The little drate-poke!
“You didnotjust say that. After I was being so kind to you! Don’t you dare do that in front of the others, or it will be all we hear about for the rest of Ascot. Have the decency to wait until we’re back home.”
A low chuckle from the doorway made her jump. It was Eli, leaning against the frame.
Had he been listening this whole time?
“When did you get back? It’s very rude to eavesdrop,” Jane scolded, her face growing hot. “I was having a private conversation with Tommy.”
“So I see. And we just arrived five minutes ago.”
“Did you hear him say ‘mama’ just now?”
“I heard nothing of the sort.”
“No,” Jane agreed. “A three-month-old cannot say ‘mama.’ It’s impossible.”
“Quite so.” Eli sauntered into the room to where she stood. Close enough to make her skin prickle with awareness.
“Would you like to hold him?”
“I don’t want to interrupt. How was your outing with Hannah?”
“It was lovely. I think she needed a bit of a break from the crowd.”
“Hmm.” Eli nodded, though he paused to make a wide-eyed face for Tommy. Once the baby looked away and slumped his head back on Jane’s shoulder, he continued, “It was kind of you to take her out this morning. I haven’t been here to watch over her the way I should have. I’m glad she has friends she can rely on.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” Jane said. The mantle of his praise was too heavy for her comfort, particularly when she was plotting to unearth his secrets.
“I didn’t presume you had. But I’m thanking you all the same.”
She pretended to be very interested in Tommy so that she could avoid Eli’s gaze. But even without looking at him, she could feel his nearness. Catch his scent of cedar. She wished she’d cleaned up first instead of giving Hannah the bath. She was still in her riding habit, and her hair was probably a mess.
As if reading her mind, Eli reached over and brushed a straystrand from Jane’s temple, his touch so light that it made her want to tilt her head toward it in chase of the contact like a cat. She held still with great effort.
“May I kiss you?” he murmured. His voice was like a kiss itself, slow and sensual. “I’ve been thinking about it since forfeits last night. I want a real kiss this time.”
“We can’t. I’m holding a baby.”
He laughed. “What does that have to do with it?”
“You’d scandalize him. What if he grew up to be a rakehell? We’d always wonder if we were the cause.”
“I think I can live with the guilt. It’s only a kiss, nothing more. Besides, he’s almost asleep.”
Sure enough, Tommy’s eyelids were drooping closed, his mouth agape.
“Well…”
Eli must have heard the hesitation in her voice, for he hooked his thumb under her chin and tugged her mouth gently toward his. Her reserve gave way, and she let it happen. His kiss was gentle, but not chaste. Not like last night.
He sampled first her upper lip and then her lower, tasting her at leisure. He held himself back, true to his word, but there was a tension in his every move. As if the effort cost him. When Jane dared to slip the tip of her tongue into his mouth, Eli groaned.
How she loved that sound.
He pulled away, his eyes still fixed on her lips as if he wasn’t quite finished with them. Neither of them spoke.
Finally, he said, “Why don’t you let me take him back to his nurse?”
