“My lord,” she greeted when Mr. Dunley gave him entrance. “Please come this way.”
She wished she had her older sister’s lack of inhibition and could throw herself into his arms. Instead, she had only the proper words for the occasion.
“I offer my deepest apologies,” she told him immediately. “I jumped to a conclusion without letting you explain. Lady Varley put lies in my ear at the King William Street ball. Then you seemed to confirm her poisonous words by mentioning the sofa.”
He considered a moment.
“In the place of an apology,” he said, “I would rather you let me kiss you.”
“But you must accept my sincere regret,” she insisted.Didn’t he know her heart would be heavy with guilt until he did?“That’s how these things are handled and overcome and then put behind us.”
“Is that so?” He offered a smile that tugged at her heart.
“Don’t you think?” she asked. He had a look on his face that said otherwise.
Instead of agreeing, Foxford moved closer.
Purity didn’t back up. She’d been desperate to feel his arms around her and now stood her ground until they were toe-to-toe.
“Lady Purity Diamond, may I please have the honor of kissing you senseless?”
She laughed at his question, asked almost seriously. But he was waiting for an answer, for her permission. Since they were alone, she nodded.
Foxford rested a hand on either side of her waist and drew her close.
“You haven’t yet said you forgive me,” she reminded him.
He dropped a kiss on her lips, causing the first sizzle to snake through her.
“I struck you,” she said, but he kissed her again.
“Rather hard,” she added as he nibbled a path down her neck, making her shiver.
“Strange, the effect you have on me,” Purity said, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the paneled door. “For I am the least violent person you could hope to meet.”
His lips were on the upper swell of her breast, but he paused and lifted his head. She opened her eyes to see his eyebrows raised.
“Truly, I am,” she promised. “And I vow I shall never again slap you.”
He grinned. “I forgive you, kitten. After all, if I hadn’t been a scapegrace in the past, then you wouldn’t have thought the worst of me.”
“I will not jump to any more conclusions.”
“I know it’s hard to trust me, but I shall tell you what I told your sister since I ought to have told you first.”
She bit her lower lip.What was he confessing now?
“I adore you.”
Oh!
“I don’t know how it happened. I wasn’t expecting it when we met, not even after we kissed. I only knew I wanted to see you again. And again.”
His hands were caressing her, roaming up and down her ribcage, and Purity fervently wished she didn’t have on quite so many layers.
“And every time I encountered you, I admired you more until I didn’t want a single day to go by without you in it.”
She nodded, knowing exactly how he felt.
