she began.
“I don’t care about other women. I care about you. What you think. What you think of me.”
She stepped back, only to discover she’d trapped herself in the corner. Justin stood before her. Tall. Strong. Powerful. Escape was impossible.
Their eyes caught. He smiled, then raised a hand. In shock she felt the tips of his fingers trace a slow path from her wrists to her elbow. In its wake a trail of fire smoldered.
Her nails dug into her palms. Even drunk, he was rakishly appealing. “Stop that,” she said unsteadily.
He didn’t. His gaze was roving over her face now. Foxed or not, it appeared he was well aware of her attraction to him! She knew it for certain when he asked silkily, “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be kissed by me?”
I’ve wondered what it would be like to be kissed by any man , she nearly blurted.
“What makes you think I would let you kiss me?” she heard herself say. Was it a plea? A provocation? Heaven help her, she didn’t know!
“What makes you think I wouldn’t anyway?”
Dash it all, he had an answer for everything! “You’re a man of…unseemly appetite.”
“And you’re a woman of untarnished reputation.” A finger beneath her chin tipped her face to his. Arabella swallowed. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the sculpted beauty of his mouth. He bent his head so that their lips almost touched. Almost, but not quite.
Every nerve in her body was screaming. Her heart hammered wildly. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted to; the shocking truth was that she didn’t!
His gaze had fallen to her lips. “The truth now, Arabella. You’ve never been kissed, have you?”
Mutely she shook her head.
His eyes darkened. “Then perhaps it’s time you were,” he whispered.
There was no time to think. No time to reason. For his mouth closed over hers, hot and slow, a kiss of leisurely exploration. Her muscles turned to wax, and she was quite certain that if his arms hadn’t circled her waist, she would have melted on the spot.
For the kiss was like nothing she expected…yet everything she wanted. Everything she hadn’t even known she wanted. She felt herself slipping. Falling into a realm where nothing existed save the exquisite pleasure of feeling her mouth trapped beneath his. His kiss was heady and potent, and she suddenly felt as if she were the one who had imbibed too freely.
He muttered something unintelligible. A tremor went through her when his tongue curled around hers. She didn’t pull away, didn’t want to. She felt…oh, heaven help her. Fascination, perhaps. Whatever it was, it was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was as if a spark had been lit in her veins, even there at the tips of her breasts… especially there.
Beneath the insistent demand of his, her lips parted still more. For the span of a heartbeat, she sensed a curious impatience in him. She didn’t understand it, any more than she understood the restless questing in her belly. She longed almost desperately to wind her arms around his neck, to lift herself on tiptoe and press herself against his length and revel in it. But coward that she was, she didn’t quite dare. And just when she sensed they were on the verge of something…oh, she didn’t know quite what it was, only that it was something…something more , he raised his head.
She made a faint, mewling sound of protest. Was it over so soon, then?
“Arabella?”
Still a little dazed, she opened her eyes.
He ran a fingertip down her nose. “A word of warning, my dear Miss Vicar. I saw you tonight with your beaux, flirting and laughing. Don’t trust them, any of them. All they want is your virtue.”
Arabella blinked.
“And the next time I try to kiss you…”
“Yes?” she said breathlessly.
“Run, sweetheart. Run as far and as fast as you can…lest I catch you.”
Eight
“Arabella? Arabella, whatever is wrong with you this morning?”
Her aunt’s voice seemed to come from a
“I don’t care about other women. I care about you. What you think. What you think of me.”
She stepped back, only to discover she’d trapped herself in the corner. Justin stood before her. Tall. Strong. Powerful. Escape was impossible.
Their eyes caught. He smiled, then raised a hand. In shock she felt the tips of his fingers trace a slow path from her wrists to her elbow. In its wake a trail of fire smoldered.
Her nails dug into her palms. Even drunk, he was rakishly appealing. “Stop that,” she said unsteadily.
He didn’t. His gaze was roving over her face now. Foxed or not, it appeared he was well aware of her attraction to him! She knew it for certain when he asked silkily, “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be kissed by me?”
I’ve wondered what it would be like to be kissed by any man , she nearly blurted.
“What makes you think I would let you kiss me?” she heard herself say. Was it a plea? A provocation? Heaven help her, she didn’t know!
“What makes you think I wouldn’t anyway?”
Dash it all, he had an answer for everything! “You’re a man of…unseemly appetite.”
“And you’re a woman of untarnished reputation.” A finger beneath her chin tipped her face to his. Arabella swallowed. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the sculpted beauty of his mouth. He bent his head so that their lips almost touched. Almost, but not quite.
Every nerve in her body was screaming. Her heart hammered wildly. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted to; the shocking truth was that she didn’t!
His gaze had fallen to her lips. “The truth now, Arabella. You’ve never been kissed, have you?”
Mutely she shook her head.
His eyes darkened. “Then perhaps it’s time you were,” he whispered.
There was no time to think. No time to reason. For his mouth closed over hers, hot and slow, a kiss of leisurely exploration. Her muscles turned to wax, and she was quite certain that if his arms hadn’t circled her waist, she would have melted on the spot.
For the kiss was like nothing she expected…yet everything she wanted. Everything she hadn’t even known she wanted. She felt herself slipping. Falling into a realm where nothing existed save the exquisite pleasure of feeling her mouth trapped beneath his. His kiss was heady and potent, and she suddenly felt as if she were the one who had imbibed too freely.
He muttered something unintelligible. A tremor went through her when his tongue curled around hers. She didn’t pull away, didn’t want to. She felt…oh, heaven help her. Fascination, perhaps. Whatever it was, it was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was as if a spark had been lit in her veins, even there at the tips of her breasts… especially there.
Beneath the insistent demand of his, her lips parted still more. For the span of a heartbeat, she sensed a curious impatience in him. She didn’t understand it, any more than she understood the restless questing in her belly. She longed almost desperately to wind her arms around his neck, to lift herself on tiptoe and press herself against his length and revel in it. But coward that she was, she didn’t quite dare. And just when she sensed they were on the verge of something…oh, she didn’t know quite what it was, only that it was something…something more , he raised his head.
She made a faint, mewling sound of protest. Was it over so soon, then?
“Arabella?”
Still a little dazed, she opened her eyes.
He ran a fingertip down her nose. “A word of warning, my dear Miss Vicar. I saw you tonight with your beaux, flirting and laughing. Don’t trust them, any of them. All they want is your virtue.”
Arabella blinked.
“And the next time I try to kiss you…”
“Yes?” she said breathlessly.
“Run, sweetheart. Run as far and as fast as you can…lest I catch you.”
Eight
“Arabella? Arabella, whatever is wrong with you this morning?”
Her aunt’s voice seemed to come from a
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