The laugh bubbled up. “Did you now? Would you have beendisappointed?”
He threw a hand to his heart. “Devastated.”
As they both laughed, a sudden shyness draped over her at the intensity of his gaze, and breaking eye contact, she stared down at the roses. Her cheeks warmed, no doubt turning the same color as the flowers she held.
“Miss Weatherby? Anne?”
Lifting her gaze, she stared into those lovely eyes of his.
He’d ceased laughing, and his expression grew solemn. “I am sorry to have put you in such an untenable position, but I’m sincere when I say I think we can make a go of this.” He coughed and turned briefly to the open doorway. “If the kiss we shared is any indication, our marriage could be most pleasurable.”
Memory of that kiss caused her previously warm face to heat again. But what if it had just been the culmination of fear, desperation, and the excitement of being locked in a closet with a man? What if, in the light of day, it proved lackluster or, worse, had been all in her imagination?
Unable to meet his eyes lest her face burst into flame, she toyed with a velvety rose petal. “I think we should kiss again. Just to be certain it wasn’t a fluke.”
“A fluke? How does a gently bred lady know a billiards term?”
Anne’s gaze shot to his, and she squared her shoulders. Was he insulting her? “I know quite a bit about billiards, my lord. However, if you’re afraid?—”
His mouth was on hers in an instant, and she completely forgot about her attempt to challenge him. But oh, goodness. A fluke it most certainly was not. Unlike their first kiss, which had started so sweet and gentle, this kiss was hungry, raw, demanding. If she’d thought her face had been hot before, she was sadly mistaken. Flames nipped and rippled through her whole body, threatening to consume her and send her remains up in a puff of smoke.
She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care. Instinct took over, and when his tongue demanded entrance, she welcomed him. Heady and delicious, his clean shaving soap and bergamot filled her senses. His lips were soft but insistent. He pulled her close, crushing the bouquet of roses between them. She slid one hand on his chest, notto push him away, but to feel the hard planes of muscle beneath her palm.
Too soon for her liking, he broke the kiss. Hot and seductive, his breath brushed against the corner of her mouth. “Do you still believe it’s a fluke, or shall I kiss you again?”
“No. Yes. I’m so confused.”
“Good.” His soft chuckle tickled her already sensitive lips. “Not that you’re confused. That you don’t believe it’s a fluke.” He nipped at her lips. “And you want me to kiss you again.” Rising, he straightened his coat. “But perhaps that’s enough kissing for one day.”
“Is there a limit on kissing for a betrothed couple?” She certainly hoped not.
With a gentle caress she wouldn’t have believed him capable of a day before, he cupped her face. His thumb skimmed her cheek and brushed across her mouth. “No limit except on my restraint.”
The touch of his hand upon her cheek sent her gaze darting to the bandage covering his. “Does it hurt very much? Your face where Mr. Grey wounded you?”
He waved it off as if it were a trifle. “A mere scratch. Even Ashton is unconcerned, and he is nothing if not thorough when it comes to his medical practice. There probably won’t even be a scar.”
Anne wasn’t certain if she hoped there would be a scar or not.
“Now, I should like to find my daughters and tell them the news before the word spreads to everyone else in the house. Shall we do it together?”
So touched by his offer to include her in such a momentous task, Anne was speechless for the second time that day.
The smile that had transformed his face vanished. “I understand if you don’t wish to.”
Ninny!“No. I mean, yes, I do. I’m simply astonished you want me with you.”
His brow furrowed, and part of her wished to smooth his distress away. “Why wouldn’t I? You’ll be a big part of their lives.” He held outhis hand. “Shall we?”
She slipped her hand into his, and the slide of skin against skin sent a tingling warmth up her arm and through her body. Then, as she stood, he wrapped her hand around his forearm and led her from the room.
How could this be the same man who veritably growled at her when they’d met? Had her judgment been so misguided, or was this a clever ruse on his part to trap her into marriage? Although Anne wasn’t much of a reader, Honoria had given her a gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe calledThe Mysteries of Udolpho, which she’d quite enjoyed. Did Lord Manning have a gloomy castle, and did his dead wife haunt it. In a fit of jealousy, would she seek vengeance on Anne?
She gazed up at Lord Grump, hoping she wasn’t making a horrible and tragic mistake.
“My lord.What was your wife like?” Anne’s question threw Colin off kilter.
“Margery?” He paused and called forth her image, a bit unnerved at the difficulty of the task. “Gentle. Kind. Soft-spoken. I don’t think I ever heard her utter a disparaging word about anyone.”
