Daniel wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he was more concerned with keeping her distracted from George's presence until the other carriage had passed and moved off far enough that they could disembark without witnesses, so he did the only thing he could think to do and kissed her. Truly, that was the only reason he did it. The fact that he was still at half mast from their earlier activities in her room and that Suzette had settled her bottom directly on top of that growing appendage, and was now wiggling about a little in a quite enervating fashion . . . Well, that had nothing to do with it, Daniel assured himself as he urged her mouth open and deepened the kiss. And when she moaned into his mouth and then shifted delightfully atop him again as she twisted her upper body into him, it was for purely distraction purposes that he allowed his hands to find and cover her breasts through her now dry gown. This of course, made her moan and wiggle delightfully again.
Urged on, Daniel kneaded the soft mounds he held, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in time with each squeeze until Suzette broke their kiss to throw her head back on a long groan. She was grinding her bottom into his lap now, unintentionally rubbing herself against him, and Daniel couldn't resist releasing his hold on her breasts to drag the bodice of her still undone gown off her shoulders. Suzette removed her arms from around his shoulders to help him, and then shivered as the material fell away, baring her chest to his attentions.
Her position made it so that Daniel barely had to lower his head to lave the top curve of her breast above his fingers, but he had to duck it further to find and suck the nipple between his lips. He heard her guttural groan as he flicked it with his tongue, and he continued to do so until it tightened into a small, hard, excited pebble in his mouth. Then he grazed it with his teeth, gratified when that made her wiggle atop him again and cry out.
"Daniel," she gasped, catching his hair in her fingers and urging his head up.
He responded at once, releasing her nipple to raise his head and claim her lips. Suzette kissed him back most passionately, tangling her tongue with his and then sucking on it, her bottom moving on his lap, grinding against him some more.
Growling at the shaft of need her movement sent shooting through him, Daniel nipped at one lip and allowed a hand to find her legs. He rubbed the outside of her far leg briefly and then slid it around to press the heel of his palm between her legs through the skirt of her gown. His touch made her buck almost violently, and he growled again at another shaft of pleasure and then pressed more firmly. Daniel then tried to slip his fingers between her petals to reach her core, but the cloth hampered him. Even so it set Suzette squirming in a most delightful manner, her legs spreading until one slid off his knees, leaving her wide open to him except for the gown.
Daniel promptly began to jerk the material up, determined to get it out of the way. A little sigh of relief slid from his mouth to hers when he finally found the hem and was able to slip his hand beneath it. Suzette shivered at the unimpeded touch, and he smiled against her mouth as he skimmed his hand along the soft skin of her calf, up over her knee, and along her thigh.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth as his fingers finally reached the sweet spot he'd been seeking before Lisa had interrupted them in Suzette's room. Her reaction was most pleasing. She moaned a little wildly and then reached down to cover his hand with her own, urging him on and then went completely still as his fingers found the hot, wet center of her. When he began to run his fingers over and around the excited nub there, she began to move again, her hips shifting in time with his caress, rubbing against his erection with each shift.
"Oh Daniel," she gasped, tearing her mouth from his. "I can't-- Please--"
"Shhh," he murmured gently, turning his lips to her ear and sucking the lobe into his mouth as he spread his legs a little. The shift allowed her to slide a little lower between them, making her rub more firmly against his erection as she reacted to his caresses.
"Ohhh," Suzette moaned, using the one foot she had on the floor to push into his touch.
"Yes," he encouraged, releasing her lobe and then shifting the arm at her waist to ease her back enough that he could look upon her bared breasts. It was his first real view of them and he drank them in as his fingers continued to slide over and around her slick center. She was stretched across his lap, arching, twisting and vibrating on top of him in a way that made him ache with need, and he wished like hell that he could mount her right there in the carriage. But Daniel wasn't so far gone that he would deflower an innocent that way, if at all, so he ground his teeth together and ignored that urge.
Suzette took him completely by surprise when she suddenly turned her head toward him and bit his chest. His undone vest and coat were gaping now, leaving most of his chest bare, and her teeth sank into his skin without impediment. It was the only thing she could reach and it wasn't a bad bite, just a frustrated nip as her need built. It startled a breathless laugh from him though, and then she found his nipple and nipped at that and his laughter died on surprise at the pleasure that sent through him. Daniel had been with a lot of women over the years, but not one had ever paid attention to his chest. Not that he'd ever expected them to. He hadn't realized it could be enjoyable, but it appeared it could be. Certainly, she was drawing pleasure from him with her attention, so he was disappointed when she suddenly stopped and shifted violently into his hand as she groaned.
"Daniel, I want you," she complained, squeezing his hand tightly and pressing it more firmly against the swollen flesh he was caressing.
"What do you want?" he asked, sure she would blush and shyly retreat from answering.
Instead, Suzette released his hand to pull his head down for a kiss and then whispered urgently, "I don't care if it hurts the first time. I need you. I want your maypole inside me."
"My what?" he gasped with amused amazement and pulled back to peer at her.
Suzette growled with frustration and suddenly shifted further to the edge of his knees so that she could reach between them and press her hand against his burgeoning erection. "This."
Daniel's amusement died an abrupt death at the bold touch and then he groaned and closed his eyes as she squeezed him. He wasn't aware of her fiddling with his knee breeches, but suddenly the cloth fell open and she was clasping him in her hand. His eyes popped open as she ran her hand the length of the shaft and he growled, "Where the devil did you learn that?"
"I read," she whispered and ran her hand his length again.
Daniel caught her head in his hand and held it in place as he kissed her, unable to resist doing so as she brought him to full, aching attention. Suzette kissed him eagerly back, but continued her clumsy caress, driving every honorable thought he had right out of his poor passion-soaked head. In the next moment, Daniel was shifting them, lifting and turning her so that she now sat on the edge of the bench seat and he knelt on the carriage floor before her, his erection eager to bury itself inside her heat.
"Yes," Suzette breathed, spreading her legs wider for him so that he could move between them. The moment he did, she released her hold on his erection and moved her hands to either side of the bench seat to brace herself.
Daniel kissed her again, a hot, demanding one, and then shifted his hips to rub himself against her heat. Suzette tore her mouth away on a moan, and turned her head away, her hips arching into this new caress. He almost missed her murmured complaint, "So cold."
"I'll warm you," he promised, rubbing himself against her again. He then eased back a bit to reach down and clasp himself, intending that this next time he would enter her.
"No. Not me," she muttered with a small laugh. "Your hand. The one I'm holding."
Daniel paused. She wasn't holding his hand. One of his hands was at her hip, to hold her in place and the other was about to steer his erection into her. What--?
The thought died in his head as Daniel recalled George on the bench.
"What's wrong?" Suzette asked when he froze. Some of the passion left her face, pushed aside by concern
as she noted his expression through the gloom in the carriage.
Daniel hesitated and then shifted the hand at her hip to her back and used it to pull her forward and press her head to his chest. Only then did he look at first one of her hands and then the other. Sure enough, apparently all the jostling about had dislodged one of George's arms from the blanket and it was his cold hand she was holding.
"Dear God," he breathed, dismayed that he could forget even for a moment that the man was there.
"What is it?" Suzette asked, releasing the hand and trying to straighten.
Daniel held her in place for a moment, but then allowed her to raise up enough that he could kiss her. This time it really was purely an attempt to keep her distracted. He didn't wish to risk her glancing about to notice they weren't alone, but he needed to tuck himself back into his breeches. Kissing her seemed the best way to accomplish the distracting while his hands took care of the tucking. The moment he had his breeches done up, Daniel broke the kiss and scooped her up off the seat. Fortunately, Suzette instinctively wrapped her arms and legs around him as he launched himself to his feet, else he might have dropped her.
However, he didn't, though the carriage rocked under the abrupt shift of their combined weight, and Daniel was forced to pause for a moment, knees bent and Suzette caught to his chest as he crouched in the center of the carriage. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, however, since he was unsure about what to do next. She was half naked with her gown around her waist and her skirt up around her thighs as she hugged him with both arms and legs. And he wasn't exactly properly dressed either without his cravat and both his vest and coat hanging open. They couldn't get out of the carriage like that, but they couldn't stay inside either. It was only pure good luck that Suzette hadn't yet seen the blanket-wrapped body.
"Where to, my lord?" his driver called out suddenly, apparently stirred awake by the violent movement of the carriage.
"Brilliant," Daniel muttered. The man apparently hadn't awakened to any of the earlier movements of the carriage, but chose now to rouse from his slumber. Exactly when Daniel would have preferred he remain asleep.
"Aren't you going to tell him?" Suzette asked, trying to raise her head.
"Tell him what?" Daniel asked, tightening his hold to keep her from being able to look around.
"To head for Gretna Green." Suzette's answer came muffled by his chest.
Daniel glanced down at her sharply, but the hold he had on her allowed him to see only the top of her head.
"Is that not what you planned when you hustled me into the carriage?" she asked when he didn't immediately answer.
Daniel closed his eyes on a sigh as he recalled her happy, "There is nothing to be sorry for, my lord. I too am eager and can't wait," as she'd peppered his face with kisses. She'd thought he was rushing them off to Gretna, he realized and muttered another, "Brilliant."
"Daniel?" Suzette asked, trying to raise her head again and this time nearly managing it.
"My lord?" his driver asked at almost the same moment.
Growling under his breath, Daniel turned to the door. He risked removing the hand from her back and quickly worked the handle to open the door, he then pressed her head close to his chest again and leapt out of the carriage with her clinging to him like a monkey on a tree. By some grace of God he managed to get them out without banging either her head or legs on the way. Daniel then moved his hand from her head to her back to press her chest tightly against his to hide her bare breasts and started for the house at a quick clip.
Much to Daniel's relief the earlier carriage had passed and there didn't appear to be any others on the road. There was nothing he could do about the driver, however . . . except perhaps increase his wages to encourage him to keep his trap shut, he thought on a sigh.
"What are we doing?" Suzette asked uncertainly, lifting her head to peer around as he strode up the walk to the house.
Daniel didn't answer at once. He simply continued to walk, his jaw tight.
The door still stood open from when Suzette had come out after him earlier, and he strode inside with her and then continued on into the nearest room, a parlor. Pausing just outside the patch of light cast through the door from the candles in the hall, he set Suzette on her feet, and then quickly began to straighten her gown.
"Daniel?" she asked uncertainly, not helping him, merely standing still and peering at him with wide uncertain eyes as he slid her arms into her gown and pulled it up into place to cover her breasts.
"We aren't going to Gretna Green tonight," he said quietly.
"Why not? I thought--"
He interrupted her by asking abruptly, "What if we found another way to pay off your father's debts?"
Suzette blinked in surprise at the question and then shrugged. "Then I wouldn't marry and Lisa and I would return to the country."
Daniel frowned. "Surely you wouldn't return to the country? You shall have to marry someday and should have your season. I thought all young women dream of their season."
Suzette sighed, but admitted, "I suppose I used to, but after seeing and hearing how Dicky treats Christiana, I'm not as eager to marry. If I didn't have to claim my dower to avoid this scandal, I think I'd just never marry."
"Not every man is like Dicky," Daniel argued at once.
"Even Dicky was not like Dicky before they married," she said dryly. "He seemed sweet and charming when he was wooing Chrissy. What is to say every man is not like that?"
"I would never treat a woman like Dicky has apparently treated Christiana," he assured her solemnly. "And many men wouldn't. I'm sure your father didn't treat you or your sisters and mother poorly."
"No, he was always a kind and loving man . . . except for his penchant for gambling us all into ruin every year or so this last while, he was wonderful," Suzette added dryly. "And while I am glad to hear you say you would never treat a woman as Dicky does, I'm quite sure Dicky would have said the same thing before he married Chrissy. How is a woman to know what a man is truly like before they wed?"
When Daniel merely frowned, at a loss as to how to answer that, she shook her head. "I do not understand why we are even discussing this. There is no other way to gain the money needed to pay off Father's debts. I need to marry. And you need to marry a woman with money. It doesn't seem to me we have much choice. You know that. It's why you came here tonight to tell me you had decided to accept my proposal. And I thought we were about to head for Gretna Green. Why are we now back in the house discussing these things?"
Daniel stared at her for a moment, the words on the tip of his tongue that he hadn't come tonight to say he'd decided to marry her. However, she was now eyeing him with narrow-eyed suspicion, and he had no explanation for why he had come here tonight other than the truth. He simply couldn't tell her that. Finally, he said, "We can't simply ride out in the middle of the night without telling anyone. We agreed that I would give you my answer tomorrow and I think we should stick to the original plan."
Daniel didn't wait to hear her arguments to that, and he was quite sure she would argue, so turned abruptly on his heel and hurried out of the room and straight out the front door at a quick clip. He pulled the door closed as he went, but wasn't terribly surprised to hear it open behind him before he'd got halfway down the sidewalk. However, he didn't even glance back at her call and picked up his pace, practically running the rest of the way to the carriage.
"Home," Daniel barked out to his driver as he jumped into the back of the contraption, then he pulled the door closed behind him and fell back on the empty bench seat as the carriage jerked forward. His gaze slid to the curtained windows at another shout from Suzette, but he resisted the urge to look and see if she'd stop and return to the house. He then glanced to the opposite bench seat and the blanketed bundle there. George. He still had to deal with the corpse and hadn't a clue what to do with him.
Scowling, Daniel shook his head. Even in death George was trouble. If not for him, Daniel would never have been in
Suzette's room in the first place. He wouldn't have been caught there by her, dallied with the girl and then thoughtlessly left his cravat behind. She then wouldn't have chased him down to return it and certainly wouldn't have wound up nearly giving him her virginity in the back of a damned carriage.
It was all George's damned fault. It was also the dead man's fault that he was now sitting there frustrated and still hard as a dead hen. If not for his presence in the carriage, Daniel would right that moment be planted deep inside Suzette and taking them both to the heights of pleasure. But he wasn't, and was hard pressed not to give the dead man a good kick for it . . . Despite the fact that he should probably instead be thankful he had been stopped before he'd gone that irretrievable step.
Sighing at his own rather confused thoughts, Daniel leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he tried to bring some order to his mind.
He wanted Suzette. As a gentleman, he couldn't have her without marriage. And he didn't want her marrying someone else, like Garrison. But he wasn't sure he wanted to marry her himself. They'd only met that night for God's sake.
What he needed was more time to get to know her better, to see if there was more than lust between them, because while Daniel found he liked her and was charmed by her, they hadn't known each other long and the rest of his life was a long time to regret a decision. However, Daniel knew he wasn't likely to get that time. Suzette was only interested in marriage because she needed her dower to save herself and her sisters from scandal. If he or Richard paid off the father's debts and she no longer needed to marry, she would head back to the country and eschew marriage altogether thanks, again, to the dead man across the seat from him and his horrid treatment of Christiana.
Daniel opened his eyes to glower at George, and then sighed and shook his head. He still had to hide the body somewhere, and they had to sort out who could have killed George and why. All this on top of sorting out his rather sudden and extremely passionate feelings for Suzette Madison. Frankly, it seemed to him that in a matter of hours his life had become one big bloody, confusing mess.