Page 13 of The Grand Mistletoe Assembly
A DARING MISTLETOE KISS BY TANYA WILDE
Spice Level ??????
Copyright © 2023 by Tanya Wilde.
All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 1
Dare.
—From the Diary of Lillian Wright
“I’ve decided to steal a kiss.”
“What? Where? With whom?”
“At the Pearler charity ball next week.”
Nancy choked on a sip of tea. “What?”
Pippa grinned at her best friend. “Who knew the gentlemen of thetonare so polite? Since they dare not venture into the wild state of their nature, I’m left with no choice but to take matters into my own hands.”
Which was why, the moment Pippa had heard Lord Dare, a handsome rake, was attending the event, she knew the ball was the perfect place to seize the moment—and her first kiss.
Nancy’s eyes widened. “You have someone in mind?”
“I do.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
Pippa’s smile rose a notch. “Lord Dare.”
“As in the most shockingly infamous libertine in all of England. That Lord Dare?”
Pippa nodded. “Well, I can’t kiss just any man. He needs to be daring. Who better than the man who carries the very word in his name?”
Nancy’s eyes lit with a sparkle of mischief. “Sound reasoning.”
“Besides,” Pippa went on, “I’m already nineteen this year and nary a kiss in sight. This won’t do. I refuse to enter the age of twenty without my first kiss.”
Nancy placed her tea on the table. “Name aside, are you sure he is the best candidate? He’s awfully scandalous. While I am not against you taking matters into your own hands, I don’t wish for you to be ruined because of it.”
“Lord Dare isn’tthatbad.”
“It’s rumored that he can rob you of your chastity with just one look.”
Pippa laughed. “Nonsense. A man must do more than that to steal a woman’s chastity.”
“There is the innocence of the body and there is the innocence of the soul,” Nancy pointed out. “You do not wish to lose your soul to a man like Dare, do you?”
“So, my soul’s chastity is at stake, then?” Pippa pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I believe I shall take that chance.”
A loud sigh interrupted their conversation, followed by the rustle of paper. Jeremy Locke, the third person who made up their friendship triangle, shot them a pained look. “You do realize I’m still present.”
“And?” Nancy returned his look. “It’s not the first time you’ve been present for one of our juicier conversations.”
“Be that as it may, what man wants to listen to women talk about rumors and rakes? Or the wild natures of men, stealing kisses and innocence of the body.” He shifted in his seat and muttered, “Sometimes I suspect you forget I’m a man. I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my life.”
