Page 42 of The Danger of Desire

“That’s none of your concern,” she said with a sniff.

“Then I suppose I’ve just added a pistol to my collection.”

Her throat tightened. “You can’t keep it! It’s one of the few things I have left of Reynold.”

He narrowed his gaze on her. “Wait a minute—does all of this have something to do with your brother? Did he gamble at Dickson’s, too?”

“Don’t be absurd.” Lord, he was veering closer to the truth. And she couldn’t have that. The world thought Reynold had died accidentally.

“Because if it does, I can help you. Just tell me what—”

She leaned forward and kissed him. She’d tried everything else to stop his questions, and none of it worked. And he did seem to like kissing her.

He froze, then jerked back. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you. I know you’re familiar with the practice. A woman places her lips against a man’s—”

“You’re trying to distract me from getting answers.”

Placing her hands on his knees, she asked, “And what if I am?”

His gaze dropped to her hands, and his breath grew fractured. “It won’t change anything.”

Feeling reckless and wild and oddly light-headed, she rubbed his knees. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Still, he hauled her across the carriage and onto his lap. “But you’re welcome to have a go at it, anyway,” he growled. Then he brought his mouth down on hers.

It should have alarmed her. It didn’t.Thiswas what she wanted. He’d made her crave him, and she couldn’t help craving his kisses, too.

No, that wasn’t itat all. She was doing this to get his mind off his questions. That was the only reason.

It was also the only reason she threw her arms about his neck, the only reason she let him clutch her close and drive his tongue into her mouth with quick, sensual strokes. The only reason she squirmed on his lap and turned to pudding in his arms.

He drew back to clasp her head between his large hands, and his eyes swallowed up the night as he stared into hers. “Just to be clear, this discussion isn’t over.”

As far as she was concerned, it was. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Heat flared in his face. “With pleasure.”

He seized her mouth once more, taking and conquering and intoxicating her. The odor of port and cigars overwhelmed his usual scent of spicy cologne, which should have put her off. Instead it made her ache for more kisses, more touching, moreeverything.

Honestly, how could she not have known that a man could make a woman feel so delicious? His whiskers scraped her chin and eventhatwas a sensual delight. Her blood felt near to boiling over, and she wanted,neededmore.

So when, after he’d feasted for a while, he slid his hands down to cover her breasts, she let him. Oh, Lord.

She’d never bound her breasts, trusting to her lack of a corset, her oversize coat and waistcoat, and her voluminous cascading cravat to hide her modest attractions. But that, of course, now meant it was far too easy for him to... touch them once he pushed her cravat aside and unbuttoned her waistcoat.

Thumbing her nipples through her shirt, he pressed his mouth to her ear. “These, my dear, deserve to be better displayed.”

“Do they?” She couldn’t breathe for fear he would stop. Her skin felt alive, her heart ready to explode, and her nipples, which he’d begun to pluck, tingled and grew taut beneath his caress. “You don’t find my bosom too... too small?”

His eyes gleamed in the gaslights from the street. “Not particularly. But I can’t be sure without examining them more... thoroughly.” Opening her waistcoat, he bent to seize one breast in his mouth through her shirt.

“Oh. My. Word!”

With a chuckle, he flicked his tongue over her nipple, then sucked hard on it before drawing back to murmur, “I need to make an even closer inspection.”

Unbuttoning her shirt, he pulled it open to bare one of her breasts entirely.