Page 39 of The Trouble with Anna

“The rules are new to me too,” he growled.

Anna fisted her hand in his jacket and kissed him back. “You’re lying!” She opened her mouth for his tongue. “You’ve played before.”

His hands tightened on her waist. “I’ve never played like this.”

Anna nipped him hard on the blade of his jaw. “What if I don’t like the game?”

He dragged a hand slowly up over the sensitive skin of her stomach to cup her breast, his eyes flaring when she gasped. “I think you do.”

Anna bit his bottom lip as punishment, except the dratted man didn’t seem to mind. He gave a low hum of approval. Anna’s blood hummed along with him and she did it again.

“My lord, is this…” Her eyebrows drew together, even as she leaned back to give him better access to her neck. She was so mad—there was a reason!—but her blood had gone hot and syrupy and melted her wits away. “Lord Ramsay”—she gave a laugh, shaky and uncertain—“we seem to be having a kissing fight.”

“Mmm.” He nuzzled into her collarbone, sucked the tip of her earlobe. God, his mouth was hot. “Am I winning?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute.”

Her back was firm against the door now, one of his hands on her breast and the other on her shoulder, easing her dress down. He looked down and swallowed, his pupils enormous. “Christ, what you do to me.”

Julian’s mouth lowered almost reverently to her nipple, and he tortured them both by rubbing his lips against it softly until he seemed to break. He uttered a pained growl and sucked it deep into his mouth.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway outside, bringing them back to reality. Julian gave her nipple a last, helpless kiss, and pulled her dress back into place.

They rested their foreheads against each other, breathing together.

“Lord Ramsay?” she said, when she could form words again.

“Julian. Please say my name.”

“Julian. I—” Anna paused and forced herself to gather her thoughts. “Please tell me—why were you angry when you left the ballroom?”

He moved to kiss her again, but Anna shook her head.

“No! You can’t kiss me witless and think it will shut me up.”

His lips twisted. “I can try.”

“Julian, please! All this—it scares me. Can we at least have some truth between us?”

He rested his forehead against hers again and his breath came out in a long shudder. “All right. Come to me at Ramsay House tomorrow. It’s time we sort things out.”

CHAPTER16

ANNA WAS ALL NERVES THATevening and Julian seemed to like it. He came to dinner, again, and winked at her, and she was so startled that she dropped her spoon into her chocolate soufflé, earning a laugh from him and a look of grave concern from the Dowager.

“My dear,” the Dowager said, “are you quite all right?”

“Yes, quite!” said Anna, aware that her ears were burning as a footman whisked her spoon away and presented her with a new one.

But was she? Something strange was happening to her and it was all due to the whiskey-eyed devil at the head of the table, candlelight flickering over his face and casting all sorts of fascinating shadows. Even the hollow above his blunt chin melted her brains away.

Anna peeped over at Julian, who had bent his head to his ramekin and—Anna’s eyebrows beetled. The man had his nose over the cloud of chocolate and was inhaling deeply. If he wasn’t careful, he’d snort the whole thing up.

“My lord, what an unusual way to eat your pudding,” she called. “You’ll have better luck if you use your mouth.”

He smiled lazily and pushed the plate away. “I don’t care for sweets.”

“But you take a serving whenever it’s offered and then you stare at it with such longing. Why—”

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