Page 30 of His Sinful Touch

She had her hand tucked in his elbow, and he matched his longer stride to hers, separated by mere inches. She was close enough that her perfume tickled at his senses, making it difficult to think. The thought of her dabbing on perfume to go break into a house was absurd, but he was glad she had done so, even as distracting as it was.

It was not far from Broughton House to their goal, and he saw it now in the block ahead. “There it is.” He kept his voice low. “It’s in the next block, the second house on the opposite side of the street to us.”

“The white house with black shutters?”

“Yes, that’s it.” He waited for some sign of recognition from Sabrina, but there was nothing, even in the emotional presence of her that lay quietly in the back of his brain. He had sensed a hum of excitement in her from the moment they left the house—it was beginning to feel normal to be so aware of her—but it heightened only slightly in anticipation when she saw the house. He had the disappointing suspicion it was not her home.

They walked past the house and turned up the small walkway between it and the next home. Alex had picked up a lantern from the gardener’s shed in back of their house, but he had not lit it, the glow from the streetlights being adequate. But as they walked into the inky passageway, he stopped to light the lantern, shutting down all the sides except one, which he kept only partly up. It was just enough to cast a glow in front of their feet and keep them from stumbling.

“What if someone sees us?” Sabrina whispered.

Alex glanced over at the neighboring house. “I doubt they will. No lights in the rooms upstairs. I imagine the servants are too busy to look out here. But if they do, well, we’ll just have to brazen it out.”

“You can brazen out forcing a lock?”

“I imagine so. If not, I suppose we’ll have to run for it.” The prospect of excitement was beginning to fizz in his blood like champagne. It had been a good while, he reflected, since he’d had an adventure. He grinned down at her upturned face. “Don’t worry. If it comes to that, I’ll just have to knock him out.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened a little. Alex had to fight an urge to lean down and kiss her.

They reached the door at the far end of the house and Alex set down the lantern, lifting the shield a little to cast more light on the lock. Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled out a small leather case and took a couple of slender metal tools. He went down on one knee and slipped the wires into the keyhole. Sabrina stood behind him, her skirts hopefully blocking the dim light from the street.

He had just heard the sweet click of the lock turning when Rufus, patiently waiting, suddenly made a low noise deep in his throat. Alex dropped the shield on the lantern, concealing the light, and at the same time stuffed the tools into a pocket. He sprang to his feet, turning to look down the walkway.

A sturdy figure came into view, the hat on his head identifying him as a bobby. He was strolling along with an air of unconcern, no doubt walking his nightly route. Still, at any moment, he might look this way. Quickly Alex wrapped his arms around Sabrina, pulling her in close against him and burying his face in her neck to conceal the telltale paleness. “Shh. A bobby.”

They waited, listening to the sounds of the man’s footsteps. Alex was intensely aware of Sabrina’s body in his arms, her heat and softness, the tantalizing scent of her perfume filling his nostrils. Her breathing was rapid, her breasts pressed against him. The danger of their position seemingly only added to the enticement, heightening every sensation, every emotion.

As the bobby’s footsteps faded into the distance, they remained as they were, arms still clamped around each other. Alex lifted his head and looked down into her face. She was gazing back at him, the hood falling back a little on her head to frame her face perfectly. Her eyes were soft and dark, unreadable in the dim light. Alex stood for a long moment, thinking of all the obstacles and cautions that separated them, the many reasons he should let her go.

He bent and kissed her.

Her lips yielded to him, more than yielded—she answered back, her mouth hot and eager. Her arms went around his neck, and she pressed up against him, her lips clinging as hungrily as his. Her kiss was heady, intoxicating, shattering his composure and sending all his careful thoughts into oblivion. All he could think was how much he wanted her, how good it was to taste her, how much more he could feel.

He slid a hand beneath her cloak, finding and caressing the soft mounds of her breasts. She made a soft noise of surprise against his mouth, followed by a far more sensual moan. When his mouth left hers to explore her throat, she sagged against his arm, turning her head to expose her throat to his kisses.

“Here, now, what’s going on?” A man’s loud voice cut through the haze of their passion, and they sprang apart, turning toward the man standing a few feet from them in the open doorway of the house next door. Light spilled out of the room behind him, silhouetting him and making it impossible to read his face, but his voice marked him as a servant of the house rather than the master. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“Stay here,” Alex murmured and strolled forward, pitching his voice toward the other man. “I don’t see that it’s any of your concern.” His voice fairly dripped with hauteur. Carefully he stopped outside the light from the doorway; it would not do his pose of aristocrat any good if the man saw Alex’s attire.

“It is if you’re robbing that house,” the other man retorted, though his voice lacked a good deal of its former conviction.

“Well, it is my house now, so I’ll thank you to go back inside and let me get on with viewing it. What is your name? Who is your employer?” Alex disdainfully looked the smaller man up and down. “Is he aware that you have the habit of accosting his neighbors?”

“I... Uh, what?” The man goggled at him, his face now filled with uncertainty, and he slid back a step. “No! I mean, beg your pardon, sir, but I thought you was, you know, a thief. No one lives there.”

“Well, as you can see, I am not. And my friend...” His voice changed on the word, infusing it with a smug innuendo, as he glanced back at Sabrina’s obviously feminine shape. “Mrs. Blackwell will be living here now. You will doubtless find she is a most...retiring neighbor, and I am sure you will treat her with the utmost respect.” His voice hardened on the last statement and, giving the man a short, sharp nod, he swung around and walked back to Sabrina. In a softer voice, yet one that still carried clearly to the man behind them, he said to her, “Don’t worry, luv, he won’t bother you. No one crosses the Viscount Chumley. Now...where is that blasted lantern?”

Ignoring her astonished expression, he bent down and raised the shield on the lantern so that it shed more light on the situation without really illuminating their faces. Hoping he hadn’t been wrong about hearing the lock turn earlier, he reached out and turned the doorknob, breathing a silent sigh of relief when it opened easily. Stepping back, he ushered Sabrina into the room before him, and Rufus trotted right after them. Alex turned to close the door and saw the other man’s back as he went into his house.

Alex snapped the lock closed and turned to lean back against the door, letting out an explosive breath.

“Alex!” Sabrina was staring at him, her fists on her hips. “I can’t believe you said that to him. You made it sound as if I...as if I was—”

“A woman of dubious reputation being set up as a lord’s mistress?” he asked, quirking a brow.

“Yes!” She began to laugh. “I don’t know whether to be offended or impressed.”

“No need to be offended. I did make you an important woman of dubious reputation—Chumley’s a viscount.”