She licked her lips in anticipation of another kiss, but while his gaze drifted to her mouth, he didn’t make a move to engage.
Slowly, those green orbs returned to hers.
Without breaking contact, he reached out his hand and trailed a finger from her cheek, down her neck and along her collarbone, pausing just above the edge of her neckline. Her nipples pinched beneath the confining material of her stays, and she wanted his hands on her breasts to caress that ache.
She bit her lip as he moved on, grazing the tops of her breasts and blazing a light trail to the other side of her face. Her legs moved restlessly beneath her skirts, her fists clenched at her sides in frustration.Why hasn’t he kissed me yet?Ishe going to kiss me? Oh, God, Iwanthim to kiss me...
She gasped when his teeth nipped her earlobe. While it wasn’t what she was craving, it was enough to make her shiver. When he dared to reach out and lick that sensitive spot with his tongue, her eyes slid closed.
“Jonathan...” she whispered.
She thought she heard him growl, but when he finally cupped her breasts in his palms, she was lost. With his thumb, he teased her through the layers of her dress and undergarments, the sensation going even further to arouse her senses. He licked a fiery path along her collarbone, and her head fell back against the wood grain.
If he didn’t kiss her soon, she would demand that he did so.
When one of his hands left her breasts, she nearly moaned at the loss, but when she felt a slight draft on her exposed ankles, she started to claw her way out of her haze.
What was he...?“Ohhh...”
How could he possibly dare to touch her —there?
Fanny knew that she ought to be mortified, or at the very least, embarrassed. She should push him away immediately, but she found that the only thing she could focus on was his wicked finger as he brushed that throbbing center of nerves at her core. He was creating such delightful sensations with a simple friction. She could feel something building, feel it coursing through her veins like liquid fire.
But it was just out of reach...
Her hands slid up his chest to clutch his shoulders.
He responded by tugging down a section of her bodice with his free hand, just enough to expose one of her breasts. The instant his warm mouth clasped onto her nipple, she came apart on a burst of white light. Numerous tremors rippled through her body. It seemed as if the pleasure would never end.
When it finally did, she felt like crying, like railing at the world for all its unfairness and disappointments. She’d finally found happiness, but she knew it was about to be ripped from her, that it wouldn’t last.
She took a deep breath, and drew herself up. The way she saw it, there was only one thing to do. Before Lord Castleford had a chance to break her heart completely, she would end it first. End itnow. Since she was going to be just another paramour in his long list of lovers, she had to act the part. She had to pretend to be completely unaffected by their interlude, when inside, she was a trembling mess.
***
“IMUST CONGRATULATEyou, my lord.”
Jonathan had been about to lay his heart bare and tell Fanny how he felt about her, when she spoke — and completely confused the hell out of him.
He blinked. And blinked again. “Pardon?”
She shrugged in a particularly nonchalant manner. “Oh, don’t be so modest.” She waved a hand as she moved away from the door. Did she actuallybather lashes at him when she passed?
Jonathan shook his head. He was going mad. That had to be the only rational explanation for this odd turn of events. “I’m sorry... what?”
Fanny sank onto the couch like any consummate actress. “That was absolutely wonderful. I daresay it’s no surprise you are such a favorite among the ladies of London if that is how you prove your devotion.”
She actuallygrinned, and Jonathan’s mind became even more befuddled. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied her keenly. “What are you doing?”
She ignored him to inspect her nails. “Why, whatever do you mean? I’m only saying that our interlude was quite spectacular. You have my deepest compliments.”
He snorted. “Now who’s the one playing games?”
“Oh, pish posh,” she waved a hand, and while Jonathan thought he heard her voice crack slightly, she kept her face carefully schooled. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
Silence.
“Fine.” He turned toward the door but then paused and glanced back at her. “I thought perhaps you might have been different from the rest, that you were made of something...” He paused. “More substantial, perhaps.” He straightened his jacket cuffs. “Rest assured, I shall not waste any more of your time now that I have performed to your satisfaction. Good day, Miss Grouseman. And goodbye.”
