Page 45 of All For You

“Not at all. Truthfully, I’ve no patience for flattery and obfuscation. I say what I think, and I always speak the truth.”

I spluttered out a laugh, disbelieving. “Are you seriously suggesting you always think and speak the truth?”

“I suppose I am.”

He seemed taken aback at first by my laughter, then his face flickered into slightly offended, followed by amused.

I shook my head. “Stunning. It must be so comforting to know more than others. No time wasted in self-reflection or internal debate. Honestly, what’s it like to be certain of yourself and your views?”

Instead of being annoyed, a smile played around his mouth. “It certainly leaves more time to ponder eye color, and surely that must be a good thing.”

The music stopped, and a wave of disappointment fluttered through me. I noticed the others around me—Emma and Knightley, the Balfours, Jane and William.

“I’ve decided your eyes are green,” he said, still holding me close.

He was being so disarming, it made me blush.

I buzzed with nerves, jittery in his strong arms. Was this happening? I suddenly felt shy and confused.

“There’s actually no such thing as green eyes. It’s a trick of the light,” I blurted, maybe even trying to ruin the moment.Suddenly, I was scared. “It’s what’s called the Tyndall effect. My eyes are brown, but you think they’re green because of the light.”

“Ms. Bennet, now it’s you who’s being unromantic,” he drawled. “I wonder if I’m rubbing off on you in the wrong way?”

His skin and mine rubbing together came to mind, though I was pretty sure he hadn’t meant it that way. But my body already told me I liked the sound of that.

The music started up again.

Darcy pulled me closer and pressed his hand more firmly against my back. “Giving you a heads-up on direction. If I dance you backward, we will move through the open door and into the library. Okay?”

“Why would we want to dance in the library?”

With one move, he swung me through the door, then down the hallway and through the open door into the library. His strong directing legs teased mine through the thinness of my silk dress.

We stopped in the middle of the library lit only by lamps, surrounded by dark oak paneling and stacks of leather-bound books. Out the stained-glass window I knew were hills and a sunset, but I didn’t want to look that way.

Everything in this world had narrowed to the small, charged space between us.

“Because,” he murmured, “all night, I’ve been wanting to be alone with you and kiss you.”

Kissme? “Oh.”

Every bone in my body melted, my stomach flipped, and sweat broke out on the hand I had clasped in his. I wanted that too. I wanted his lips on mine. I wanted to press my body harder against his.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first saw you,” he went on, tugging me even closer.

I could feel my eyebrows shoot up. “Funny way of showing it.”

“What can I say? I’m a complete ass.” He cupped his hands on either side of my head and rubbed my lips with his thumb. “May I kiss you?”

CHAPTER 22

Darcy

“Yes,” she said, and my heart thundered.

Her breath hitched—a small sound that settled heavy in my chest. She looked at my mouth, quick and instinctive. The dark room seemed to tighten around us, thick with something unspoken and utterly magnetic, pulling us closer together.

“You are so beautiful,” I said, running a finger down her cheek, along her jaw, and then I filled my hands with her hair. “God.” My voice came out strangled, and I was sure she must have felt my pent-up longing for her.