And, unfortunately, neither was he.
“He is,” Malum agreed, staring at the toes of his shoes. “And far too interested in your circumstances.”
She glanced over at him and frowned.
“Because of our engagement?” she asked.
Our engagement…
Malum cleared his throat. “I thought so, initially. But not now. He mentioned the difficulties you’ve had with your speech—your memory—almost as though he has a stake init somehow…” He watched her eyes as she considered this information. “He mentioned the fire. And the investigation…”
Malum didn’t know quite what to make of it, but he had a feeling that he was right about this, about her needing protection. There was something important locked away in her memories.
He’d come to this dinner without a well-thought-out plan, expecting it to be little more than an opportunity to spend time with Melanie’s family and further convince them of this charade. But now, he couldn’t help but consider that she might be in very real danger. Perhaps they should put an end to this so-called engagement and get her as far from London as possible.
She was staring at the sky again.
And then, God help him, she licked her lips.
He should send her back inside. Then, he should go to her brother and insist he and his family leave London for the remainder of the Season.
But then she turned her head, and her gaze, luminous and…hungry, flicked from his eyes to his mouth.
She licked her lips again.
“This—” He broke off, his voice rough, low. He wasn’t even sure what he intended to say—maybe to remind her that this was a bad idea.
But the words never came.
CONTROL IS OVERRATED
One second, Melanie was staring into his silver eyes, darkened by some unfathomable emotion. The next, his body was hovering over hers, his presence eclipsing everything, even the stars.
And then their mouths were touching, and only their mouths.
Still holding himself up, he trailed his tongue along her lips.
She hummed—a needy, desperate sound.
This wasn’t just a kiss—it was both a battle cry and a surrender.
A war with her senses, where he fired the first shot and she raised the white flag. Her heart pounded, echoing the relentless pressure of his lips, and her thighs tightened.
Heat ignited under her skin, spreading like wildfire, as she moved her mouth against his.
She clutched his lapels, and he groaned.
Melanie pulled him closer.
It was reckless. It was maddening. And when his weight dropped, pressing her into the grass, she yielded with a sigh.
“Oh, yes.”Please.
He settled between her legs, the warmth of his chest, his belly, his muscled thighs… Heat coiled in her stomach, a slow, spreading warmth that left her so dizzy that if she wasn’t already lying down, her knees would have collapsed beneath her.
It was so much better than she imagined, but still not enough.
Her hands crept around his neck. Silken strands of his hair curled around her fingers.
