One Moonlit Night (Moonlight Square: A Prequel Novella) Read online

  “Oh, leave me alone,” she mumbled with a scowl. “I never said I was perfect.”

  “Imperfection is one of your dearest qualities. Talk to me,” he cajoled her.

  “What is there to say?” she burst out. “I’m already…overloaded! My heart hurts from feeling too much today. My head’s a tangle. I don’t want to feel anymore tonight. I don’t want to think.”

  Gable paused for a long moment, then moved closer. “Well, I can help you with that.”

  “Hey!” she protested as he lifted her wineglass out of her hand, setting it aside. “I was enjoying that!”

  “You’ll enjoy this, too. Trust me,” he said in a husky voice, leaning down before her chair. With a gentle pressure of his fingertips under her chin, he raised her head and kissed her—a soft, satin caress of his mouth on hers.

  A sigh escaped her, and her aching toes curled where she sat.

  As his lips lingered on hers, she held perfectly still, breathless.

  Then he pulled back a small space. “Let me take care of you, Katrina.”

  At his whisper, she somehow found the strength to open her eyes after the silken spell he’d cast on her. Holding his gaze, she was not sure what he meant by that, but she was desperately eager all of a sudden to find out.

  “My lord.” She looked away in trembling confusion, cheeks flaming with heat. The pantry was spinning. “They say wine makes girls lose their inhibitions, then they become prey to wicked rakehells. Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

  “Would you like me to?” he whispered.

  She swallowed hard and stared at him as her will drained away. “God, yes.” Then, in the privacy of that little pantry, she moved into his arms, past caring. She didn’t stop to question what she was doing. She just wanted another taste of his beautiful mouth.

  He lifted her up in his arms and set her on the countertop formed by the lower row of cabinets. She slid her arms around his neck and returned his fevered kisses with abandon.

  Mmm, you taste so good, she wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t speak with his tongue swirling its magical dance in her mouth.

  Though the swift but hungry exchange soon left them both panting, neither of them had any desire to make a spectacle of themselves in front of the staff of the Grand Albion.

  Gable lifted her hand to his lips. “Come with me,” he ordered in a gravelly tone.

  “Where?” she whispered, heart pounding as he helped her down from the countertop. He did not let go of her hand.

  “You’ll see. Come on. You don’t even have to wear your shoes,” he added, sending her a seductive smile over his shoulder as he headed for the doorway.

  “Gable, where are you going?” she whispered insistently as she followed him, holding on to his hand, both worried and enchanted.

  “I’m spiriting you away, my darling. Come.” Then he stepped through the door that opened onto the terrace.

  She followed him outside into the dark with a thrill in her blood like nothing she had ever known before.

  They didn’t go far.

  Outside, the flagstones were even cooler underfoot than in the kitchen, and the starlight glimmered over the fragrant gardens. But Gable led her discreetly around the nearby corner of the building, where the terrace wrapped around the side of the hotel for just a few feet.

  Completely out of sight, he drove her back against the wall, and then he kissed her in earnest.

  Reckless passion poured from him as he leaned against her, grasped her hips, and moved his hard, lean body against her in the most tempting fashion while his kiss consumed her. It was shocking—and absolutely wonderful. A heady groan escaped her with the overwhelming realization of just how sincerely Gable wanted her.

  And he was true to his word. His ardent efforts really did erase every last sane, rational thought and irksome worry from her mind, transporting her senses far, far away to some lovely, wicked dreamland.

  She clung to him, lost in sensation and raw desire as he teased her lips with his kisses and held her pinned against the wall. It was exactly where she wanted to be.

  “Feeling better yet?” he breathed between kisses.

  “Much,” she gasped out.

  He gave her an impossibly seductive half-smile, his face shadowed, roguery sparkling in his eyes. Then he came at her again. She let him do to her as he pleased, heart slamming with delight as he captured her lower lip between his teeth and licked at it, made love to it, ravished every inch of it. His hands glided down the curves of her neck, bringing her skin to life. His fingers trailed along her collarbones as he kissed her throat, and then his touch moved lower to explore her chest.

  “I’ve been watching you all night, wanting to devour you,” he panted at her earlobe. “You’re so beautiful. You move me so, Katrina. I want you to the marrow of my bones.”

  “Oh, Gable.” The next thing she knew, he had freed her breast from the low-cut décolletage of her gown, and her soft flesh was in his hand. He lowered himself to his knees and took the fiery, stiffened peak into his mouth, feeding on her. He grasped her hips and caressed her.

  Trinny was enraptured. She couldn’t believe this was happening, but she had no desire to stop. Resting her hands on his broad shoulders to steady herself, she couldn’t help but appreciate the size and strength of him compared to her, the stalwart dominance of his muscled frame.

  It would be an easy thing for him to overpower her and take her here against the wall, whether she wanted it or not, but she knew in her core that this man would never do such a thing. In a haze of sensuality, she cupped his sculpted face and watched him sucking on her nipple. In that moment, she wanted to give him everything she was. She felt so close to him, as though she had been made for him, here in the shadows of their secret world, silvered with moonlight.

  Meanwhile, Gable’s warm, smooth hand had slipped beneath her skirts. Trinny swallowed hard as she felt his fingers gliding up her calf, playing at her knee. She widened her stance slightly as she leaned against the wall, parting her legs for him instinctively, her fingers digging into his shoulders in building excitement. When his palm skimmed slowly up her thigh with a touch so warm and sure, she closed her eyes in agonized anticipation.

  Chest heaving, she rested her head against the stone wall, biting back a moan of pleasure as his silken touch slid along the juncture of her thighs. He groaned to find her already slippery wet with need. Then he began to stroke her there as he nestled his face against her breasts. She arched her back and moved with his touch, unable to stop herself. Her flesh craved something her mind did not yet understand. All she could do was clasp his strong shoulders and let him pleasure her while her pulse thundered like a summer storm.

  “Come for me, Katrina,” he whispered raggedly after several moments. “You need this, I know. It’s all right. You don’t have to be shy with me.”

  He kissed the valley between her breasts and pressed his fingers into her more deeply, but this combined with the way the heel of his hand also chafed beguilingly against her mound was more than she could withstand.

  She held on to his head and ran her fingers through his hair as the masterful seducer coaxed her to the brink of surrender. A cry of passion tore from her lips. Flaming release pulsed through her and ran down every nerve ending, shattering her, body and soul, into the light of a million stars. The frantic tremors eased after a long moment, and she was left panting and dazed, her emotions surprisingly raw, even more so than before.

  Gable silently rose to his feet and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her forehead but didn’t say a word. Apparently, even the rakehell’s glib charm had failed him in the sudden intensity of their encounter.

  She rested her head against his chest and could feel his heart throbbing through his elegant attire. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze, a little self-conscious despite his tender assurance that she needn’t feel shy with him.

  Neither of them spoke. His eyes, so soulful, said it all. They told her that although he
was still powerfully aroused, he, too, sensed that there was something going on here between them much deeper than desire.

  She reached up and cupped his face, drawing him down to kiss her.

  His lips met hers gently, but he ended the kiss in the next moment, as though he couldn’t stop gazing into her eyes. “You’re really beautiful,” he whispered, sounding almost wistful.

  “I am?” she breathed, trying to believe.

  “Oh yes.” He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear as he stared at her, his eyes glimmering in the night with a sort of newfound wonder, and, in that moment, it seemed like nothing could ever break this spell between them…

  Except something did.

  A force from outside their blissful little world.

  “Roland!” a man’s voice called from the vicinity of the terrace in a loud stage whisper. “Are you out here? Damn it, man, where are you?”

  Gable glanced over, furrowing his brow. “That sounds like Sidney. Hold that thought,” he whispered, then went to the edge of the building and peered around the corner.

  “Sid? What is it?” Apparently confirming it was friend, he stepped into view. “I’m here. What’s afoot?”

  “There you are! God, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

  “Why?”

  “I’m trying to save your neck, that’s why.” Footfalls clicked closer, still out of sight. Though Lord Sidney had spoken in a low tone, Trinny could still hear him.

  She hastened to pull her bodice back up and smoothed her skirts, checking to make sure all her bits were covered. With Gable gone, she let out a long, steadying exhalation, giddy after their antics. Nevertheless, she took care to eavesdrop.

  “What’s going on?” Gable queried, still in view by the corner of the building.

  “Just in case you’re out here with a woman, I thought I’d better warn you there’s another one looking for you—no, two. No, actually, make that three.”

  This got Trinny’s full attention. She tore her dreamy gaze off the constellations twinkling in the dark sky overhead and glanced toward the conversation, furrowing her brow.

  Gable’s spine had stiffened; he must’ve known she was hearing this, though Lord Sidney spoke in a low tone.

  “The Countess of Pelletier expects you to dance with her daughter for some reason, and that red-haired baroness you were fooling with last month apparently wants to strangle you—I’ve no idea why. All three of them are searching the premises for you, and they’re starting to get suspicious. So I suggest you and your femme du jour either hie yourselves out of here while you still can, or part ways before you get caught and hurry back to the ballroom before you cause a scandal. I don’t want m’ mate getting shot again,” he added.

  “Thanks,” Gable said grimly.

  “Do you want me to wait for you? We can walk around the building and go in the front together, say we were both outside having a smoke. You’ve vouched for me enough times, God knows.”

  “All right, yes, thanks. I’ll need a moment. Head them off if they come this way.”

  “Done,” Sidney said.

  Trinny stood there, wide-eyed with shock.

  Oh, the life of a rakehell, she thought as disillusionment cascaded through her body with a chill that chased away the lingering traces of pleasure.

  You fool, she said to herself as Gable returned to their little hiding place.

  “It seems my absence has been noted. Yours will be, too, soon, if it hasn’t been already. Sid’s right. We should really get back inside.”

  “Of course,” Trinny mumbled, confounded.

  He adjusted himself, smoothed his hair, tugged his clothes into place, and then gestured for her to go ahead of him.

  Ever the gentleman.

  You pig, she thought, but bit her tongue, fearful that she’d say something she’d regret on account of the wine that had already proved to make her cheeky.

  Numb, she walked on, still barefoot. But with every step, her indignation grew.

  Viscount Sidney, tall and blond and handsome, arched a brow at her in amusement as she passed.

  “I’ll be right with you,” Gable murmured to his fellow rakehell.

  “Take your time.” Sidney lit a cheroot and sauntered off politely across the terrace. Perhaps he had seen the glimmer of wrath in Trinny’s eyes when she had glanced at him and realized if he valued his safety, he should probably move away.

  God, they had their systems, didn’t they? She shook her head, astonished at how these rogues all covered for one another, smooth as clockwork.

  Masters of the Earth. If they treated women this way as bachelors, no wonder Parliament was such a mess when they got to the House of Lords.

  The tight leash she was trying to keep on her temper pulled away from her. She pivoted outside the screened door. “Can I just ask you one question?”

  In the dim glow of the light coming from the kitchens, Gable seemed to brace himself. “Yes?”

  “How many women have you brought to that spot before me? Or have you lost count? I mean, you knew exactly where to go.”

  He blanched. “It isn’t like that.”

  “Really? And why would the Countess of Pelletier be expecting you to dance with her daughter, Gable, hmm? The other one he mentioned doesn’t surprise me, of course—the married one, I mean. That’s your favorite prey!”

  “Katrina—”

  “What an exciting life you lead, my lord!” she flung at him in mocking humor. “How very picaresque!” She shook her head at him, turning away. “You disgust me.”

  She heard him snort as she started to walk away.

  “Well, you didn’t look too disgusted a few minutes ago,” he drawled.

  She whirled around, astounded. “Oh, throw it in my face, why don’t you?” She could feel a burning blush flooding into her cheeks as she huffed with affront. “That was only because of the wine!”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Gable said serenely.

  “Yes, it was! You…you took advantage of me in my intoxicated state!”

  “Ha. You wanted me,” he whispered.

  “So?” Her blush deepened. She probably looked like a strawberry right now, but it seemed a little late for modesty. “Everybody wants you! What news is there in that? At least now I’m sober! Funny how a few choice revelations can snap a person right back to reality!”

  “Please calm down—”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down!” she thundered at him as loudly as she dared, only belatedly dropping her voice to a furious whisper. “You are unbelievable. Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?”

  “Uh, what am I up to?” he echoed, furrowing his brow.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t try to look innocent! There is nothing innocent about you.”

  “Katrina, just because those women are looking for me doesn’t mean I care to see them.”

  “Just stop, please!” she begged him in anguish. “I see exactly what you’re doing!”

  “Then enlighten me!” he barked. “Because I have no blasted idea what you are talking about. I thought I was simply out here enjoying the company of the girl I want to marry.”

  She flinched. “You see? There it is. Your lying, treacherous little plan!”

  Gable shook his head, looking bewildered.

  “Do I have to spell it out for you? That’s all this was about, and I fell for it! You don’t care about me. All you care about is the money a-and the castle you stand to lose! Oh, you’d prefer me as your countess because we usually tolerate each other’s company well enough—”

  “I think we do more than tolerate—”

  “But just in case you can’t charm me into doing your will,” she said, ignoring his attempt to speak, “you’ve got Lady Pelletier’s little henwit of a daughter lined up as your second choice. You’re as bad as Cecil Cooper, doing the same thing to that poor young girl as he did to me. Leading her on in case nothing better comes along. I’m not stupid!”

  “
Now, hold on right there,” he said, his usually unflappable expression forming into one of wrath. “I have never falsely led a woman on in my entire life! You had better watch what you’re accusing me of, my lady. There is a limit to the insults I will tolerate, even from you.”

  “You two sound like you’re already married,” Sidney remarked.

  “Shut up!” they both ordered him in unison.

  Then Trinny fixed Gable with a withering stare. “Go, run along, and find your little bride, then. I’m sure your father will be pleased. The Pelletier girl can have you for all I care! You’re not worth the lifetime of heartache you’d inevitably bring me.”

  “Why do you assume that?” he exclaimed. “What have I ever done to hurt you in the time you’ve known me?”

  “Well, nothing yet—but a leopard doesn’t change his spots!”

  “I am not a leopard,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “You’re a rake. So how could I ever trust you? I mean, look at what you just did with me tonight! You brought me out here to try to seduce me into going along with your plan, didn’t you? Thought you’d give me a taste of the pleasure you’re so good at, just to maneuver me into place so you can get your own way.”

  “That’s not true.”

  But she didn’t believe him. She was too angry at him for being unwilling to offer her a proper marriage that she suddenly could hardly bear the sight of the man.

  “At least now I know the sorts of things you do with those other ladies. And, as you’ve said, you have no intention of stopping. So, you see? If I agreed to your plan, I would never know when you were lying, when you were telling the truth, what game you were playing, or most importantly, who you were with on any given occasion.”

  “Katrina—”

  “I can never agree to that. Why on earth would I do that to myself?” She shook her head, staring at him. “Why does any woman ever marry a rakehell? I’d rather be alone.”

  He flinched at her words. “Then you will be, and I hope it’s everything you dreamed of!” he yelled.

  “Damn,” Sidney muttered in the background as Trinny sent Gable one last furious glare and blasted through the door.

  Heart pounding, stomach in knots, she ducked into the pantry to grab her shoes, then peered out again only to say, “Whatever this was between us, it’s over. Don’t call on me again.”