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“All right?” he asked.

“Of course.” He had such a sweet expression in his eyes, burning desire together with something that looked like affection.

Her eyes went to his waistline without conscious decision and sure enough, she could see the thick, long line of his cock under his placket, almost reaching his waist. “Still?” she asked faintly.

One side of his mouth tucked up. “Indeed.”

“You’re not—”

“Always, around you.”

His tool wasn’t the problem. In fact, she rather liked the look of him. But the act itself? Never. She would prefer to live with her grandfather and never marry. When was she going to inform him that she had changed her mind about marrying him?

Not now.

“Something went wrong besides the obvious,” Giles said slowly. “Yasmin?”

“I think we should return to Covent Garden,” she said brightly. “We did promise to buy some wool.” She stopped. “Actually, no. You may deliver the hat, but I have to bathe.”

He stepped closer. “I understand. May I have a goodbye kiss?”

“Of course.” She came up on her toes and kissed his mouth, her lips clinging to his for a moment. Even that tiny gesture sent a shock of desire down her legs. She would have to stay well away from him until she got over this infatuation.

Giles’s eyes were thoughtful. “I had something more like this in mind.” He tipped her chin up; the touch of his hand sent a prickle through her. He lowered his head so slowly that she had time to notice that his irises had turned silvery. No, green.

Her mouth instinctively opened, welcoming his tongue, his taste, the silky, sensual way their tongues slid together. The absolute opposite of the—the rest of it. Yasmin pushed the thought away. If this was their last kiss—because she’d have to tell him at their next meeting that she’d changed her mind about marriage—she might as well enjoy it.

He was the only man she’d met since Hippolyte whom she could even contemplate kissing so intimately without getting revolted. She stopped thinking about the past, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stepped closer until their bodies touched. Rather than disgust, she felt warm sensuality.

He drew back and before she stopped herself, she blurted out, “If only . . .”

His thumb rubbed across her cheekbone.

“If only?”

Yasmin gave him a sheepish smile. “I like kissing you.”

“I feel the same about you.”

The security and safety she heard in his deep voice filled her with longing. Lydia, his sister, was not pleasant, but all the same, he loved her. When Giles loved someone, he would protect them forever.

Yet marriage required that. Intimacies.

With that thought, she stepped away, ignoring the fact her heart was pounding and her breathing was ragged, trying to summon up a careless smile. “You should leave in order to arrive within the time limit.”

“We have already lost the scavenger hunt,” Giles said. His eyes were steadily fixed on her face.

She had no idea how much time had passed. “Perhaps it was best not to advertise my familial closeness to the emperor, as you suggested. Will you please let my grandfather know that I am safely home? This has been a most interesting afternoon.” She walked toward the door, shivering with embarrassment. What a foolish thing to say.

When she reached out to unlock the door, a large hand stopped her from turning the key. Giles’s eyes were urgent, searching hers. “Yasmin, what is wrong?”

She drew herself upright and raised her chin. “I do not wish to discuss it, Giles.”

He opened his mouth, then shut it again. “May I pay you a visit later tonight? We do need to talk.”

“My grandfather and I plan to have a quiet supper.”

“May I take you for a drive tomorrow morning?”