Carefully, she fumbled for the door handle behind her, preparing to back out into the hall. Then, if possible, she would find a way to pretend this never happened. Her fingers closed not on metal but on his hand, which was wrapped around the handle and holding the door shut. She jerked her hand away. Even through her gloves, the nearness of his skin was dangerously exciting.
Amy unclenched her jaw, forcing herself to breathe slowly through her nose instead of her mouth. That did no good at all, for it flooded her senses with the intoxicating scent of the man beside her. She had not noticed his cologne when they had been in public, for it was subtle. Now she was drifting on a cloud of lime and laurel that was as soothing as it was intriguing.
She took another breath, through her mouth this time, and did her best to ignore it. ‘Do not flatter yourself, Mr Lovell. You know my reason for trapping us here.’
‘Really, I have no idea,’ he said in a dry voice. ‘Enlighten me.’
There was nothing to do but be honest. ‘I did not wish you to sit beside Belle. The place was saved for someone else.’
‘And rather than allow her to tell me so, you took it upon yourself to lock me in a closet,’ he said, making her plan sound all the more illogical.
‘We are both in the closet,’ she reminded him. ‘And the door is not locked.’
Behind her, the door rattled but did not open. ‘On the contrary.’
‘It cannot be,’ she whispered, praying that he was wrong.
‘Why not? That was the fate you planned for me, I’m sure. You planned to lock me in here. Then I would have to hammer on the door, interrupting a performance and embarrassing myself in front of my friends, all because you did not wish me to sit next to your sister.’
‘I did not intend...’ It was a lie. That was exactly what she had meant to have happen. Even if the man was a puffed-up bounder, she should have found a way to put him off that did not involve his total humiliation.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last. ‘Not that it will do any good in the current situation.’
He sighed. ‘Too true. I suppose we will both have to call for help. If we are loud enough, they will hear us over that canary they have screeching in the main room. Someone will come and open the door. It will cause the devil of a scandal when they find us together. But I am afraid it cannot be helped.’
‘Please, do not.’ She raised a hand to cover his mouth. This was far worse than letting him speak to Belle. What had she been thinking to allow herself to be trapped by him?
He took advantage of the opportunity to nip her fingers. Rather than painful, the pressure of his teeth through the white kid leather was shockingly pleasant. Hurriedly, she pulled her hand away again. ‘Stop that.’
‘Do not do this. Do not do that.’ He tsked. ‘Did you not wish to ruin my chances with Arabella? Being caught playing hunt the squirrel with her sister would most assuredly do so.’ In the darkness, she imagined his mocking smile.
‘I did not mean to do it by ruining myself as well.’
‘Are you sure? If you wish to trap a husband, there is no quicker way to do it than to force him into such a compromising position.’ The hand that had been holding her arm was stroking the bare skin between sleeve and glove. Suddenly, she felt as light-headed as she had pretended to be a few moments ago.
‘For the last time, I do not wish to wed anyone. Most especially not you.’
‘Then perhaps this is the sort of dishonourable liaison you spoke of on Bond Street. Maybe I am the one in need of rescue,’ he said, his voice hoarse. ‘It would be better for both of us if we were discovered immediately.’ His hand stroked down her arm until her glove pooled at her wrist. Then he continued to her fingertips to pull it away, leaving her hand bare.
‘What are you doing?’ she whispered, though she was sure she knew. Even worse, she did not mind.
‘Taking a forfeit,’ he said, raising her hand to his lips again. ‘You might think it amusing to play childish tricks with me, Amelia. But I am not some green boy put on this earth to be the butt of your joke. If you play games with a man, you must prepare for what will happen when you lose.’
He was right. It had been foolish of her to push this man to the point of anger. Even more foolish to become trapped with him in a situation that could lead to ruin for both of them. Suddenly, she was all too aware of the size of him and the feel of his body, hard against hers. She should at least have the sense to be frightened. Instead, she held her breath, eager to know what came next.
He pressed his mouth to her palm and she felt the tip of his tongue following the lines on her skin. She had once been to a gypsy who claimed to read one’s future there. It had been nonsense, of course. The old woman had proclaimed her destined to a long and lasting love based on an unbroken wrinkle of skin.
But now, Mr Lovell was running his tongue along that very line, his lips creating a gentle suction. His teeth were teasing the flesh that the fortune teller had called the mound of Venus. She had hinted at a carnality that Amy and her school friends could not understand, though they had giggled over it at the time.