dun territory?"
"If you wish to put it that way," he said, irritation grating his voice. "Miss Upshaw, I am my own man. I shall marry as I choose."
He came closer, moving around her so that he faced her again. Miranda kept her face downcast, more to hide the dance of humor in her eyes man out of any shyness. Ravenscar put his hand beneath her chin and tilted it up so that she looked up into his face.
"I rushed my fences with you," he said, smiling faintly. "I apologize. I am not usually so cow-handed. Please accept my apologies and allow me to pay court to you."
He reached down and took her arm in his hand, lifting it and bending to plant a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. "Let me show you the man I can be. Give me a chance. Give us a chance."
As he spoke, his lips moved in soft kisses up her arm to her elbow. The cultivated charm of his words irritated Miranda, but she could not hold back the deep rush of pleasure at the touch of his lips on her flesh. She did not know how the merest feather of a kiss on the sensitive skin of her inner arm could make her abdomen flood with heat and her skin tingle.
"My lord," she said, embarrassed to find that her voice trembled, "this is scarcely proper. We are in the garden alone."
"Yes, we are." His voice was husky. His hands slid around her waist and gently pulled her closer.
"People will—"
"Damn people." He lowered his head and kissed her.
Desire thrilled through her as it had the first time he kissed her, startling and alarming her even as she melted against him. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body into his. His body was hard and masculine, delightfully different from her own. Miranda had never felt the strength and power of a man's body pressing into her this way; no man she knew would ever have dared to be so presumptuous. The fact that this man had no fear of her added somehow to me quiver of pure lust that darted through her. She tasted his mouth, hot and hungry, felt his heat as it rushed through his body. She trembled, her fingers curling into the lapels of his jacket, holding on to him in a suddenly unstable world.
Devin made a noise low in his throat and gathered her to him even more closely, the carefully calculated kiss turning unexpectedly into one of passion. His lips dug into hers, and she answered him with an equal enthusiasm, surprising him into an explosion of desire deep within. He had wanted to seduce her, to manipulate her into wanting him. Suddenly all he wanted was to feel her naked beneath him.
He slid his hands down her back and over her rounded buttocks, squeezing and lifting her up into him. Miranda could feel the hard length of him against her, and though she had had no experience in such things, she knew instinctively what it was, and the thought made her loins ache. Her arms went up and around his neck, and she strained against him. He groaned, his hands running wild over her back and hips.
Miranda clung to him, aware of little else except the intense pleasure coursing through her. Her breasts ached and tingled in a way she had never imagined, and her loins throbbed heavily. She wanted to wrap her legs around him and ease the emptiness growing there. She wanted to feel his hands on her breasts and legs...everywhere. His body was like a furnace, his breath hot against her cheek, and the feel of it spiraled her desire.
His mouth left hers, and she almost sobbed at the loss. Then his lips were trailing like fire down the column of her throat, caressing her like velvet as he nipped gently with his teeth. His hand slid up the front of her, between their bodies, and cupped her breast, shocking and arousing her. His thumb rubbed over her nipple through the material, hardening the little bud and sending a sizzle of desire through her so intense that she groaned aloud.
It was the sound of her own voice, uncontrolled and strange to her, that shocked her out of the trance of desire in which Ravenscar had locked her. She realized
"If you wish to put it that way," he said, irritation grating his voice. "Miss Upshaw, I am my own man. I shall marry as I choose."
He came closer, moving around her so that he faced her again. Miranda kept her face downcast, more to hide the dance of humor in her eyes man out of any shyness. Ravenscar put his hand beneath her chin and tilted it up so that she looked up into his face.
"I rushed my fences with you," he said, smiling faintly. "I apologize. I am not usually so cow-handed. Please accept my apologies and allow me to pay court to you."
He reached down and took her arm in his hand, lifting it and bending to plant a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. "Let me show you the man I can be. Give me a chance. Give us a chance."
As he spoke, his lips moved in soft kisses up her arm to her elbow. The cultivated charm of his words irritated Miranda, but she could not hold back the deep rush of pleasure at the touch of his lips on her flesh. She did not know how the merest feather of a kiss on the sensitive skin of her inner arm could make her abdomen flood with heat and her skin tingle.
"My lord," she said, embarrassed to find that her voice trembled, "this is scarcely proper. We are in the garden alone."
"Yes, we are." His voice was husky. His hands slid around her waist and gently pulled her closer.
"People will—"
"Damn people." He lowered his head and kissed her.
Desire thrilled through her as it had the first time he kissed her, startling and alarming her even as she melted against him. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body into his. His body was hard and masculine, delightfully different from her own. Miranda had never felt the strength and power of a man's body pressing into her this way; no man she knew would ever have dared to be so presumptuous. The fact that this man had no fear of her added somehow to me quiver of pure lust that darted through her. She tasted his mouth, hot and hungry, felt his heat as it rushed through his body. She trembled, her fingers curling into the lapels of his jacket, holding on to him in a suddenly unstable world.
Devin made a noise low in his throat and gathered her to him even more closely, the carefully calculated kiss turning unexpectedly into one of passion. His lips dug into hers, and she answered him with an equal enthusiasm, surprising him into an explosion of desire deep within. He had wanted to seduce her, to manipulate her into wanting him. Suddenly all he wanted was to feel her naked beneath him.
He slid his hands down her back and over her rounded buttocks, squeezing and lifting her up into him. Miranda could feel the hard length of him against her, and though she had had no experience in such things, she knew instinctively what it was, and the thought made her loins ache. Her arms went up and around his neck, and she strained against him. He groaned, his hands running wild over her back and hips.
Miranda clung to him, aware of little else except the intense pleasure coursing through her. Her breasts ached and tingled in a way she had never imagined, and her loins throbbed heavily. She wanted to wrap her legs around him and ease the emptiness growing there. She wanted to feel his hands on her breasts and legs...everywhere. His body was like a furnace, his breath hot against her cheek, and the feel of it spiraled her desire.
His mouth left hers, and she almost sobbed at the loss. Then his lips were trailing like fire down the column of her throat, caressing her like velvet as he nipped gently with his teeth. His hand slid up the front of her, between their bodies, and cupped her breast, shocking and arousing her. His thumb rubbed over her nipple through the material, hardening the little bud and sending a sizzle of desire through her so intense that she groaned aloud.
It was the sound of her own voice, uncontrolled and strange to her, that shocked her out of the trance of desire in which Ravenscar had locked her. She realized
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