He came closer still, until he was directly beside her. His scent was one of sandalwood with a hint of citrus, so intoxicating that Amelia was hit with a foolish urge—to lean into him.
“How was your trip, my lady?” the gentleman asked.
Amelia thought on the question for a moment. Perhaps he thought she was one of the guests who had come from outside of London to attend this evening’s ball. “It was not very difficult. I am not very far from here, you see.”
“Ah, then that will make it quite easy for us, don’t you think? Forgive me, my lady. I had not stopped to ask where you were residing before you came to London.” He took her hand. Amelia nearly jumped out of her skin. How bold! “But we have many days ahead of us, so there is so much more to be shared between us.”
“You are kind, my lord,” she answered stiffly, uncertain of what to do in this situation. As gently as she could, she pulled her hand from him and was alarmed by how cold she suddenly felt. Afraid that she might have just chased away the one gentleman willing to talk to her tonight, she quickly asked, “Are you enjoying the ball, my lord?”
He said nothing at first and Amelia gripped the railing tightly, afraid to look at him. Afraid to see that she had once again bored someone else.
But then he chuckled. “It wouldn’t do if I wasn’t, now would it?”
Her confusion deepened at that, but it was slightly overshadowed by her relief that he was still talking to her.
“And you, mademoiselle? Are you enjoying yourself?”
Mademoiselle? Did he think her French? WasheFrench?
Before she could ask the question, he put his hand atop hers once more. Amelia looked sharply at him but felt her resolve melt away under his gentle gaze. Her throat suddenly felt dry, all her lessons in modesty vanishing. “I…I am,” she managed and he smiled.
“That’s good. Then I consider this evening a job well done.”
Amelia could not fathom what he was talking about. She didn’t even care. All she could focus on was the hand on top of hers, the thumb stroking her knuckles.
“I must say, my lady,” he went on, “that your dialect is quite outstanding. One would believe that you were English.”
“That is because I am?” Amelia managed, confused. She knew she should pull away from him. She should not even be alone with him right now. But his touch was making all her sensible thoughts flee her mind.
Again, he chuckled. And again, it made her toes curl, heat tinging her cheeks. “Yes, let us go with that then. Tonight, we can be anyone we wish to be, can’t we?”
“…You may be right about that.”
“What is the matter, my lady?” Suddenly, he gripped her hand, pulling her around to face him fully. They were too close, her bosom almost brushing his chest. “Are you nervous?”
“Would it be bad?” Amelia breathed. She gave her words no prior thought. They simply flew from her tongue, acting on impulse since every fiber of her being was currently on fire.
A devilish grin stretched across his face. “It intrigues me, my lady. You were quite bold in your correspondences and yet you flush when I touch you like this.”
He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. All the warning bells in her mind went silent. Nothing but pure need took its place, her legs suddenly weak now that she was being held.
“Your fragrance is glorious,” he murmured, dipping his head closer to her.
“…And yours…is one of sin,” she murmured without thought, closing her eyes as she felt his breath on her neck.
“You make me want to sin,” he confessed in a low tone. One arm remained wrapped around her while his other hand kept control of her free wrist, his thumb making slow circles on her pulse. His lips brushed the side of her neck as if he was continuing to savorher scent and Amelia, to her complete surprise, tilted her head away to give him better access.
She was utterly mad. This was completely insane!
But she could not stop herself. This man was intoxicating, instilling within her something she’d never felt before.
The hand on the small of her back began to drift downward, brushing her rump. Amelia knew she should push him away, but she leaned in instead, thinking herself to be utterly insane. No matter how handsome this man was, it made no sense for a stranger to have this effect on her. Yet, when he gently grasped her rear and allowed his other hand to teasingly brush past her breasts over her gown, Amelia lost her mind.
She was panting, her body on fire. Her knees buckled a little and he chuckled as he caught her, twisting to press her firmly against the balustrade. He didn’t kiss her outright, simply skimming his fingers over her collarbone in light motions that threatened to drive her insane. Amelia didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she gripped the railing behind her again, trying to remember what the best thing was to do in this moment.
Ah, yes, she had to stop this.
But then his lips brushed her jaw and Amelia instinctively turned towards him, realizing she had not yet even taken a good look at this stranger. “Who are you? Let me see you,” she murmured against his forehead. She hadn’t a clue where thesebold words came from but her mind was far too muddled to think twice about them.
