A Gentleman's Promise (9 page)

He
tried to
pull her into his arms
,
but
Charlotte pushed him away. “Don’t touch me. Tell me why you didn’t say anything
?
”

“Because I knew you’d react this way. Innocent or not, my actions with your cousin seem heartless. It was not my intention.”

The thought of Mason
with Rose turned Charlotte’s stomach and made her tremble with jealousy. “Did you kiss her?”

He paused. “No.”

The
quiver
in his voice gave him away. “You lie.” Charlotte clasped her stomach and swallowed. Hard. “How could you lead her on so
,
then come to London and seek me out
as you did
. Kiss me, make love to me?”

“When I realized her attachment to me was beyond that of a friend, I left. I suppose I panicked. I know I should have stayed and let her down in the nicest way possible, but I didn’t. Men kiss debutantes all the time, Charlotte, not all the mamas make them marry
.
”

Charlotte scoffed. “You’re a cad and I’m a whore. What am I doing?”

She pushed him away again when he went to pull her into his arms. “What we’re doing is wrong and we need to stop. I’m married and you need
a wife
at some p
oint.” She sighed and met his
troubled gaze. “Just the thought of you and Rose together made
me insanely jealous. I can’t
stand it.
But I
can’t help it
, don’t you see
?
You may not marry her
,
but you will marry someone, and what we’re doing is only going to make it harder for me to let you go.”

“Then don’t let me go. I have a younger brother, Charlotte. He can produce the heirs for my family.”

She shook her head. “If only it were that easy.” Charlotte walked up to him and kissed his cheek, taking the opportunity to breathe in his delicious scent of sandalwood and something else, something exotic
,
one last time. “I know you want what’s best for me
,
but my marriag
e mistake is
the
burden
I must
bear.
Please leave me alone and go on with your life. I really do wish you well.”

He stepped away from her and immediately she felt the loss of his heat. A lifetime loomed ahead of her, cold and bereft of any love, children,
and solace
.

“I will do as you wish but only because you’ve asked this of me. But let this be known
, Charlotte. I neither agree nor
want to. This decision of yours is yet another mistake made by you.”

She gasped. “How can you say that to me?”

“Because it is true.” He
strode back to the door and paused before opening it. “I love you,” he said
,
before taking his leave.

Charlotte slumped against the balustrade and tried to push down the severing pain tearing through her c
hest. “I love you too,” she whispered
, to nothing but
the
warm
night
air.

Mason stormed through the guests at
the masquerade
and didn’t bother hiding his thunderous gaze.
He entered the card room and found George sitting alone while he watched others around him play cards. Mason slumped into a vacant chair and summoned a footman for a
brandy
.

“Problem?” George drawled, smirking.

Mason cursed. “One of my own making. Damn it.”
He took the glass offered to him and drank it down
without pause.
“Charlotte’s
… I think I’ve ruined everything
.”

“Really? What did you do?”

“Why is it,” Mason said, summoning the footman for another drink, “that women jump to conclusions that are inaccurate and then, will refuse to hear what you have to say.”

George laughed. “You’re asking the wrong
man
. I have no idea.”

Mason took a calming breath and sat back in his chair. The brandy helped to cool his ire but Charlotte’s words stung. That he’d fallen in love with her didn’t help. With any other lady he’d have walked away without a backward glance a
t
such an
accusation
from a married woman. But with Charlotte he couldn’t. He cared for her. Her opinion mattered to him. That she thought him a cad who used debutantes and moved on to married women at will hurt. He shook his head.

“Miss Lancer’s in town,” Mason said not looking at George. The last thing he needed to see was his
best
friends knowing smile.

“I see.”

“I’m not sure of Miss Lancer
’
s exact words to Charlotte but I was accused of using Miss Lancer
for my own amusement in Bath. She even asked me if I’d kissed the girl.”

“Had you,” George asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“I always wondered.”

Mason ground his teeth. “I wouldn’t call it a kiss. We were at a ball and she was upset over something trivial. I strolled with her about the pump room before I kissed her hand on departing. The way Charlotte
was speaking,
anyone would
have thought ‘d
that I lifted Miss Lancer’s skirts and t
a
k
en
her
there and then.”

George frowned. “You did seem to take to the girl more than any other in Bath. Even you knew her attachment to you was growing.”

Mason ran a hand through his hair. “I know
,
damn it. And I should have been more circumspect
in
my interaction
s
with
her
. I made a mistake.”

“And one I doubt Lady
Remmick
would be willing to forgive. You need to apologize and speak to Miss Lancer. Tell her that you’re sorry but your affections lay elsewhere.
And then speak to Lady
Remmick
and grovel at her silk slippers until she’s inclined to forgive you as well.
”

“When did you
become
so knowledgeable?” Mason said, meeting his friends gaze for the first time.

“It’s not something I like people to know, unless the need arises from a close friend.”

Mason laughed. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You apology hasn’t been forgiven,” George said.

Mason cringed and wondered just how he was to win Charlotte back and gain her forgiveness for a sin
he
never actually committed.

Chapter
Eleven

A week later
,
Charlotte sat a circular table at Lady Bates
’
garden party and tried to keep her attention on the conversati
on going on around her. Yet, no
matter h
ow much she tried, the fact
that
Lord Helsing
was present and right at this moment deep in conversation with Rose at a
nother table
,
made it impossible to do so.

“If you keep looking over at them
,
he’ll know you’re wondering what they’re talking about.”

Charlotte took a sip of tea and raised her brow at Amelia. “I am wondering what they’re talking about.” She sighed. “I know.
There is no hope for me.
”

Amelia laughed. “
Yes there
is
. But your fixation is creating a little attention. Although I do believe they think your
staring is due to the fact Lord
Helsing is only days away from proposing to the girl.”

Charlotte clenched her jaw
at the thought of Rose and Mason
married. Not that she didn’t wish the very best
for her dearest cousin and his lordship
was certainly that, but because her life would continue on as before. With bouts of serenity followed b
y episodes of fear.

She heard laugher and clin
king glasses and spied James flirting
with some elderly matrons of the ton. He could certainly charm the ladies when he wished too. Pity he couldn’t control his anger as well.

“I wrote to my father yesterday about James.”

Amelia clasped her hand
and smiled
. “I’m glad you did. What do you think he’ll
do?
”

Charlotte shrugged. “I’m not sure he can do
anything. James is the one who’ll
have to initiate a divorce by
catching me with another man. He’ll never do it even if he had
found out about me and Lord Helsing
.”

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte. I wish I could help in some way.”

She smiled. “You do help by
listening
when I need someone to talk to. Like now for instance,” Charlotte paused. “I’m going to ask James to
depart for our country estate.
I know he’ll probably say no but if he does
n’t
then I’m going
to
leave
instead. I’ll not let him hurt me anymore
.”

“
Under the circumstances I think this is a wise decision for you.
” Amelia cleared her throat. “Rose is coming–”

Charlotte looked up and the breath in her lu
ngs hitched at the sight of Mason
standing beside her cousin. His masculinity all but oozed from his attire and his casual elegance made her ache in all the naughty places on her body. She shifted on her chai
r and refused to react to his
knowing grin.

“Lady
Remmick
,” he drawled, picking up her hand and kissing it lightly.

Charlotte felt
her mouth open before she realiz
ed what she was doing
and closed it again
. “Lord
Helsing,” she managed to say without sounding breathless like she felt. “Are you enjoying
the
garden party?”

“I am. The temptations she has on offer this afternoon positively make my mouth water.”

Charlotte heard Amelia giggle and heat suffused her face. “Ye
s the cakes are very nice
.
”
Mason
smiled and she knew he was laughing at her. She narrowed her eyes.

“Is it alright if I go and speak to Jane Carter,
Charlotte?
She’s just arrived.”

Charlotte nodded
to Rose b
ut didn’t take her eyes off Mason
. “O
f course.” She started when
Mason
sat beside her. Again
,
she was tempted by his very essence and she cursed herself
for being a
woman without willpower.

“Please, take a seat.
”
Sarcasm all but dripped
from her tone.

Lord Helsing
watched her, his gaze intense and a shiver ran down her spine. Charlotte absently heard Amelia excuse herself and before she could join her friend, she felt a finger slide against her knee.

Charlotte shut her eyes for a moment and reveled in the
contact before she pushed his
hand away. “Don’t.”

“When can I see you again?”

Tension coiled inside the pit of her stomach and she almost moaned at
the tho
ught of being with him just one
more
time
. Of having his lips on her
s
.
All over her, in fact.

“You are seeing me,” she said, laughing to hide her unease.

Mason
leaned toward her. “I want to hear your voice rasp against my ear as I make
love to you,
” he said, his breath
but
a whisper against her cheek.

Charlotte turned
her attention to the other guests
and realized with dismay the ladies once sitting at her table were no longer there.
Cursing and thanking them for the small
tidbit of privacy she met Mason’s
burning
gaze
and shook her head
. “
No.”

His finger ran along her
arm
and she shivered.

“Yes,” he said. “There is a room two doors up from the conservatory. Meet me there in half an hour or so. Please
, we need to talk
.”

Charlotte squeezed her legs together as the temptation to be with him made it hard
to remain immune.
Mason
stood and left
before strolling about the lawns
,
talking to other guests at the party.

She took note of where Rose was and smiled as she watched a young
gentleman
amicably talk to her, his
hands gesturing wildly with some
tale.

Should she join
him? The temptation to do so was
beyond anything s
he’d ever known before. And Mason
knew it. He knew what to say and do to her to make her crave
him;
want him, as desperately as she sensed he wanted her.
And what did he have to say?

Seductive
f
iend.

Charlotte stood and noted Lord Helsing
watching her from across the lawn. She walked over to Amelia and let her know
where she was going
before heading toward the house. Excitement thrummed through her veins and a sm
ile quirked her lips. Poor, Mason
. After she’d finished with him today
,
he’d never try and seduce her before the ton. Never again.

Mason
watched Charlotte casually stroll toward Lady Bates
’
grand London home and his body tightened painfully. The unconscious sway of her hips pounded his blood directly to his groin and all he wished to do was clasp her delicate body hard against his and have her in any way possible.

He took note of Lord
Remmick
’s whereabouts and noted with distaste the gentleman’s attempt at flattery and polite
behavior
. The bastard
didn’t
know the meaning of either word and he doubted if he ever would.

Mason
walked toward a footman and taking a glass of champagne started to stroll toward the house. He entered off the terrace and headed toward the conservatory. The house was quiet and inside
one could barely hear the party taking place out on the lawns.

Walking past the conservatory the smell of exotic plants and fruits wafted across his senses before he entered the room further on that he sought. Charlotte l
ounged on
a chaise lo
ngu
e, her elegance of ease sending a frisso
n
of uncertainty to course through him.

“Lord
Helsing.
”
S
he smil
ed and his gut clenched.

“My lady,” he
replied,
snipping the lock on the door behind him.

“I would like to get a few things clear before we go any further. What is about to happen between us does not change what I said to you a week past at Lord Wilson’s ball. Our liaison must end and you must marry. Is that
understood?
”

Mason
ground his teeth but nodded. “I understand
that
as long as you
know
I’ll always
care for
you.
I also wish to clear up your confusion about Miss Lancer. I never seduced or kissed her. I always acted with the most gentlemanly behavior around your cousin. Today I
apologized not
having realized that
she’
d read more into our association
than
I had intended
. She has forgiven me.
”

“
Really?
”
She smiled and
his gut clenched. “
Y
ou never kissed her?”

“No,” he replied walking toward her. “It’s not Miss Lancer I want.”

Charlotte held up her hand and he stopped. “I’d like to try something that I saw in
a
book once.
You must
allow me my way or I won’t forgive you either.”

Mason grinned.
“What do you wish to do
to me
, my
lady?
” All sorts of erotic thoughts
began
racing through his mind.

“Come and sit on the day bed
.”

Mason
did as she bid and watched as Charlotte kne
lt
before him. The breath in his lungs hitched when she slid her hand up his thigh, his body wholly focused on what she was doing
.

“I’ve
been fascinated
ever
since I overheard some women talking
as to whether
a man could be pleasured in such a way. I searched out some books of James’ and it seems to be true.
” She unclasped his frontfalls and
Mason
shifted in his seat.
H
e moaned when she ran a finger down
his length.
“It is true, my lady,” he managed.

“I
enjoy your tongue against me. Love how
wantonly you
make me feel when I’m against your mouth.
”

“I’m more than willing to show you again, my dear.” And he would if she’d allow it. Nothing in this world would please him more than to make Charlotte happy.
He stilled when she kissed the end of his cock, her sweet, tongue tasting the very essence of him.

“It’s my turn to make you moan, my lord.”

Mason
clenched his jaw
,
lest he follow through on his urge to thrust
between her
sweet
lips.
Dear God, how was he to get through this exquisite torture she had
concocted
for him. A quick learner, she licked down his length the
n
took him wholly into her mouth. Heat and the lightest suction made his balls ache.
“Charlotte.”

She threw him a wicked smile and then continued her ministrations.
Mason
shut his eyes and prayed he had the stamina to last longer than he thought possible at this point. Her innocent loving of his member, her sweet sighs and moans as she tasted and enjoyed her attention to him
near
unmanned
him.

Tension coiled inside as she relentlessly took his full length. Her goal to make him come
,
unfortunately all too close. “Charlotte, come away. You’ll make me–”

“I want you too.
”
S
he
glided
her hand up and down his length
and he swallowed. Hard
. “In my
mouth. I want to taste you
.”

Mason
watched as she continued to love him. He wanted to run his hands into her hair, hold her against him and fuck her mouth, but he could not. Instead, he saved the fantasy for another time and
alternatively grabbed the daybed for support
.