She took a couple steps backward and sneezed again.
And again.
She opened her reticule and dug furiously inside until she withdrew a white handkerchief. This time when she sneezed, it was so violent that her spectacles flew off her face.
Carew decided it was time to intercede.
Dulcenia sighed.She should have known the instant she spied the pear tree that she was doomed. She loved the fruit itself when it was in season, but for some reason, the blooms did not care for her. Perhaps it was because, while they were lovely to look at, they weren’t the most fragrant bloom.
Either way, it wasn’t just pear blossoms that affected her. It was the same with many other plants and flowers, although she still couldn’t contain a certain weakness when it came to enjoying their elegant beauty.
And because of her failings, now she had lost her glasses somewhere among this immaculate green lawn, whereas she might never find them again.
“You might need these.”
Dulcenia jumped and turned to where the masculine voice had spoken. His face was slightly blurred, but his voice was smooth like the finest silk. It swept over her bare arms like a seductive whisper and caused gooseflesh to appear where her dress ended and her gloves began. “Who…” She paused as her nose tickled yet again. “Who…” A sharp inhale. “Who…”
“You’re starting to sound like an owl.”
She sneezed into her handkerchief and attempted to scowl, but more than likely it was just a squint. Without her glasses, she was practically blind. “If you have my spectacles, please give them to me.” She held out her hand.
It remained empty. “You can’t see that I have them?”
Although he sounded genuinely curious, she rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the question. “Apparently not.”
“Hmm. Interesting.”
She waited. Her hand continued to remain empty. “Sir.” She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice and failed. “I really must insist—”
Another set of lips touched hers.
She jumped back as if she’d been burned and blinked rapidly. “What do you think you’redoing?”
Silence, then, “Testing a theory.”
“What sort of theory is that?” she snapped. “Accosting a lady unaware? If so, I would kindly ask you to keep yourtheorieson the subject to yourself!”
He chuckled and for some reason, her body responded. More than that, really. Her blood practically sang in her veins. Dear Lord, was she goingmadfrom being in his presence?
A gentle hand touched her jaw. “Are you sure you aren’t just a little bit… curious if you’ll like it?”
Dulcenia opened her mouth to dispute the claim, but the words refused to come forth. Her heart started to pound as he kissed her a second time, and like a ninny, she stood there and let the absurdity occur.
Except… it didn’t seem quite so ridiculous when his lips began to move across hers. In truth, it was rather nice. But then, she had never been kissed before now, so she had no idea of what to expect. Certainly not the soft warmth, or the slight pressure, or…
She jerked when his tongue flicked out and touched the seam of her tightly closed lips. She could feel him smile when he whispered, “Open your mouth.”
“I… what?” At this point, she was finding it difficult to breathe, not to mention think. He was entirely too close, and then he dared to snake out his arm and wrap it around her waist and draw her against him. She gasped when his hard body made contact with hers, and he resumed the kiss, but this time, it was different. It was quite shocking, in fact, for his tongue dared to intrude into her mouth and slide along hers. But instead of being repulsed as she imagined, it was even more pleasant than before.
She moaned and the arm around her waist tightened as the kiss deepened. Flames burned through her belly and her head was starting to swim, reactions similar to the one time she’d consumed too much Madeira. Her aunt had given her a thorough scolding on proper behavior, and she’d not touched any since. Dulcenia wondered what the lady might say to her should she see her now. No doubt her ears would be blistered from her lectures.
A small bit of rebellion slid through Dulcenia’s mind and she dared to reciprocate the attention she was receiving. She wound her arms around his neck and boldly pressed her breasts against his chest. She could feel something hard pressing urgently against her midsection.
Instantly, she was released. “We should stop.”
Dulcenia blinked, not sure what she’d done wrong, but again, she couldn’t find the words to express what she was feeling. She’d certainly never experienced anything like it.
And she wanted more.
