An Undeniable Passion Ch. 06

Wordlessly she pulled off her glove and held up her left hand displaying the large diamond engagement ring on her third finger. "I'm to marry him," she whispered staring at the ring. "I don't know why I'm so upset. I don't love him and he knows that, but I thought that maybe he loved me at least a little." Lowering her hand to her lap, she said quietly, "Well it's probably for the best. Perhaps he won't come to me very often if he has someone else."

Moving closer he whispered to her, "Ah, but you're the type of woman who's husband should go to her often." Not able to resist touching her, he reached out to brush away her tears. His fingers lingered on her cheek and then trailed down her throat. "How could any man possibly resist you?" His fingers continued across her bare shoulders and down her arm. Even though the night was warm, she shivered as she felt goose bumps rise all over. He leaned in even closer, his lips an inch from hers "How could any man not want you?" he breathed.

She closed her eyes knowing that he was about to kiss her. After seeing Charles and Meredith together she wanted him to kiss her. His lips pressed against hers and she reacted at once, kissing him back. His arms wound around her, pulling her against him.

Her mind swirled with the passion she felt in his kiss. His more experienced lips moved seductively over her mouth, teasing her, urging her to respond. She was aware of nothing but him, as her hands touched his face and wound through his hair pulling it out of its ribbon. She felt the silky tresses trailing over her bare left hand as his hair fell to his shoulders. Images of Charles with his head bent to Meredith's exposed breast flashed through her mind and she pressed herself against Drake. His arm around her waist pulled her tighter.

She reveled in the sensations his kiss was awakening in her. She felt drugged and hazy, only the intensity of their kiss breaking through the passion induced chaos of her mind. Her heart was pounding, her breath caught in her throat. His hand gently caressed her cheek, cupping her jaw. With a feather soft touch, he trailed his fingers down her throat to her collar bone, tracing it out to her shoulder. His warm hand slid down her arm, his thumb brushing against her breast.

She flung her head back, a reckless desire to have him touch her as Charles had touched Meredith overtaking her. His lips found her throat and he trailed liquid fire down to her shoulder. Pushed beyond sanity she guided his head lower, to the softness heaving just above the bodice of her gown. He kissed, licked and even gently nipped at the exposed mound of her breasts. He could feel her trembling and gasping with delight as his lips and tongue traveled over her willing flesh.

"This is what you were meant for," he breathed, his tongue delving into the valley between her breasts. "Does your fiancé make you feel like this? Do you tremble from his kisses?"

Without waiting for her to answer, he straightened, pulling her head to his and again captured her lips in a searing kiss. His hand boldly covered her breast and gently squeezed, causing her to stiffen and press herself even more ardently against him. She moaned softly against his lips, all trace of reason having abandoned her.

He was teasing her mouth open with the tip of his tongue when suddenly the terrace doors opened and a blast of laughter and music poured out, snapping Virginia back to her senses.

Aghast at what she was doing, she pushed Drake away and stood up, breathing heavily. She stared at him and saw the passion burning in his eyes. She felt herself immediately weaken and was afraid that she would be lured back in by those mesmerizing eyes. And with his hair loose and hanging about his shoulders he looked even more devilishly handsome than before.

She quickly turned away to go back into the party, but he stood and grabbed her by the arm pulling her back into his embrace. He stared down into her beautiful green eyes and whispered to her, "You deserve better than him. You deserve a man who loves and adores you and who you love and adore as well."

Angered that she could not have that, she pushed his arms away. "That's a fairy tale, Mr. Stratford. In real life things don't always work out that way." She turned on her heel to walk back into the ballroom, but he pulled her close again.

"How long have you been engaged, Miss Templeton?" he asked.

His question caught her so off guard that she answered before she could think. "Since the beginning of April."

She saw the corner of his mouth turn up in a smirk and suddenly realized why he had asked. She blushed deeply.

"April," he repeated. "And I rescued you during that storm in May, I believe it was. Why didn't you tell me I was seducing a woman who is spoken for?"

Virginia couldn't think of an answer to give him. She couldn't tell him the truth because she wasn't sure she knew it herself. "I have no desire to continue discussing my personal life with you," she stated, avoiding his question.

"But by telling me that small fact, I would have halted my advances." Drawing her closer he whispered, "I take it, then, that you didn't mind?" "It apparently wouldn't have made any difference, if I had told you. You know now and just look at your behavior!" she snapped, pushing on the arm he still held around her waist.

Without relinquishing his hold, he admonished in a quiet voice, "And look at your behavior. You were kissing me quite ardently just a few moments ago. Kissing me and allowing me to kiss you, and not just on your delectable mouth. His hand caught her chin and raising his thumb he slowly stroked it over her lower lip.

Struggling to maintain her anger, afraid that if she let it go she would again lose her senses, she retorted, "I was clearly distraught over seeing my fiancé kissing and...and...embracing another woman. I was in a vulnerable state and you took advantage."

"Were you in a vulnerable state in my carriage?"

"I did not kiss you in your carriage," she snapped.

"But when I was kissing you, you didn't push me away. You succumbed quite easily, if I recall correctly. You also seemed to like it," he reminded her, a note of laughter in his voice.

She colored deeply and angrily replied, "It doesn't matter now. I'm engaged and you must leave me alone. Now let me go!" She gave a final push on his chest and broke out of his embrace. She whirled and stalked through the doors returning to the ball, tugging her glove back on.

Drake stood by the door that Virginia had just stormed through. As he pulled his hair back into the confines of the silk ribbon, he watched her look around the crowded room. He could see that she was looking for someone and that she spotted Charles still talking to Meredith. Charles saw her and gestured for her to come over. She hesitated but joined them. It agonized Drake to see her try to smile and act politely as she was introduced to her fiancé's mistress. She deserves so much better than him, he thought as he entered the room.

Virginia wandered through the throng of people in a daze. She had to find Violet. She couldn't shake the images of Charles and Meredith together in the garden. She also couldn't quite shake the feeling of Drake's lips pressed against hers. She tentatively reached up and touched her lips and felt a shiver run down her spine. Is that what passion is supposed to feel like, she wondered? Was that the only time she would ever experience it? She suddenly felt eyes on her and looked up to see Drake staring at her from across the room. Remembering that she still had her fingers on her lips she quickly pulled her hand away. With a knowing smile and a nod of his head, he raised his glass to her. She returned his salute with an icy stare and then turned and stalked away. She saw Violet just coming off the dance floor and rushed over to her.

"We have to leave!" she said grabbing her friend's arm.

"Leave? But I promised that deliciously wicked young man from London the next dance," she said, looking about for him.

"Please, Violet. I can't stay here a minute longer."

Hearing the desperation in her friend's voice, she abandoned the search for the young man and turned to look at Virginia. "What's going on?" she asked, seeing her distressed look.

"I can't tell you here. I'm going to tell Father and Charles that I have a splitting headache and that you and I are leaving, but that I'll send the carriage back for them." She was gone before Violet could protest.

Outside, they climbed into the carriage and Virginia could tell that even though Violet was sympathetic to the fact that she had wanted to leave so early she was still annoyed about it.

"So what happened that was so terrible that we had to leave early?" she asked tersely.

Images of Charles in the garden with Meredith flooded into head. She burst into tears. "Oh Vi, it's so awful," she sobbed. Looking down at her lap she said, "It's Charles."

"What about him?" Violet asked, forgetting the ball, concerned for her friend.

Raising her tear stained face she said "I saw him tonight, in the gardens, with...with..."

Intrigued, Violet urged her, "With who?"

"M-m-meredith Williams," she stammered.

Violets eyes widened with surprise.

"They were kissing...and...groping...each other," Virginia said quietly, again looking down at her hands in her lap.

Violet gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Her blue eyes widened even further. "That trollop! I knew she married old Mr. Williams just for his money! Well, after you're married, he'll have to end it with her."

"You don't understand, Vi. He's only marrying me to cover the affair. He loves Meredith, not me. They'll continue on after the wedding."

"Oh Ginny. I don't know what to say."

"I knew, when he first started to call on me, that he was hiding something. And now I know what it is," she said dejectedly.

"I can see now why you wanted to leave early. At first I thought that maybe it had something to do with Drake being there. I know how he affects you, but I had no idea it was Charles."

At the mention of Drake, Virginia remembered the feelings his kisses and caresses had aroused in her. She felt the butterflies that always accompanied thoughts of him. Without realizing it, she had raised her fingers to her lips, she could still feel the kiss they had shared. Could feel the way he made her pulse race and her head spin. Her breasts heaved with the remembrance of his lips pressed to her tender flesh, and of his hands caressing her body. She blushed, remembering the way she had wanted him, at the passion she had felt.

Sensing that there was something else her friend wasn't telling her, Violet asked, "What? What else? Something else happened?"

Blushing furiously and unable to meet Violet's eyes she said, "Yes, something did happen. After I saw Charles and Meredith I ran into him"

"Who? Who?" Violets eyes grew wide again. "Drake?" she whispered.

Turning her head away, she whispered, "Yes. On the terrace. He saw them both enter the garden and he saw me find them." She shot a tentative glance at Violet before continuing. "He saw how upset I was and I ended up blurting out that I even though I'm engaged, I don't love him. He was trying to console me, I guess, and we ended up...ended up...," her voice trailed away, too ashamed to finish the statement.

"Ginny, you didn't!" Violet was shocked and delighted at the same time. "You kissed him? Again?"

She nodded, tears again threatening. "I let him kiss me and I kissed him back. And not just on my mouth," she added weakly.

Violet was stunned speechless. She could only stare at her friend, her mouth hanging open.

Without being pressed, she continued, "I let him kiss me along my shoulders...and even here," she whispered, trailing her fingers along the edge of her bodice. "I even...I even let him... touch me...here," she whispered, her hand dipping below the top of her dress, to her breast.

Staring at Virginia's milky white flesh and then back into her friend's tear filled eyes, Violet couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. "How wonderfully wanton of you!" she declared happily.

"What are you talking about? There was nothing wonderful about it!" she cried. Once again, the incredible sensations he had provoked in her began to seep back into her mind as she thought about his lips and hand pressing against her breast. "Oh, yes there was," she quietly lamented. "The whole thing was wonderful, Vi. Absolutely heavenly."

Turning Virginia to her she said eagerly, "Now tell me everything. Don't leave out a thing."

"Really, Vi. He is such a cad! But, why can't I resist him? Why can't I forget him?"

"Because he's a cad. Because he takes advantage of vulnerable women. He's just so wonderfully devilish." Turning back to Virginia she asked, "Did he sweep you off your feet? Did you forget where you were? Was it anything like Charles' kisses?"

Blushing, she replied, "It was exactly like I always thought a kiss should be like. I forgot everything going on around me expect for Charles and Meredith and I suppose that's what made me act so brazenly. Oh, Violet, what am I going to do?" she wailed. "Absolutely nothing. Charles is behaving worse than you did, so you don't have to do a thing. I wouldn't even feel guilty if I were you. As a matter of fact, if Charles is going to have a friend, maybe you should have one too," she said with devilish smile.

Thoroughly shocked, Virginia turned to her. "You can't be serious! Are you actually suggesting I have an affair?" she asked incredulously.

"Why not?" she responded angrily. Turning playful she continued, "They're all the rage. Simply everyone is having one."

Virginia groaned and leaned back against the seat. "Violet, what am I going to do with you?"

She just chuckled in response and continued to pester Virginia with questions about her encounter with Drake.