Page 43 of To Heal a Broken Earl
And then his lips swept down and claimed hers in a kiss.
A kiss that was even better than the one they’d shared in the study.
A kiss that took her breath away.
A kiss that made her heart soar.
She tasted him, tasted the brandy on his lips. Heady. Sensuous.God in heaven!She almost swooned when he entwined his tongue with hers.
His lips drifted, tracing the line of her jaw, trailing down her neck, down to the top of her gown—leaving her breathless and wanting more…so much more.
“I will keep you safe, Emma,” he murmured in between kisses. “I promise. I promise…” He said it like a mantra. Like a prayer.
She did believe him. She had never doubted his courage. His bravery.
His strength, his powerful arms around her, made her heart pound in her ears.
The scent of him—soap, sandalwood, citrus, leather, and brandy—washed away her lingering panic and fear about Morgrave.
The breath she didn’t know she’d been holding shuddered out of her. Suddenly, it wasn’t fear that consumed her. It was him.
His lips traveled back to her mouth to capture hers once more.
His kiss was fierce, demanding, as if he needed to prove something to her.
She let herself fall into it, trembling and tasting, kissing him back as fiercely as he was kissing her.
She heard him groan, and she felt a feminine power surge through her, power that she could make him know as much desire as he made her feel.
She twined her hands in his hair, and he groaned again. His hands moved down her arms and up her back, making her shiver, as she felt the goosebumps along her skin.
He finally broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers. “If I don’t stop now, I won’t be able to ever stop…” he rasped.
She leaned back and gazed up at him, dreamily searching his face. “I wish we didn’t have to stop… But I understand.”
“God, woman. What you do to me!”
“Are you going to be grumpy again?”
“Hell no! But if I don’t leave now, I fear for my virtue.”
She burst into laughter. “We mustn’t have that. If you don’t have your virtue, what do you have?”
“Happiness? Satisfaction? I can think of many other things worth having…” He stepped back and blew out a deep breath.
“Thank you for the flowers.” She smiled. “And the apology.”
“Thank you for forgiving me.” He grinned. “And forun-stinkifyingthe salve.”
He turned to walk to the door, but before he left, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight, Michael.”
“Goodnight, Emma.”
~*~
Long after Michael left, Emma lay in her bed, thinking about their conversation and their kiss. She believed that Michael, Wright, and Armstrong would work with the authorities to capture Morgrave. She hoped it would be soon. But what would happen after? She and Katie would leave and go home. Go back to live with Evie and Martin—wherever they were living once this was all over. But there was one thing that would not be over, and that was her feelings for Michael. Because now she knew that she was in love with him. Completely, and hopelessly in love…
~*~
