Page 56 of Tempting the Earl

Her lips parted on a breathy sigh as her lashes fluttered over a sparkling gaze.

She didn’t answer. Nor did she try to pull away.

Against all better judgement, he allowed himself the luxury of holding her close as he stared into her lovely eyes. But he wanted her closer. He wanted her body wrapped around his. He wanted his hands on her bare skin and his lips teasing hers. He wanted to hear her sultry moans as he explored the dewy folds between her legs.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and a short sound got caught in her throat. Her attention flew from his eyes to his mouth and back again. The surprise in her expression finally clued him in to the fact that for several intimate moments, he hadn’t hidden his thoughts.

A monumental mistake. She’d seen everything.

Stiffening, she pulled back. He immediately loosened his hold as self-reproach flowed through him. He should have been more mindful, more self-aware. He never should have allowed such a breach of decorum or such a blatant display of his wayward desires. It was unforgiveable.

He carefully reinstated a proper distance between them.

She stared at him for a long, tense, and silent moment before shifting her attention to glance about the room. Her voice was light, but he detected something odd in her words as she spoke. “I’m feeling a bit overwarm. I believe Angelique mentioned a garden.” Her gaze found his again and the light flickering in their depths sent a frisson of alarm through his blood. “Perhaps you’d escort me outside for a wee breath of fresh air?”

Colin didn’t respond right away. Her request was not at all what he expected and he wasn’t sure if she was aware of the implication behind such an invitation. Surely, she must not be aware that gardens were notorious for harboring clandestine meetings.

She needed fresh air. That was all.

He lifted his head to scan the room and noted a row of doors already opened to the night air. No doubt there was a balcony of some sort just beyond which remained respectfully in full view of the room. They could step outside for a brief reprieve then come right back in.

Nothing scandalous about that.

So, why did the blood rush from his head as his body tightened with acute anticipation?

“Just for a moment,” he said. The words sounded convincing enough and she nodded as they both turned to stroll casually toward the doors.

Stepping outside, he confirmed the presence of a narrow terrace open to the garden just three steps down. He had only a moment to glance about and confirm no one else was around before he realized the woman at his side was continuing forward.

“It’s best to stay here,” he noted sternly, “within the light from the ballroom.”

“Why?” she asked with a quick look over her shoulder as she picked up her skirts and descended the short steps to the lawn.

He grasped his wrist behind his back. “To avoid whispers of impropriety.”

She gave a scoffing snort and just kept walking.

As a gentleman, Colin obviously couldn’t let the woman stroll into a darkened garden alone, without protection. He’d have to follow her. At a respectful distance, of course.

Staying a few steps behind, he kept pace with her as she tipped her head back to gaze at the thin sliver of a moon and the scattered stars overhead. Her sigh slipped through him like a warm, silken mist. Soft and sultry.

“It’s such a lovely night,” she said gently. “It’d be a shame to spend all of it indoors.” She glanced over her shoulder again. This time her expression was almost coy. “Dinnae you agree?”

“The night is lovely,” he agreed before offering a warning, “but straying too far can be dangerous.”

She laughed then and turned to face him though she continued to walk backwards, still lifting her skirts well above her ankles to free her stride. “Dangerous? It’s a walled garden in the middle of London. I dinneae expect to encounter any wild beasts.”

“Just those of the two-legged variety,” he answered.

She came to a stop then and tilted her head as she peered at him through the faint moonlight. “But you’re here to protect me, my lord. Isnae that why you followed me even though it’s so very improper?” She paused and her voice lowered, the husky tone melting into the darkness around them. “Unless it’s you I need to be wary of.”

He’d stopped when she had, but now she came toward him. With slow, deliberate steps. Until his arms ached with the force it took to keep his hands behind his back and she had to tip her head back to meet his gaze, just as she had done to view the stars.

“Are you a beast in disguise, my lord?”

Her voice was a heady whisper, loaded with suggestion and challenge.

Colin ground his back teeth and took a deep breath through his nose. A mistake—as her warm, sweet, sensual scent entered his head and spread out through his blood until his entire body felt infused with her essence.

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