Page 26 of A Gentleman's Guide to Save a Lady
“They involved my sister in a dangerous project. No man worth his salt would ever allow a lady to venture into harm’s way.”
“They would never have let any harm befall Evelyn or me. Besides,youare a gentleman worth his salt, are you not, and yet here I am, venturing into danger with you by my side.”
“Stubborn women, the lot of you,” Simon groused.
She smiled at that. “Be that as it may, I must insist on your departure. Perhaps you have not given adequate thought to my reputation and what might happen if it were ever discovered that you stayed overnight here.”
“Your aunt is in residence and she serves as your chaperone.”
“Yet it is also well known that my aunt cannot keep her eyes open for more than ten minutes on end.”
“Much can happen in ten minutes,” Simon agreed.Much.
“Where do you plan to sleep? In the servant’s quarters? In disguise?”
“No.”
“In Quinn’s chambers, then?”
His eyes lowered to her lips and he heard her slight intake of breath. “No.”
“In Bradford’s chambers?”
“No to that, too.” His voice had changed to a hoarse whisper.
Her lips parted slightly but no sound emerged. “Then where are you planning to sleep?”
“Here.”
His whisper was muted as his lips touched hers in a gentle kiss. When she made no movement of retreat, he softly ran his tongue over her lower lip. A moan sounded at the back of her throat and that was all the encouragement he needed.
“You taste like heaven,” he growled before deepening the kiss. He shifted his weight then, his much larger frame covering hers as his knee settled over her and she rolled into him.
Somewhere in the back of Belle’s mind, self-preservation battled to gather her scattered wits. It was only when his knee parted her thighs that her senses returned full force and she pushed out of his embrace, scrambling from the bed.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, her breath coming out in short gasps.
An arrogant brow lifted, though he seemed to fight to gain control over the lust she saw in his gaze.
“I thought that was quite obvious. I was kissing you.”
She exhaled, her body still quivering from his onslaught to her senses. “Yes, but why—wait, never mind the reason, it cannot happen again.”
His jaw clenched and the fire returned to his eyes. “The reason matters. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time.”
He wanted to kiss her for a very long time.
Belle’s mouth dropped open but she shut it just as quick. “You must leave, now. This,” she waved her hand over him and the bed, “must never happen again.”
An implacable masked settled over his face as he rose to his feet, his stormy gaze plastered to her face. The muscles in his arms flexed, as though it took all of his willpower not to shake her to her senses.
Well, he could bunch his arms all he’d like—her senses were very much in place! She supposed she must look quite seductive, only semi-clad and with her mass of blond hair cascading down to her waist. Still, that was no reason to behave so ridiculously out of character.
“I’m staying here until De Roux is caught and dealt with, whether you like it or not.”
Farthing hell! This could not be happening.
But by the stubborn set of his jaw, Belle knew he would not change his mind.
