Heaven And Hell novel Chapter 130

We stopped walking and I stared up at him with my eyes glistening. I searched his face for any sign of sarcasm or false kindness but all I saw was a sincere face staring right back at me, his eyes steady. Slowly, I nodded and accepted his apology.

"It's okay," I muttered, rubbing my arms. There wasn't any chill in the air. "God knows what Brett saw in me anyway," I said dejectedly. "I'm just one out of several girls he's probably gone out with. I'm no different. He never even wanted to kiss me."

I couldn't believe what I'd just said but everything went spilling forth like an uncontrollable fountain.

"I wasn't enough for him. He needed to go and date my ex best friend."

He gazed back at me and suddenly...he slid his hand to the back of my head, plunging his fingers through the silk of my hair. "Now that's bollocks. You deserve to be kissed right," he pursued huskily. And then he pulled me into a kiss.

I was too surprised to even struggle, but right now I didn't want to. I wanted to forget stupid Brett and his stupid promises. Just feeling Cole's hands on me made my stomach flip.

Ah. So these were flutterings.

And this, I surmised, was his idea of a proper kiss. An embrace with heat and purpose, and one that remained entirely in his command. He controlled the angle of my neck and the closeness of our bodies -- and the slow, maddening rhythm of his tongue, sweeping between my lips again and again.

He kissed me forcefully, relentlessly, as though he were meting out some punishment I deserved. Probably for thinking lowly of myself and wallowing in self-pity. Little could he suppose it was exactly what I wanted right now. What I surprisingly craved and needed, with every bone and sinew in my small body.

And then the cameras began to flash.

A ROYAL SNOGGING IN THE MIDST

*

THE MARQUESS OF HAVENHURST: PASSIONATELY IN LOVE?

My neck veins nearly popped when I heard that. Show? Show? "You knew the media would be there?!" I nearly screeched as my butt rose up from my seat like hot coals had been placed just then.

"No," he intoned smoothly, "I didn't. I wouldn't have caused such a display of affection if that were true."

I couldn't help but notice the way he'd said affection; like it was the most disgusting word that had come out of his lips. My nostrils flared at that -- partly because my pride stung a little and mostly because I couldn't believe this wasn't as shocking to him as it was for me.

I slammed my palm on the desk in front of us and nearly cried out in pain from the sudden impact. But I didn't want to appear like a weakling so I cried inside like a winner and glared at Cole, like he was the reason I hurt my hand in the first place even though he was just there, sitting and acting like he couldn't care less about the whole situation!

The butler, Pemberley, merely stood there with his face an unreadable mask made of marble, while Uriah's lips were pursed in nervous anticipation. They didn't look at us.

"I can't deal with these hurtful people, and I can't deal with you right now!" I fairly screamed in frustration and complete paranoia because, hello, my parents would find out one way or another and I still hadn't checked my phone if Ollie had called again after the one millionth call he rang my way today. I was guessing he'd left me a million more voicemails and about ten thousand links to the gossip sites swirling around my and Cole Cutting's life.