And exactly as in London, his body reacted with absurdly strong desire.
“Mm,”she hummed against his mouth.
When he drew back, her brown eyes opened wide, her visage appearing shocked. In truth, James was surprised too, believing until that moment he would be perfectly capable of ignoring the attraction between them. Even for a rake, it was rash behavior to do such a thing in the middle of the dayandin the middle of a room with large windows.
Should he offer his profound apology despite not feeling the least bit sorry?Feeling quite the opposite and with her staring at his mouth with blatant interest, there was only one thing he could do.
Tilting his head to the other side, he fused his mouth to hers again, deepening the kiss. With longing coursing through him, James wished it wasn’t broad daylight with Prinny and all his courtiers directly outside the Pavilion, probably awaiting their return. Elsewise, alone with her in the palace’s cool interior, it would be tempting to test that comfortable sofa.
Sliding his tongue across her lower lip, she opened her mouth. The tip of his tongue charged in like the Royal Calvary to stroke and explore. When her fingers tugged on his hair, the sensations sent a direct tug to his shaft, too.
“Grr,”she growled, astonishing him until he realized the noise emanated from her stomach.
Leaning away, he looked down to see her smiling ruefully, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
“My apologies for such an ignominious sound.”
“No, it is for me to offer mine. I know you’re all but starving, yet I detained you.”Detainedwas a mild term for dancing with her tongue and sucking on her lower lip. Yet if she wasn’t going to refer to the inadvisable breach of propriety, then he wouldn’t either.
“Let us hasten to get you fed, lest you fall into the sea during the next event only to be carried away into the Channel.”
He would miss her if she did.
She chuckled softly, her gaze holding his.
“My bonnet,” she asked. “Still straight?”
He nodded and offered her his arm.
***
When beauteous fair-ones to the beach repair,
To taste the wave, or breathe the sea-fraught air;
Or wait in turns, their lovely forms to lave,
And steal fresh beauties from the ambient wave.
–Brighton. A Poemby Mary Lloyd, 1809
GLYNNIS FELT PERFECTLYsatisfied when the Prince Regent announced it was time to stroll down to the beach and the bathing area. She’d been thoroughly, toe-curlingly kissed! Hargrove was a master at it, and all she could think of was“More, please.” She could easily imagine a lifetime of his kisses.
Beyond that, her satisfaction was due to filling up on Scotch eggs, cold roast beef, ribs of lamb, roast duck, and the sausage rolls she’d been hoping for. There were even pork pies, spinach pudding, and pickled vegetables, along with tray upon tray of sweets, as well as comforts coated in sugar.
She hoped she wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the ocean floor.
And at the end of it, when she thought the picnic was surely over, servants rolled out two buckets filled with ice and salt. Inside each was a metal pot holding perfectly blended ice cream.
The ladies clapped, and even the men looked rather chuffed as they all stood and swarmed the servants under the shade of the largest tree.
“It’s like being at Gunter’s in London,” Glynnis said to Hargrove, who appeared by her elbow. Even he couldn’t be grumpy about Brighton when there was such a treat.
When everyone had their fill of the blackberry and the strawberry ice cream, trays of a sweet cold ginger drink were brought out.
“To aid the speed and ease of your digestion,” the Prince Regent assured them.
“So we can all stuff ourselves again tonight,” Hargrove muttered to her. She’d nearly forgotten there was another assembly that evening.
