Through the ninth kiss, Katherine's mind was racing. The next would be the last. That was good; her secret would be safe and she would be free to go. But something was holding her there, and it was not just Eward's arms like vices around her waist. She couldn't tell what it was, really. Maybe it was knowing that his skin was just as warm as she felt, and there was a measure of confidence, if discomfort, in thinking that she might have caused it. Or it was not wanting to return to her mother, knowing what she had done wrong in sneaking out of the house, not to mention kissing a man not her betrothed.
She pulled away, swallowing and committing herself to the tenth. Katherine refused to back out now, and she'd do what was required of her to save her name and Miles', just as she'd promised. Her heart flipped in her chest as she pressed her lips to his for the tenth time, and it scared her, but this was not a time to be scared.