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He knew he had her when she bit her lip guiltily.
“He doesn’t mean to be—”
“An oblivious ass?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I was going to say thoughtless.”
“Well, I don’t blame him for forgetting his manners.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she said, glaring.
“Will you relax?” he laughed. “I meant to imply that the way you look tonight would make any man forget his good manners.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “Oh.” She looked down at the carpet, obviously flustered.
“Is it so very surprising that I might say such a thing?” he asked, taking a step closer. She was so beautiful in the candlelight.
“A bit,” she admitted warily. “I wouldn’t expect you to pay me any sort of compliment.”
“I forgave you for the snake and all the other nasty things you did to me long ago,” he said with a grin. “As long as you don’t put anything living in my pockets from this point forward…”
“That isn’t funny!”
“I beg to differ. It’s hilarious.”
She let out a frustrated huff and turned to leave.
Without thinking, he reached out to stop her. She stared up at him, her hazel eyes wide, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly. On impulse he extended a finger and tipped her chin up.
“Why is it that whenever I’m with you, I can never say the right thing? Perhaps I ought to give up trying to say anything at all.”
He bent and claimed her mouth. She tasted just as sweet as he’d imagined, and he suddenly realized he’d wanted to do this ever since seeing her again tonight. Teasing and worrying her pouting bottom lip, he savored the plump fruit. The nape of her neck fit his hand perfectly. He threaded his fingers through her hair, dragging her closer. She felt so right in his arms.
Her response was quite unpracticed, and he knew without having to ask that she’d never been kissed before. Thus, her protest when he tried to withdraw came as a pleasant surprise.
His already aching erection hardened. Animal lust commanded him to claim her—at once—but good sense said otherwise. She hardly knew what she was doing, after all.
Still, it was hard to resist the temptation.
For all that it saved him from committing an exceedingly rash act, the gentle creak of hinges was an unwelcome intrusion.
He opened his eyes just enough to see Lady Carrington, London’s biggest gossip, standing there in the doorway, looking on with undisguised glee as she took in what was no doubt a torrid tableau.
“Henry?” Sabrina’s voice sounded drugged. Her eyes were still closed, lashes fluttering against her cheeks as wildly as the pulse hammering at her throat. “Don’t…don’t stop. Please.”
Lady Carrington’s garish, rouged lips formed a little O of shock.
In that moment, Henry knew there was nothing for it but to play the cards he’d been dealt. Even if he pulled away and stopped right then, it was already too late. The damage was done. Not unhappily, he obliged Sabrina’s request. After a few seconds, he heard their spectator fleeing back down the hall.
In approximately five minutes every person of consequence in the Somerset ballroom would be informed that one Lady Sabrina Grayson had been caught in flagrante delicto with one Lord Henry Montgomery.
This must be what it feels like to drown…
Sabrina cataloged the differences between this kiss and the first. They were quite distinct. The first had been an exploration. This one tasted of pure hunger.
Montgomery’s hands were everywhere, trailing fire across her body wherever they made contact. Had he not been holding her so fiercely, she would have collapsed to the floor when his thumb dipped beneath the edge of her bodice to graze a nipple.
He pulled away just in time.
