Secrets Of A Duchess. Kaitlin O'Riley

think that I’m not married already?” he asked, his eyes lingering on hers.

      “You don’t act as if you are married.”

      “And just how does a married man act?”

      “I’m not sure exactly”—she regarded him carefully—“but I have the distinct feeling that they don’t act the way you do. I have the impression you’re hiding.”

      “Now what would I possibly be hiding from?” he asked with a charming grin, which caused her heart to skip a beat again.

      “Most likely you are hiding out here to avoid the husband-hungry ladies and their mothers in the ballroom.” Glancing up at those dangerous eyes, she thought he certainly was handsome enough to have all those women falling at his feet.

      “You are absolutely right, Miss Armstrong,” he conceded easily. “I am only in attendance tonight to fulfill a promise. I’m out here because I am most definitely trying to avoid the ladies in the ballroom.” After a moment, he added, “Now we know each other’s secrets.”

      Idly running her fingers along the cool marble railing, she whispered, “It seems we do.”

      “So here we are, the pair of us, out here hiding in the dark. Two people who don’t wish to marry”—he gave a sly wink—“anyone in that ballroom.”

      Exasperated, she shook her head slightly and grinned at him. “You won’t give my secret away will you, Mr. Woodward?”

      “If you promise to call me Alex and I can call you…Caroline, was it?”

      “Caroline,” she repeated.

      “Well, Caroline, since we know some secrets about each other, we should be on a first-name basis, don’t you think?”

      “I think, Alex, that we have a deal then,” she agreed with a teasing smile, looking up at him. He reached for her, gently taking hold of both her small hands. She let out a little gasp of surprise, but she did not pull away.

      Tiny tingling sensations began to build inside her as his hands held hers. Oh, she definitely should have left her gloves on! For now she could feel his warm skin and his strong yet soft fingers that held her gently but with a firm pressure. It was difficult to breathe because her heart was beating so rapidly. She had the oddest feeling that something very special was happening. She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, those dark eyes, and had the sensation that she was suddenly falling off a very, very steep cliff.

      His voice was a whisper. “Shall we seal our secrets with a kiss?”

      CHAPTER 2

      Without a second’s hesitation, he pulled her closer, lowering his mouth over hers. When his lips touched hers, Caroline felt a shock go through her entire body, as if someone poured liquid fire directly into her veins. His lips were hot, searing. They moved deliberately, purposefully, intently over hers. He tasted faintly of some spice she couldn’t name. She was unable to breathe and was overwhelmed by him, yet did not want the feeling to end. There was a tingling and a tightening sensation deep down in her stomach. Her mouth opened of its own volition, and he seductively slipped his tongue inside. She accepted him readily, savoring the taste of him, maneuvering her tongue to meet his. Slick. Warm. Swirling. Amazing. This was no hurried kiss. He was taking his time with her.

      His hands, having released hers, slowly, deliberately slid up the length of her bare arms and shoulders, softly caressing her warm skin. Like a whisper, his fingers paused at the back of her neck, stroking, barely touching the sensitive area. She trembled in response to the feel of his hands on her body, her neck, her skin. Then his hands moved leisurely down her spine, pressing her body full against his. Her arms, which had been hanging motionless at her side, suddenly found the will to reach up and encircle him, drawing him nearer to her.

      Caroline knew it was highly improper for this man to kiss her. She should not even be out here alone with him at all, let alone confiding her deepest secrets in him, laughing with him, allowing him to hold her hands so intimately. Her grandmother would be scandalized at the very thought of Caroline in the dark with this man. A stranger, no less! With the exception of his name and that he did not want to get married, she knew nothing else about him. She knew only that she responded to this man on some level. That she could trust him somehow. He would keep her secret safe.

      The thought that her behavior was scandalous vaguely entered her mind as his kiss deepened in intensity, causing that thought to flutter away much like a feather in a puff of a breeze. She couldn’t seem to keep a coherent thought in her head at all. She could do nothing except kiss him back. And feel: his lips, his tongue, his hands, his heat. Alexander. His name tumbled over and over in her mind. Alex, Alex, Alex.

      Pressing herself closer against his chest, her hands traveled behind his head, hesitantly touching his thick, dark hair. A slight moan of pleasure escaped his mouth, and he pulled her tighter, causing her to melt completely against him, her breasts crushing against his chest. Temptation and desire coursed through her. She was dizzy with it. Almost drunk with it. His body was strong and hard, yet she was enveloped in the incredible warmth and softness of him. Lost. She was completely and utterly lost in this man’s embrace. She didn’t care if she was never found.

      Abruptly Alex pushed her away from him.

      Feeling somewhat dazed, as if she were waking from a dream, she reluctantly opened her eyes to see him staring at her intently. He was breathing as hard as she was, and their eyes locked together. Too stunned by their powerful reaction to each other to speak, they simply gazed into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity, trying to catch their breaths and make some sense out of what had just happened. He reached for her hands again and held them tightly in his own.

      Smiling faintly at him, Caroline struggled to breathe. She felt hot and shaky, not at all herself. The desire to have him kiss her like that again ran rampant in her veins and left her trembling and without the ability to speak. To say something. Anything. Instead of standing there willing him with her eyes to kiss her again. Gazing up at him, she knew he knew exactly what she wanted from him. She should be embarrassed to the tips of her toes, but for some inexplicable reason she was not embarrassed at all.

      They were still staring at each other, not saying a word, when a young man and woman, whispering and giggling together, stumbled out onto the balcony, interrupting their little reverie. Caroline barely noticed them, but Alex quickly dropped her hands.

      “Oh, excuse us, Your Grace. We didn’t mean to disturb you,” the young man apologized nervously, as the red-haired girl he was with stared at them with wide eyes, both of them suddenly subdued.

      Alex flashed them a friendly smile. “It’s quite all right. We were just going inside. Good evening.”

      He quickly guided Caroline through the French doors and back into the house. In the candlelit hallway, he placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead. “Please forgive my behavior. I shouldn’t have taken such liberties with you,” he apologized, but his eyes said he had no regrets.

      She merely blinked at him.

      “Well, Caroline, it seems our secrets are well sealed and quite safe now.”

      “I’m not sure the etiquette book would approve of this…” she murmured.

      He grinned ruefully. “No doubt you are quite right. You had better return to the ballroom. Although I must say that I enjoyed our little…conversation…immensely.”

      “Yes…thank you very much.” Did I just thank him for kissing me? Caroline thought she was losing her mind completely. “I’m sure my grandmother must be wondering where I am by now,” she managed to whisper, as she quickly turned and made her way on shaky legs down the dimly lit corridor.

      Somehow, she found an unoccupied alcove, partitioned with heavy velvet drapes, in which to sit for a moment. Her breathing still had not slowed, and her head was spinning wildly with thoughts and feelings she didn’t know she possessed. Feeling strangely giddy and bubbly, she was amazed at her brazen behavior. She had a sinking