle within as his eyes swam with indecision.
He wants me …
The thought had barely entered her mind when Benedict drew her mouth into a fiery kiss. His tongue instantly parted her lips, probing the warm depths of her mouth with growing intensity. The kiss had barely begun when Livinia felt herself moaning in pleasure. The hot sting of his kiss fanned the flames of her desire as his leg moved her up on the tree.
His hand suddenly let go of her wrists as he traced a path over her arm, allowing his fingers to rest on her breast. The hot sensations that coursed through her body sent shivers of pleasure up her chest. She deepened the kiss and swirled her tongue over his, giving in to the lust that had been building for days. She wanted Benedict with a fiery need that demanded to be felt.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, drawing him closer as both his hands rested on her breasts, squeezing her bosoms with delicious pressure and untamed pleasure.
A gasp of pleasure escaped her lips and filled the air when he dipped his head, kissing a path over her jawline and neck. She was fully lost in his embrace when his tongue flicked out over the soft flesh of her breasts. He lifted his hand and gently tugged the fabric of her neckline down, revealing a little more of her chest.
He turned his attention back to her throat and hungrily kissed a path back up her neck before stopping at her ear and gently nibbling the flesh. “Do you want me to stop?” he growled in her ear, giving her breasts another firm squeeze.
“No,” she whispered back hungrily before placing her hands on either side of his head and drawing him in for another passionate kiss.
Benedict responded in kind, dragging her lower lip through his teeth before searching the depths of her mouth with a lust-filled need. The way his thigh moved against her core caused Livinia to lose all sense of time and propriety.
I want him to touch me there …
She gripped his hand in hers and guided him down to her hip.
“Do you suppose that anyone is out here?” a female voice floated in the air, reaching Livinia’s ears just as Benedict was about to lift her dress.
