It was a good thing Hugh had not been holding any cutlery, for he certainly would have dropped it.

  Went home?

  This was not the Beth he knew. The Beth he had grown to care for, to feel deep affection for, perhaps even to love? That Beth would have dug her heels in and remained in France until every single stone had been turned in search of her brother.

  And now she was considering giving up?

  It was a jolt to his heart Hugh had not expected. “But you can’t!”

  “Oh, do not worry, I shall ensure your passage is paid too,” said Beth quickly, misunderstanding him. “I am grateful for all the help you have given me, but—”

  “You can’t give up now; we must be closer than ever before!” Hugh found himself saying, passion pouring into his voice. “Beth, you have to keep going!”

  “I’m tired, Hugh.”

  Hugh swallowed. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

  This was not the life for a lady. It was hardly the life for a duke. He was accustomed to his own home comforts, and it was wearying for him to go day after day without proper respite, night after night in makeshift beds or lumpy inn mattresses.

  But he could also see the pain in her eyes. Beth believed herself to have failed, and he would not allow it.

  “You have done incredible things to get here,” Hugh said quietly, reaching out his hand to take hers. It was warm. Her fingers quickly entangled with his. “And I am certain, with every bone in my body, that you will find him. And I will be there with you.”

  Beth’s eyes widened. “You…you will?”

  Hugh hesitated. These were words he had never intended to say, not to anyone.

  But time had changed that, hadn’t it? Time with Beth had changed that.

  From the moment he had met her, he had been surprised, impressed, and frustrated, almost all at the same time. She never knew when to stop, never thought twice before rushing into a situation, and she cared deeply about the people she loved.

  And he wanted to stay by her side. It was where he belonged, somehow. Hugh could not have explained it to anyone, let alone himself.

  But until she ordered him away, and perhaps even then, he would not leave her.

  “You want to kiss me, don’t you?”

  Hugh started. Beth was giving him a knowing look, one he was starting to understand well.

  He sighed heavily. “Yes. Damnit, Beth, at any given moment of the day and night, I want to kiss you. I think I’ve made that perfectly clear.”

  His loins tugged, but he did his best to ignore them. This was not the time to give into that particular urge. Beth was a lady, and—

  “And if I wanted you to kiss me?” she breathed, her eyes glittering with mischief but also longing. “What then?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “And if I wanted you to kiss me? What then?”

  Beth tried to steady her breathing, but it was impossible. It was hard to comprehend how she had spoken so boldly—but then, perhaps those who knew her best would not be surprised. After all, it was not as though she frequently held her tongue or managed to stop herself from speaking her mind.

  And Hugh was just…staring at her.

  “And if I wanted you to kiss me? What then?”

  Beth bit her lip. He looked as though he had been struck by lightning. That odd vagueness in his eyes. The way he hadn’t blinked since she had spoken. The grip he had on her hand…

  Oh, she knew what she wanted. Beth had never been found in a scandalous position with a gentleman, but she knew precisely what ladies of good breeding should not do.

  If one wished to stay in society, something Nancy had attempted but rarely managed, ladies were not even supposed to think about being kissed, let alone permit it.

  And she had done more than permit it…

  “You…you want me to kiss you?” repeated Hugh, his voice hoarse.

  Heat tinged Beth’s cheeks. Of course, she had been foolish to even think it, let alone suggest it. What had she been thinking? No gentleman of good breeding—and apparently, the Shardlow family was disgraceful, but nonetheless genteel—would accept it.

  She should have just kept her mouth shut. Then they could have finished their meal quietly, ventured upstairs to find separate bedchambers, and slept the night away. As it was—

  “Did you mean—”

  “Forget I said anything,” said Beth hastily, rising from the bench and wishing her stomach wasn’t twisting so painfully. “It was silly, I shouldn’t have—”

  “Because it’s what I have been hoping you would say,” said Hugh, still seated at the table. “For a long time.”

  Beth bit her lip as she turned back to him.

  Did he know what he was saying? Did she understand? There were plenty of opportunities for misunderstandings here, and it simply wouldn’t do to get confused…

  “No, you don’t—I am going to bed,” Beth said firmly, cheeks now burning.

  Well, she had made a complete fool of herself, and she would have to face him tomorrow in the brightness of day, but that didn’t mean she had to face him now. No, she could disappear now, flee the intensity of his gaze.

  Beth started toward the door, which she knew led to the corridor to the hall.

  And she had almost reached it. Her hand had stretched out for the handle when someone pulled her around.

  She gasped. Hugh was standing right before her, eyes blazing with something she did not understand.

  Beth tried to take a step back and her ankle tapped the wall just as her back met it. Hugh advanced, and as she moved to take a step to the right, toward the door, toward her escape—he placed his hands on the wall on either side of her.

  “Beth,” he growled, eyes fixed on her.

  Her breath was caught in her throat, her mind whirling, and all she could think about was the intensity of his presence. The way his chest was pressed up against her own. The way she could see nothing in the room except his face.

  “Hugh,” she breathed.

  For some reason, the mere mention of his name was enough to make Hugh groan. He dipped his head for a moment, and in that instant, Beth was certain he was going to kiss her—

  Only when he did not did she realize just how much she craved it.

  “Beth, I told you before, I like you,” Hugh said in a low, dark voice.

  “And I said I like you, and—”

  “And when I last stole a kiss from you, I told you I wouldn’t kiss you again until you gave permission,” he continued as Beth’s eyes widened. “I think you want more. Don’t you?”

  Beth hesitated.

  Of course she did. More of Hugh? Like she had craved food, as she had desired rest. The same ache flowed through her body, the same need.

  And yet it was different. There was a warmth in her chest, a strange patter in her heart, a tingle of anticipation rippling over her skin.

  She knew if she did not speak up now, she would regret it. Had she not always wanted an adventure? Was that not one of the reasons, really, that she had come here, to France?

  Not just to find her brother. But to find herself.

  “I…I want you, yes,” Beth said hesitantly, her cheeks aflame but her gaze fixed on Hugh’s. “Oh, it seems so shameful to admit—”

  “Not shameful at all. Brave, I would call it,” Hugh said with a smile.

  His hands were still on either side of hers on the wall and Beth shivered to feel so enclosed by him. If it were anyone else, it would be panic filling her lungs, but this was Hugh. She had never felt in danger with him.

  Except, of course, that she was in very great danger of falling in love with him.

  Beth bit her lip. She was not about to admit that, not to anyone.

  “We are alone here,” Hugh began.

  “We’ve been alone most of the journey,” Beth corrected, lungs tight.

  Her hands were placed against the cool of the wall, but the temptation to splay them across his chest was growing. Slowly, very slowly, Beth removed her hands from the wall and did just that.

  He groaned. She gasped. His heart was racing, perhaps faster than her own.

  What did he want?

  Beth pushed aside the thought. She knew precisely what he wanted from her—and she wished to give it. If only there was a way to prevent any…well. Consequences…

  “I want to show you just how…how deep my regard is for you,” Hugh said quietly. “And I can take precautions.”

  Beth blinked. “Pre…precautions?”

  Hating how her cheeks burned, certain she looked a complete fool, Beth’s hands unconsciously gripped Hugh’s lapels. Holding onto him somehow made this all feel more real.

  “Let me show you how I feel about you,” Hugh murmured, his head dipping again. Beth gasped as he kissed her neck. “Let me, Beth. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”

  Beth’s eyelashes fluttered as she tried to think past the waves of pleasure now rippling down her neck, sparking her whole body into life.

  How could she concentrate when Hugh was doing that? It was tantalizing, the way his hands were not touching her, just pinning her to this part of the wall. Something heady and intoxicating about the way his lips trailed down her neck toward her décolletage.

  And the warmth Beth had not understood in her stomach was pooling between her legs, an ache starting to build there, and she knew what she wanted. The question was, was she brave enough to ask for it?

  “You said before that every duke, every spy I mean, has his price,” Beth said, trying desperately to focus but finding it more difficult with every passing moment. “Is this yours?”

  And Hugh lifted his head immediately, his eyes fierce. “Absolutely not—I would never—Beth, you are the one in control here.”

  She laughed. “I certainly don’t feel it!”

  Control? She had never felt more out of control in her whole life!

  But Hugh’s eyes were serious. “You own me here, Beth. I would never—this is nothing to do with our previous agreement. I will help you find your brother no matter how this evening ends. You are the one in charge here, Beth; you can stop me at any moment. Forbid me to touch you, order me away. If you dare.”

  Beth swallowed. She did not dare. Walking away from Hugh right now would be agony, something she would regret for the rest of her life. No matter what happened, Hugh would never hurt her. He valued her more than that.

  “I-In that case,” Beth said, fingers trembling as they clung onto Hugh’s lapels. “Kiss me, Hugh.”

  With a growl, he leaned down, nose grazing hers. Just before their lips met, he halted.

  Beth whimpered. Oh, so close…

  “Just kiss you, Beth?” Hugh murmured, his breath warm on her lips, making the ache inside even worse. “Because I want far more. I want to love you, love you as a man loves a woman. All the way.”

  “All the way.”

  “Yes, I’m asking—”

  “And I’m answering,” said Beth, hardly knowing how she was being this bold, but knowing she was speaking the truth. “I want you, Hugh. All of you.”

  No more words were possible, and she was relieved, for Hugh had pressed his lips against hers, and it was sweet relief after the tension between them. Tension Beth had hardly known was there, but now that it was over, she wondered how they had managed to pass a single minute together without giving into the temptation.

  Because she loved him. Beth didn’t know when it had happened. Perhaps when he had first kissed her, perhaps when he had rescued that cat, then shared his story. Perhaps when he had protected her, cared for her, made her laugh.

  Perhaps it was all the times put together.

  All she knew was that as she stood here, pinned between the wall and Hugh’s chest pressed up against hers, Beth knew she was precisely where she belonged.

  “Beth,” Hugh moaned.

  His hands left the wall, one cupping her face, the other resting on her waist. Beth’s hands somehow managed to get tangled in his hair, fingers trailing down his nape, pulling him desperately closer.

  Warmth was spreading through her, red-hot heat. Beth wanted more, and she kissed him eagerly, her lips parting as she welcomed him in.

  “Oh God, I’ve wanted this so long,” Hugh muttered, releasing her lips only to kiss just below her ear.

  Beth chuckled as she held him, head tilted back, overcome with pleasure. “How can you, we only met a few weeks ago?”

  “And the instant I saw you, I wanted you,” muttered Hugh. “And each day I’ve grown to know you better, that need has only increased. Damn, Beth…”

  How long they stood there kissing against the wall, Beth did not know. Time had ceased to have any meaning. Not when she was in Hugh’s arms.

  But eventually, he broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. “Christ, Beth. I never know I could feel such—”

  “I know,” she breathed. “I feel it too.”

  They were both panting. Beth wondered if the same exhilaration filling her bones was rushing through him. Was this what it was to be loved? To be craved, so desired that the whole world seemed to be designed for their pleasure?

  Glittering wickedness sparkled in Hugh’s eyes. “I could take you against the wall—”

  “Hugh!”

  “—but I think I would rather have something a little softer for your first time,” he continued with a mischievous chuckle. “Come on. Let’s see what bedchambers they have.”

  He took her hand in his own, so naturally Beth wondered why he hadn’t before.

  And then Hugh was pulling her through the door into the corridor, along the corridor, into the hallway, and up the stairs.

  Beth’s heart thundered in her chest, her breathing short, but it was excitement and not panic that held sway over her throbbing body. Excitement for what they had already shared, and excitement for what was to come.

  The upstairs of the manor they had broken into was cavernous in the dark gloom of the evening. Beth looked around. Every door looked the same.

  “Let’s try this one,” Hugh said, striding forward and pulling her along with him.

  The door looked just the same as all the others from what Beth could see, but somehow, Hugh seemed to know his way about this manor. Perhaps all manors were the same, she thought wildly, though that did not explain—

  “As I thought,” Hugh said, pulling her through the door. “The main bedchamber.”

  And Beth gasped.

  It certainly was. At least, she could not imagine another bedchamber more impressive than this.

  A huge four-poster bed was against the wall. Its hangings appeared, in the low light, to be dark blue velvet. The coverlet on the bed was still there, left as though its owner would return in a matter of moments.

  If they did, they would behold a magnificent room. All the furniture appeared to be gilt gold, there were beautiful landscapes hanging on the walls, and the wallpaper itself appeared to be painted gold and leather. There were elegant ornaments on every surface, a resplendent chaise longue—

  “Stop looking at your surroundings,” came Hugh’s voice with a growl. “And kiss me.”

  Beth happily obliged. It felt bold to be reaching up her lips and kissing a gentleman, but Hugh was no gentleman. In this moment, he was just a man, and she was just a woman. Two people who desired each other, who could no longer resist.

  Desire billowed in Beth’s chest, and as she kissed Hugh, her tongue met his and she shivered at the intensity. This was what she wanted. All she wanted.

  Her hands moved down his chest, carefully unbuttoning—

  “Dear God, Beth,” Hugh moaned.

  Beth immediately halted. Cheeks burning, she stepped back. “I-I am sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  “Do you have any idea how erotic it is, finding a woman who wants me as much as I want her?” Hugh said, his hair mussed and his eyes dancing with desire. “Dear God, it’s more than I could ever have dreamed!”

  Beth smiled, nerves immediately transforming into relief as she stepped back to him, continuing to unbutton his waistcoat.

  She had always presumed a woman’s desire was…unseemly. Unwanted. Unnecessary, at least from the very basic instructions her mother, pink in the face throughout their whole conversation, had given.

  But this was different. Here, they were equals. Two people who both wanted pleasure, and Beth now knew she would not be chastised for showing it.

  Both Hugh’s coat and waistcoat were swiftly dropped to the floor. Only then did Beth realize that while she had been busy disentangling irritatingly complicated buttons—something about kissing made it very hard to concentrate—Hugh had been equally busy.

  Her gown slipped from her shoulders.

  “Hugh!” Beth gasped, but it was too late.

  The ribbons and ties at the back of her gown were entirely undone, and so was she. Her gown fell to the floor, swathes of silk and lace, and there she stood in her undershift, corset, and stays.

  She had expected, when or if she ever found herself in such a situation, to feel embarrassed. But as Beth met Hugh’s eye, she felt nothing but…desired. It was impossible to feel anything else when a man like Hugh was looking at her like that.

  “Oh, Beth, you’re so beautiful,” he moaned.

  Beth smiled nervously. “In that case, you’ll like this even more.”

  How her fingers managed to remove her undershift, leaving her in just corset and stays, she had no idea—but the effort was well worth it.

  Hugh’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he pulled off his boots and started scrabbling at the buttons of his breeches. “Go and lie on the bed, Beth—before I put you there.”

  Though a thrill rushed through her at the idea of being put there by Hugh, Beth stepped over to the bed.

  It really was huge. Heart in her mouth, warmth growing between her legs, Beth clambered onto the bed and lay on her back, hearing the rustle of fabric.

  Then she gasped.

  “Beth,” Hugh breathed, climbing onto the bed with her.

  He was utterly naked. Beth’s eyes were dragged to the one part of a man she knew she absolutely should not be looking at, but if not now, when would she ever get the chance?

  His manhood stood ready for her, enclosed in something.