Page 38 of One Night with an Earl

“I see.”

He stepped closer, and an unwelcome awareness tingled in her veins. With her back to the nymph, she was aware of every inch of his muscular frame as he moved, and she thought he would make the perfect model for any sculptor.

No! No! No! Her wandering mind was her greatest weakness. Where was her resolve? Her sense of self-preservation? She’d asked him here for a reason.

She raised her chin. “I sought to meet me so that we can resolve our differences.”

He didn’t move. “Will you indulge me first by answering one question?”

She blinked. “One question?”

“Why do you dislike me? As I recall, you liked me very much the night we spent together at the Silver Chalice.”

There was a maddening hint of arrogance about him. He only knew she was Lady Scarlet, not the daughter of the baron his father ruined. She would never reveal anything. “I told you. That was only for one night.”

He laughed hoarsely. “Why, for heaven’s sake? I can’t stop thinking about our shared evening. Don’t you feel the same?”

Yes, she did. She wasn’t an indecisive woman, yet she found it incredibly hard to calm her racing heart when he was standing an arm’s length away, watching her intently. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears as she struggled to keep her anger as a defense.

“No,” she insisted.

His dark gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes. “Your passion was not feigned that night.”

“Whatever was between us no longer exists for me.”

A flash of challenge lit his dark eyes. “Hmm. If that is true, then perhaps you would not mind participating in an experiment.”

“An experiment?”

“A simple kiss.”

Oh God. If he kissed her, she’d lose her resolve. There was too much at stake for her. He, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. Rich and powerful, he was no match to her social standing. “I don’t think such an experiment will work.”

“Then you don’t mind trying? One kiss, and then I’ll respect your wish and never trouble you again.”

She stared at him, eyes wide, pulse pounding. One kiss? She hesitated, her mind considering his request. She could do this. A brief kiss and then he’d leave her alone. It was a challenge, one she had no intention of losing.

She cocked her head to the side. “One kiss and you’ll never seek me out again, never address me as anything other than Miss Gardner, companion to Lady Penelope?”

“Yes.”

She came close, and his cologne fill her senses, sandalwood and his own essence. She girded her resolve, closed her eyes, pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss, then quickly moved back. “Nothing. Not even a spark.”

“That’s unfair. I hardly call that a kiss.”

“You did not specify and must uphold your part of the bargain.”

“Not quite. Unless you are afraid?”

She let out a huff. “I’m not—”

He placed a hand on her waist and tugged her closer, cutting off whatever she was about to say. “This is a kiss.”

He didn’t ravage her. She could have resisted if he had, but he chose a different onslaught, one that shattered her defenses with skill. His mouth slanted over hers slowly, captured her lips, and savored her like a ripe strawberry. It reminded her of their first kiss, releasing a flurry of delicious memories. She sighed, a deep, rich sound that she’d heard in her dreams since their one night together. Her fingers touched his biceps, then tightened on the broadcloth, feeling the hard muscles beneath. Her lips parted of their own volition, inviting him to take. He took full advantage and swept inside, deliciously tasting and taking. The hand at her waist urged her forward, and she stepped even closer, her breasts brushing his chest, her nipples tightening against the fabric of her chemise. Like a trained lover, her body ached for his touch.

He moaned, or was that her?

She kissed him back, and her fingers inched to his shoulders, then sank into the silken strands of his hair. She was secretly thrilled she’d removed her gloves.