Page 16 of A Beauty for a Duke

“There’ll be no phys–”

“Ah, you two found the mistletoe. I bet that was on purpose.” The kind looking gentleman from earlier lauded the couple and started chanting, “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.”

Egan started to protest when he felt a gentle weight on his forearm. Before he knew what was happening, the softest lips to grace the earth brushed the underside of his jaw.

His insides clenched and his heart tore free from its cage. How could such sweetness exist all in one person?

But he didn’t have time to think about it. Sofie said, “There now. That should satisfy you until the next couple walks through.” And she beamed a smile to the man.

“Any physicians in here?” she asked.

“None here. Try the next room.” Egan noticed a playful look on the man’s face but didn’t understand the meaning.

But Sofie was on the move again. He caught up to her under the second doorframe, this one to exit the room. Before the two could escape, the same gentleman shouted, “Not so fast!”

Egan looked up. Another mistletoe.Damn.

“Another kiss!” He shouted.

The real live déjà vu was setting in, but real life was moving faster. This time Sofie’s hand was on his bicep, and he wanted to flex for her and feel her shudder at his strength, but then her lips were on his cheek, so close to the corner of his mouth. Decidedly, that close must have been a mistake on her part.

And then the déjà vu was over and so was the moment. But the feelings. God, the heat surging through his body was about to set him aflame. He was surprised he hadn’t singed his kilt with his swelling cock.

God, what was she doing to him?

But that woman was already into the middle of the room asking the next group. “Any physicians here?”

A resoundingnobounced off the walls.

Then Egan saw the man from the previous room enter. “I don’t think he’s here. But I just remembered something. Try the back room. I think one was called there for an emergency.”

Egan leaned toward where Sofie’s ear was supposed to be to tell her that he didn’t trust this man’s suggestion. But she was already gone.

Damn. Damn. Hell and damnation. Couldn’t she just stay still for a second?

“I don’t think we should be going back here,” Egan started to say. He had followed Sofie into a back room that looked more like a storage room than anything else. He supposed the physician could have been called here. There was a large table to attend to someone. But for some reason he doubted he was there. Largely because no one was there.

Sofie was standing alone, a few steps into the room. “Well, this is odd.”

“Yes. Very. We should go.”

“Oh, look. Another mistletoe.”

Bollocks.Was the devil torturing him?

“At least no one is here to hold us accountable.” Sofie smiled at him. Only at him. It teased his heart. He wanted to taste her sweetness. She had kissed him twice already. Surely, he could kiss her once. If he could have just one taste, surely that drop of sweetness would be enough to last him a lifetime.

Hands akimbo, Sofie said, “Egan, don’t you want to do something about that toothache?”

Without looking, he reached back and slammed the door shut behind him. “Dammit Sofie. It’s not a toothache.”It’s a much different, much bigger ache.And if Egan had stopped to reflect more deeply, he would have acknowledged the ache in his heart. But he couldn’t quite go there yet.

“So you don’t need to do anything about it then?”

“Yes, I do. I very much need to do something about this ache.”

“But you just said–”

“I know what I said. Now let me show you what I mean.”

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