Damsel in Distress? (22 page)

Through the crowd of people gathered to see her indignity, a hand reached for hers. “Need help, my lady?” She might not be able to see straight, but she could see the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on.
My God, he looked like Ryan Gosling in ‘The Notebook’
. Oh she hoped it wasn’t him. She had a rule against dating celebrities.

He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His eyes crinkled as he smiled down at her and the slight dimple in his right cheek stole the breath from her lungs. The fact that the hand held out to her belonged to him was a dream come true and she grasped hold of it firmly. As soon as she made contact with his skin awareness shot up her arm and forced a gasp from her lips.

The mystery man helped her up and tried to straighten her skirts by running his hands up and down her body. Desire flowed through her along the same path as his hands. All she could do was stare longingly up at his mouth, and her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly very dry lips. More gasps sounded around them, jerking her back into reality. She looked around her before grabbing hold of the man’s hand and she pulled him along behind her through the crowd, away from the gaping mouths and the shocked faces. She led him to an alcove, cleverly hidden behind a couple of pillars and a partly closed drape.

Grace pushed the drape aside so they could enter and turned to face the man she had just dragged through the ballroom. What the hell had she done? She had been so consumed with getting away from the incensed looks that she didn’t even think of what the poor man must think of her. Ha! As if he was poor! He oozed money and privilege; his clothes, although a costume, were obviously of the highest quality and were tailored to suit his body. Actually, they fitted him like a glove. She couldn’t stop herself from running her eyes up and down every glorious inch of him and mentally peeling his perfect clothes off his body.

She often rubbed shoulders with these types of people through her work but she never
looked
at them. She hadn’t looked at any man for three years. She didn’t have the time or the inclination. But right now, with her brain fuzzy and the room slightly off its axis, she couldn’t think of the reason why she never looked and why she definitely never touched. There was only one thing she could think of as she gazed up at this gorgeous man in this closed-off corner; it was as though they were all alone in the world. Even with the sound of the ball surrounding them, they were in a cocoon. What the hell, she would be gone in the morning and no one would ever know.

She stepped closer and grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into her lips. He jerked with the initial shock and then relaxed completely into Grace’s overheated body. He grabbed her hips and hauled her body closer, pressing himself to her heat. He took her over, consuming her until she was at the point where she tried to crawl into him. Grace could feel his erection against her belly as she hiked her leg up to wrap around his thigh. One of his hands grabbed her ass and pulled her tighter to him still. The other made its way up her skirt. Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed handfuls of his hair. Moans were forced from her lips as they embarked on a dance entirely different to any the ball was intended to provoke.

Whatever he had been expecting when he followed her into the alcove it was not this! He waited for her to say something once they arrived, but no words had come from her lips. But when she stepped towards him with a look in her eyes that he recognised but was surprised to see in a ballroom, he couldn’t believe his luck. This little woman was just what he needed before he tied himself to ball and chain. The girl’s lips melted into his and opened willingly to his tongue. She had kissed before, he was sure of that, as he ran his hands up and down her body, pressing her closer to him. She did not shy away; instead she pushed her body further against him and tried to get closer. No innocent would behave thus. She
must
have kissed before!

Blood roared in his ears as his whole body throbbed with need. The woman hiked her leg up onto his waist and his fingers involuntarily found the hem of her dress and slid up her smooth leg. His lips trailed kisses along her jawline to just under her ear so he could taste her intoxicating skin. The hand under her skirt slid past her knee and closer to her heat. He felt her tongue slide against his ear and shivers cascaded through his body. He heard an outraged gasp. It took a moment to realise that the sound did not come from the lady in his arms but from the entrance to their hiding spot. Jasper jerked his lips away from her sweet silky neck so fast that he gave himself whiplash swinging his head towards the opening in the drape and to the woman who stood there with her mouth hanging open.

Mrs Hillary Barrett watched with interest as a little raven-haired woman pulled Lord Bingham from the spectators. She wondered who the young lady was that made such a commotion. Her friends would dine out on this gossip for a week; she had never seen him follow any female willingly anywhere, besides his sister of course.

Hillary followed them closely, watching as the couple disappeared behind the pillar. She looked over her shoulder to see if any of her cronies had spotted this little rendezvous. Seeing all her lady friends were still discussing the spectacle the young woman had made, she rubbed her hands together with glee. She may just find the scandal of the year! This may be even better than seeing the young woman with her skirts around her ears. She rounded the corner into the alcove and stopped as a gasp was torn from her lips. This was even better than she thought!

Jasper wrenched his mouth away from the vixen and turned to see the one and only Mrs Hillary Barrett, the
ton
’s biggest gossip, staring at him with outraged shock.

“Lord Bingham! What on earth do you think you are doing with that young lady?”

Jasper looked down at the beauty in his arms. Her body was plastered against his, her glossy hair spilling down his left arm. Somewhere along the way her hairpins had fallen out. Her heaving breasts pressed to his chest, her clothes were slightly askew and her leg was still wrapped tightly around his thigh as though she was trying to climb him. He belatedly realised one of his hands was on her backside, pulling her closer to him, and his other hand was up her skirt just shy of her heat. He let go and dropped her like a hot poker. He turned to face his adversary, shoving the unknown woman behind him to keep her from Mrs Barrett’s prying eyes.

“Forgive me, I was just getting myself acquainted with my new fiancée, Mrs Barrett. I was just so happy with her answer I seem to have got carried away in the happy moment. If you would be so kind as to give us a minute, I would be happy to introduce you to my bride-to-be as soon as we have put ourselves to rights.” He smiled so sweetly that she blushed.

“Of course, my dear, I would be the last one to deny a new couple their happy moment.” She turned and ducked out of the alcove.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” the woman he was just making love to said once the curtain twitched back to its resting place. “I can’t believe she just barged in like that.”

Oh God, she was American, his sister was going to love this. “I can’t believe I fell for this. No one else has ever managed to do it, but you got me.” He turned towards the dishevelled beauty who was frantically trying to fix her dress. No matter what she did, it still kept gaping in the front, showing off the creamy tops of her breasts. He stared as her nipples played peek-a-boo with the lace of her bodice.

“What? What do you mean, I got you? Do you think someone put me up to this as a joke?” She looked up in disbelief from her ruined dress. “It’s terribly embarrassing getting caught kissing someone in the corner, but I assure you it was no practical joke.” Exasperated, she threw her hands down. “I can’t fix this blasted dress! Now what am I going to do? I can’t go back out there looking like this, not tonight.”

“Here, let me,” and, with experienced hands, he adjusted her dress so her breasts were no longer in danger of falling out. Jesus, it was hard to concentrate with this woman around. How in the hell was he going to get out of the mess she created? “This certainly is
not
a joke!” He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair. “I now must do the honourable thing…and to the wrong woman too! God damn it, what a mess. Where is your father? I must speak to him immediately.”

“My dad is dead. Did you just tell that lady I’m your fiancée?” Her beautiful mouth dropped open and then broke into a smile as she finally registered what he had said earlier. “Fast thinking, but are you crazy? At least that old lady won’t be too worried now, will she? But you don’t even know me, I could be some psycho for all you know.”

Jasper scrubbed his face with his hands and thought maybe
he
was the crazy one. He should just walk away from this fortune-hunter and leave her to the wolves. Who cared about her reputation? It was all but ruined from her display earlier anyway; his reputation would survive, men got away with so much more. But looking down at the confusion evident in her eyes, he couldn’t just leave her there. Besides, if he was honest with himself, she was not the only one to blame in this predicament. He suspected he couldn’t walk away from the passion he still felt for her. His hands still tingled where he had accidently brushed against the warm skin of her breast while he was setting her dress to rights, for God’s sake. How could he walk away from that? His passion for her was immediate and so intense he, for the first time ever, had forgotten where he was and what the consequences would be if he was caught. And caught he was.

“Do you have a brother I could speak to then?”

“No. My whole family died in a car accident three years ago.”

“Car accident? Oh, you mean carriage. I’m so sorry to hear that. You have my deepest condolences.” He could relate to losing loved ones and he didn’t wish that emptiness on anyone.

“They crashed on the interstate just before Christmas, three years ago. The road was covered in ice.” Tears welled up in her eyes and he could read the terror on her face as she relived it.

A strange protectiveness washed over him as he watched the sadness spread across her face. He couldn’t help but step forward and pull her into his arms. “You have no family, but all is well now, you have me. I’ll look after you, don’t worry. Stay here, I will go and find my sister.” He gently kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back,” and then he ducked from the alcove.

Jasper pushed his way through the crowd, trying to locate his sister Victoria. She was his voice of reason whenever he did something rash. He hadn’t gone to her for quite some time; he thought he was all grown up and could look after himself. How wrong he was. If there ever was a need for her advice, now was it. Heat from his sudden desire stilled pulsed through his veins. The protectiveness he felt towards the mystery woman overwhelmed his senses until he couldn’t think properly. He hadn’t even asked her name before he left her there.

“Damn.” Several outraged gasps rose from the group of ladies next to where he came to an abrupt stop. “I do beg your pardon.” He nodded in the ladies’ direction, turned around and went back the way he had come. He shouldn’t have left her there all by herself. Busybody Barrett would have cornered her by now.

“Ah, Lord Bingham, a word if you please.” It was the father of Lady Anne, the woman he was supposed to marry; Richard Higgins, Earl of Alderton.

“Oh. Ah, umm, Lord Alderton, about our appointment tomorrow, umm, something’s come up. I won’t be able to make it.” Jasper stumbled with an excuse to un-ask the man’s daughter for her hand. Thank God he hadn’t
actually
asked her yet.

“Oh, my boy, I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Jasper choked on a cough. “No, my lord, nothing I can’t handle. But speaking of which, sir, I must run.”

Before Jasper could escape however, Lord Alderton caught his arm. “Oh none of that ‘sir’ stuff, my boy. Call me Dick; we’re practically family now, aren’t we?” Lord Alderton winked and slapped him on the back affectionately.

Damnation!
. “Ah, I really must go now, Alderton…Dick.” Jasper quickly turned and lost himself in the crowd before he could dig himself into an even bigger hole than he already found himself in.

“Jasper.” He stopped when a hand touched his arm and he heard a voice he recognised. “What is going on? What’s this about you going off with some girl?”

Jasper let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness it’s you. I need your help, Victoria.”

***

Grace closed her eyes, took a deep calming breath and counted to three as she exhaled. When she opened her eyes a figure came around the pillar, but it wasn’t who she was expecting. It was Mrs Hillary Barrett.

“So you are the gel that has snared him at last, are you?” the nasty old lady blurted as soon as the curtain fell back in place.

Grace’s hackles rose. “I don’t know what you mean. All we were doing was kissing.” As if it was any of her business anyway, the old battle-axe.

The older woman sucked in her breath. “You’re American? It’s just like you upstarts to come over here and steal our men.” She made it sound like Grace had the pox or something.

“Excuse me? You have no right to insult me or my country. You probably haven’t even been there, so what would you know what we Americans are like? Besides, it’s none of your business anyway.” Where was that guy, it was just like a man to keep her waiting here by herself. Was he even coming back? “I’m sorry, but I have to be going now.” She pushed past the strange old lady with her head held high and into the overcrowded ballroom. Enough of this nonsense, she had to get back to work.

Grace wandered around the ballroom trying to locate the rest of her team, but without her headset she couldn’t hope to locate them in this crowd. She looked at her phone and saw that it was 12:30 a.m., January 2014, a half hour since the lights went out and she hit her head…and dragged a man into a corner to have her wicked little way with him. A giggle escaped her lips. What had come over her? She would never behave like this on a normal night.