He snickered. "From where did you think I descended? Thin air? And I was referring to my aunt."
"Oh?" Katherine squinted at him as if he had in fact turned into a pink unicorn. To be fair, he was acting like a complete idiot, spouting nonsense into the sky like a fool. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Are you unwell?" she whispered near his face, too near, for it caused him to jerk back and trip. He hadn't the grace or common sense to break his fall as he collapsed onto the hard ground and looked up into her amused eyes.
Gracefully, she knelt down and felt his head. "You're positively flushed, shall I take you to bed?"
"Please," he begged, wanting much more than she was offering, innocent that she was.
"I meant," she scolded, hitting him with her hand, "should I help you to you room then promptly leave you to suffer alone?"
Well, at least she hadn't offered to kill him. He had been quite forward with her all evening, and he deduced he was already on some sort of borrowed time considering his behavior was appalling. Not that he wasn't used to offending others. But not her.
Not her.
Suddenly, he wanted much more than to give in because his aunt desired him to marry.
He wanted to.
Devil take him… he wanted to treat her…
Why was it so hard to say in his head?
He wanted to court the girl, to do right by her.
He waved in the air, literally lifted his hand and waved, as all of his best laid plans flew into the night sky. There would be no ravishing, no ruining, no laughing in the face of marriage.
No, he imagined he was the type of man that once marriage took him prisoner, he would happily, if not drunkenly, offer his leg willingly to the ball and chain and boast about it for the rest of his days.
Such a nuisance that.
Katherine felt his forehead again. "You do not feel feverish. Tell me, what is your name, and where are you?"
Oh, he could have fun with this one. Perhaps just a little ruin never hurt anyone? He gave a goofy grin and shrugged.
"Oh, my!" Katherine helped him to his feet and immediately began reprimanding him as she led him into the house. "And to think you would get so foxed! My goodness, have you any care for your reputation? Never mind. I momentarily forgot with whom I was speaking. But we both know how accident-prone you can be. Imagine if you had fallen from the balcony! Whatever would we do!"
He smiled smugly. Of course she cared for his welfare. It felt good.
"I mean…" She cursed under her breath. "Imagine the mess the servants would have to clean up, and then I would have to tell your dragon of an aunt that I led you to your death, and she would most likely say finally, considering I have brought you quite close at least three times."
"Four." He coughed then slapped the silly grin back in place.
Her eyes narrowed.
He purposefully tripped on the first stair.
Shaking her head, she helped him up the stairs and continued her tirade until she pushed open the bedroom doors and laid him across the bed.
Surely in his drunken — albeit falsely drunken — state, one could not blame him for taking full advantage.
And take full advantage he did. With a sigh he pulled her onto his body and closed his eyes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Seduction by Moonlight
"Oomph!" Katherine fell across his hard muscled body with a thud. Well, now he'd done it. She was in somewhat of a pickle. How the devil was she to pry her body from his when the man's hands were pulling her tighter and tighter against him?
Honestly, she'd never seen him so foxed before. Was he that upset over the marriage? Perhaps it was boredom. He was, after all, the devil. Meaning he was used to much more lively entertainment than eating a casual dinner and smoking a cheroot.
She sighed and tried to pry her body free.
Benedict's response was a moan. His lips somehow found hers again and he worked his spell, his wicked magic over her body until she was sure she was going to go to a very fiery place.
They were not married.
They were only betrothed.
Accidently, of course.
And now she was in his bedroom. His bedroom! Acting the absolute wanton, but oh, the things he did with his tongue.
"Benedict," she whispered against his lips. "Benedict, you must let me go."
"No."
"No?" His lips moved to her neck, his warm tongue traced the curve of her jaw.
Oh, the wicked things he did with his tongue. "Yes, you want me to let you go, or no, you want to stay?"
"Yes. No!"
"Wait, do you mean yes or no? Sorry love, I'm somewhat foxed and need you to be a little more direct."
She kicked him with her foot.
He laughed. "I deserved that. It appears when I asked for you to be direct, you were under the impression I wanted violence."
Katherine closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. "You are impossible."
"So I've been told." He sighed and then miraculously released her. Only, she wasn't prepared so she fell off the bed and landed with a thud on the floor.
Benedict chuckled then peeked over the edge. "Take a tumble, did you?"