He could reach her-she would be his. But there was no need for any hurry. She was untouched, unused to the demands of a man's hands, a man's lips, much less a man's body; if he pressed too fast, she'd turn skittish and balk. And he'd have to work harder to bring her to his bed.
Angling his head over hers, he kept every caress slow, every plundering stroke deliberate. Passion lay heavy, languid, almost somnolent between them; as he claimed every sweet inch of the softness she offered him, he laced the heady sensation into every caress, and let it sink into her senses.
It would lie there, dormant, until next time he touched her, until he called it forth. He would let it rise by degrees, feed it, nurture it until it became the inescapable compulsion that would, in the end, bring her to him.
He would savor her slowly, savor her slow surrender-all the more sweet because the end was never in doubt.
Distant voices reached him; inwardly, he sighed, and reluctantly brought the kiss to an end.
He raised his head. Patience's eyes slowly opened, then she blinked, and stared straight at him. For one instant, the look on her face, in her eyes, had him puzzled-then he recognized it. Curious-she wasn't shocked, stunned, or thrown into a maidenly fluster. She was curious.
Vane couldn't stop his rakish grin. Nor could he resist the temptation to brush his lips overs hers one last time.
"What are you doing?" Patience whispered as his head bent to hers. Even at close quarters, she could still see his smile.
"It's called 'kiss and make up'." The curve of his lips deepened. "It's what lovers do when they fall out."
A vise locked about Patience's heart; panic-it had to be that-streaked through her. "We aren't lovers."
"Yet."
His lips touched hers and she shivered. "We never will be." She might be giddy, but she was quite sure of that.
He stilled, but his confident smile didn't waver. "Don't wager your fortune on it." Again, his lips brushed hers.
Patience's head reeled. To her relief, he straightened and drew back, looking over her head. "Here they come."
She blinked. "They who?"
He looked down at her. "Your harem."
"My what?"
His brows rose in unlikely innocence. "Isn't that the correct term for a group of slaves of the opposite sex?"
Patience dragged in a deep breath-she straightened, flicked him a warning glance, then turned. To meet Pen-wick, Henry, and Edmond, all striding up the aisle. Beneath her breath, Patience groaned.
"My dear Miss Debbington." Penwick took the lead. "I rode over expressly to ask if you would care to essay a ride?"
Patience gave him her hand. "I thank you for your kindness, sir, but I fear I've had a surfeit of fresh air this morning." The breeze was rising, whipping stray tendrils of hair across her forehead, teasing more strands free. Penwick directed a suspicious glance at the large presence looming by her shoulder. Half-turning, Patience saw Vane return Penwick's brief nod with one a great deal more supercilious. "Actually," she stated, "I was about to return indoors."
"Capital!" Henry pressed closer. "I wondered where you'd got to. Thought you must have come out for a walk. Be a pleasure to escort you back."
"I'll come, too." Edmond beamed an understanding smile at Patience. "I came to see how Gerrard's doing, but he gave me my conge. So I may as well go in."
There would, Patience felt sure, have been a fight for the position on her right, to be the one whose arm she took, except that the position was already filled. "It seems we're quite a party," Vane drawled. He flicked a glance at Penwick. "Coming, Penwick? We can go by way of the stables."
Patience drew in a deep breath, placed her hand on Vane's arm-and pinched him.
He looked down at her, brows rising innocently. "I was only trying to be helpful." He turned her. The others jostled behind them as he led her up the nave.
The route he took was expressly designed to try her temper. More specifically, to have the others try her temper; Vane wisely kept quiet and let them make the running. With her wet feet now positively frozen from standing too long on cold stone, Patience discovered her stock of fore-bearance had dipped dangerously low.
By the time they reached the stables, and she gave Pen-wick her hand in farewell, it was all she could do to fabricate a smile and a polite good-bye.
Penwick squeezed her fingers. "If the rain holds off, no doubt you'll wish to ride tomorrow. I'll call by in the morning."
As if he was in charge of her rides! Patience bit her tongue on a tart rejoinder. Withdrawing her hand, she raised her brows, then haughtily turned away, refusing to fall into the trap of giving Penwick a nod-which could be construed as acceptance. One glance at Vane's face, at the expression in his eyes, was enough to confirm he'd read the exchange clearly.