“Will you break her heart by continuing your raffish ways?”
He sighed. “Not that it is any of your business, but I hope when I find the lady with whom I shall pledge my troth I shall be so much in love I will not ever think of straying.”
Miranda smiled. “That’s good. I wouldn’t like you to be that awful kind of man I’ve read about. You’re a better person than those other blackguards who are always named as going around to parties with their mistresses.”
“Like our Prince Regent?” he quipped.
“Yes, precisely. Maybe he should be the only one allowed to behave thusly.” She closed her eyes. At once, she felt his hands on hers, pulling her to her feet, and she opened her lids once again.
“Why am I exhausted?”
“You’ve had a long day,” he said, drawing her toward the open door. “We got up extremely early, if you can still recall. Now return to your room before—”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. She’d wanted to do it since she’d entered his room, but even more after the brandy had warmed her body and relaxed her.
“Mm,”she murmured against his firmly closed mouth. She licked his lower lip.Still closed.
Nor was he putting his arms around her and pulling her close. He wasn’t touching her at all!
Finally, she drew back, keeping her fingers locked behind his neck. She looked up at him. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be in pain.
She laughed again. “Is it particularly difficult for you to behave as a gentleman? Why, I believe you’re perspiring with the challenging task.”
“Out,” he ordered.
“Is it possible regardless of what I do, you will resist me?” She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
“Because you are a gentleman who has given your word to my father. In fact, you must be on your best behavior, even if I stroke your chin.”
She did exactly that. It was like having her own life-sized man-doll. Almost as good as asking him questions was being able to touch him in any manner she wanted.
“And if I want to feel the breadth of your shoulders,” she said while stroking her hands across the top of each, “and then touch your muscled arms,” and she caressed him from shoulder to elbow, “then you still won’t sweep me against you and ravish my mouth with your tongue?”
He made a strange groaning sound but opened his eyes, piercing her with their dark depths.
“If I slip my hands inside your banyan,” she began, and wantonly, she did, feeling the skin of his chest, smooth until she encountered the short curling hair. She froze.
“I have to see,” she told him before yanking wider the opening of his blue and gold silk gown.
“You saw my chest before,” he protested, “after the rowboat capsized.”
“I confess I was distracted by what you were doing to me to really notice.” She ran her fingers across the landscape of his body. “You are beautiful yet so different at the same time.”
Then she looked down to see his arousal jutting forward, and with a butterfly-soft touch, she stroked the length of it. It twitched, jerking against her hand as if it were a barely contained wild beast.
Nervously, she looked again into Philip’s eyes. They were blazing, even in the mere light of a single lamp.
“You must leave,” he whispered, sounding strangled.
She nodded. She knew she ought to. Instead, she went to the door and closed it.
Chapter Fifteen
“Miss Bright!” he exclaimed. “You were on your way to bed.”
“And I shall get there,” Miranda said agreeably, “but in just another few minutes.”
Philip felt helpless to gainsay her because more than anything, he wanted to know what she would do next. He hoped she would slip off her dressing gown and show him her treasures.
