not—”
“Makes a mon want tae kiss you, and I mun confess, I’ve that urge again.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes rose up to meet his, and the moment they connected, his lips were pressing against hers. Unlike their previous kiss, this one was much more serious. He gathered her in his arms. He held her extremely close. And his tongue intruded immediately beyond her lips to forage deeply. It was the kind of kiss she should have learned nothing about until she was safely married. It was the kind of kiss designed to provoke passions, and hers were ignited quickly.
Where that kiss might have led Kimberly wasn’t to find out, however, since several other of the Wigginses’ guests chose that moment to seek some cooling on the balcony. As the doors swung open, Lachlan sprang back, putting a decent distance between them. Unfortunately, the immediate loss of his support left Kimberly swaying unsteadily on her feet, forcing him to lend an arm to her back again. And the easiest way to cover that intimacy was to lead her back inside and straight onto the dance floor.
By the time she was thinking again with any semblance of clarity, it was too late to upbraid him for what he’d done. Not that she had any true desire to do so, when she had enjoyed that kiss so thoroughly. But to say nothing was to let him assume that he could kiss her anytime he liked, which wasn’t so. She would get around to saying something, just—later, after the pleasant glow left her and he wasn’t still lavishing her with his attention.
And Lachlan was doing that.
He wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to where he was leading her in the dance, he was staring at her instead. And there was heat in his light green eyes that continued to warm her. When one of the gentlemen who had previously cut in on her partner tried to do so again, he found Lachlan willing to defy convention with his refusal.
He went so far as to snarl, “Get lost, English. She’s taken.”
Kimberly was embarrassed and thrilled at once, a difficult combination, and she made no remark at all. She simply enjoyed his hand on her back, his other hand clasping hers gently, and every so often her pulse would leap when he accidentally moved too close so that her breasts would brush against his chest.
She had no idea that these were practiced moves on his part, that he was setting her up for seduction, and succeeding very well. He was subtle about it, not even using half of his usual tactics, afraid that anything obvious would have adverse effects rather than benefits. And he couldn’t say when or why he’d made the decision to have her, come what may. It hadn’t even been a decision. There was no choice involved. He simply had to have her now, his desire was that great.
15
K imberly returned to the St. James townhouse in a romantic haze that night. And with Lachlan in the same coach, that haze had no time to clear.
Her opinion of him, of course, had undergone some major changes tonight. In fact, she was already wondering how she might avoid the scandal when she married him, and her father disowned her for it. Not if she married him. The decision was already made as far as she was concerned.
There was simply no reason to look any further for a husband, when Lachlan MacGregor would suit her so well. The only reason she hadn’t entertained the idea before was his apparent interest in Megan St. James. But after tonight, that was obviously at an end. His attention was turned to her instead. And it would be very easy to love him, she had no doubt. Besides, his devil-may-care, nonsensical, charming manner was just what she needed in her life.
She was still smiling to herself, still daydreaming of what her future could be like with him, when she reached her room and slowly readied herself for bed. Vaguely she was aware that Lachlan had been assigned the room next to hers again, having passed him in the hall earlier. Quite a coincidence that, with the St. James
“Makes a mon want tae kiss you, and I mun confess, I’ve that urge again.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes rose up to meet his, and the moment they connected, his lips were pressing against hers. Unlike their previous kiss, this one was much more serious. He gathered her in his arms. He held her extremely close. And his tongue intruded immediately beyond her lips to forage deeply. It was the kind of kiss she should have learned nothing about until she was safely married. It was the kind of kiss designed to provoke passions, and hers were ignited quickly.
Where that kiss might have led Kimberly wasn’t to find out, however, since several other of the Wigginses’ guests chose that moment to seek some cooling on the balcony. As the doors swung open, Lachlan sprang back, putting a decent distance between them. Unfortunately, the immediate loss of his support left Kimberly swaying unsteadily on her feet, forcing him to lend an arm to her back again. And the easiest way to cover that intimacy was to lead her back inside and straight onto the dance floor.
By the time she was thinking again with any semblance of clarity, it was too late to upbraid him for what he’d done. Not that she had any true desire to do so, when she had enjoyed that kiss so thoroughly. But to say nothing was to let him assume that he could kiss her anytime he liked, which wasn’t so. She would get around to saying something, just—later, after the pleasant glow left her and he wasn’t still lavishing her with his attention.
And Lachlan was doing that.
He wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to where he was leading her in the dance, he was staring at her instead. And there was heat in his light green eyes that continued to warm her. When one of the gentlemen who had previously cut in on her partner tried to do so again, he found Lachlan willing to defy convention with his refusal.
He went so far as to snarl, “Get lost, English. She’s taken.”
Kimberly was embarrassed and thrilled at once, a difficult combination, and she made no remark at all. She simply enjoyed his hand on her back, his other hand clasping hers gently, and every so often her pulse would leap when he accidentally moved too close so that her breasts would brush against his chest.
She had no idea that these were practiced moves on his part, that he was setting her up for seduction, and succeeding very well. He was subtle about it, not even using half of his usual tactics, afraid that anything obvious would have adverse effects rather than benefits. And he couldn’t say when or why he’d made the decision to have her, come what may. It hadn’t even been a decision. There was no choice involved. He simply had to have her now, his desire was that great.
15
K imberly returned to the St. James townhouse in a romantic haze that night. And with Lachlan in the same coach, that haze had no time to clear.
Her opinion of him, of course, had undergone some major changes tonight. In fact, she was already wondering how she might avoid the scandal when she married him, and her father disowned her for it. Not if she married him. The decision was already made as far as she was concerned.
There was simply no reason to look any further for a husband, when Lachlan MacGregor would suit her so well. The only reason she hadn’t entertained the idea before was his apparent interest in Megan St. James. But after tonight, that was obviously at an end. His attention was turned to her instead. And it would be very easy to love him, she had no doubt. Besides, his devil-may-care, nonsensical, charming manner was just what she needed in her life.
She was still smiling to herself, still daydreaming of what her future could be like with him, when she reached her room and slowly readied herself for bed. Vaguely she was aware that Lachlan had been assigned the room next to hers again, having passed him in the hall earlier. Quite a coincidence that, with the St. James
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