The Earl I Adore by Erin Knightley Page A

fingers, curving in exactly the right way.
Christ
.
    As soon as she steadied herself, he snatched his hand away, not wanting to shock her. God above, he knew she had a lovely, voluptuous figure, but seeing vague outlines and actually touching the woman were two
very
different things. She was sweet and innocent, and very much off-limits—something he had never thought he would have to remind himself of. Clearing his throat, he said, “Steady there. Are you all right?”
    Stepping up the rest of the way, she nodded. “Quite. Thank you.” He tactfully ignored her flaming cheeks.
    As soon as they were settled, they set off for the Assembly Rooms, where the duet was to be held. As the ladies chatted, Evan sat back against the cushions, attempting to drag his mind away from the place it had no right going—namely, Miss Wembley’s person.
    It didn’t help that she looked as fresh and sweet as a sunflower, with her cheeks still rosy and her brown eyes alight as she spoke. He’d always thought of her as having a pleasant enough countenance, but today, with the sun shining down on her and the dark curls around her face dancing in the wind, she looked charming. Beautiful even.
    Not
that it mattered. He hoped she would be a good companion for Julia, and a pleasant friend for him—nothing more.
    He blinked, suddenly realizing where his gaze had fallen, and forced his eyes away from the sight of her breasts jostling as the carriage rumbled over the cobblestones. Not as easy a task as it should have been. As if manhandling her hadn’t been enough distraction, now the road surface was conspiring against him. Swallowing, he tried to recall what he’d been thinking before his eyes and intentions had wandered. Oh yes—Miss Wembley was to be a
friend.
He just needed to remember that.

Chapter Nine
    S ophie could still feel the heat of his hand at her hip. Ridiculous, given the layers of fabric between their skin, but nonetheless, the spot that he’d touched fairly tingled with awareness. No man had ever touched her there before. Her arms, her back, her waist, and even her foot once when dancing with a particularly unskilled partner, but never her hip.
    As Lady Julia spoke of her excitement for finally being able to attend a performance by world-class opera singers, Sophie could do little but grin and nod, all the while watching Evan in her peripheral vision. He’d worn a pale blue jacket today, surely knowing how well it complemented his eyes. His hair was tied back with a simple black ribbon, but the wind blew a few mahogany strands across his cheeks and forehead. It looked as fine as corn silk, and she tightly laced her fingers in her lap in order to ward off the temptation to smooth it back from his face.
    Not that she could ever imagine doing something so bold, but she knew from experience that she could not trust herself to behave in her usual fashion around him. By the time they reached the Assembly Rooms andmade their way inside, she actually breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she needed to find a way to flirt with him, to be teasing and coy and whatever else young women were supposed to do to land a husband, but first she had to find the wits that he had so thoroughly scattered the moment he’d laid his hand on her.
    To her immense relief, May stood by the entry, waiting as her aunt attempted to navigate the steps of their carriage in one of her ridiculously outdated gowns. For some unknown reason, the woman insisted on wearing the much more restrictive and voluminous fashions of her youth. The contrast was striking when compared to May’s simple blush gown with white lotus flower embroidery stitched along the hem.
    â€œMay,” Sophie exclaimed, feigning surprise, “what a happy coincidence! Are you here for the dueling prima donnas as well?”
    Her friend nodded before muttering under her breath, “And so is the dragon, unfortunately.” Smiling, she said