“I—I do not…I mean, I suppose I could sit down and consider…”
“Barbie.”
His sharp tone interrupted her in the middle of her demurring, and she gaped up at him, lips parted, breaths coming too fast. With a little sigh of surrender—hers or his, she wasn’t sure—Kenneth slid his hand up her shoulder to the back of her neck. When he squeezed, Barbara shivered at the remarkable sensation skittering down her spine then up again to end at her nipples.
Who had any idea nipples could be connected to her spine?
Judging from the way she was pressing her thighs together to capture that delicious pressure, the rest of her body had always had a fairly good idea.
“Barbara, love,” he repeated, his voice softer. “I trust ye. Ye’re brilliant—I ken it, ye ken it, every man here kens it.” His thumb was brushing small circles in the small hairs at the base of her skull, making itextremelydifficult to concentrate on his words. Which was a shame, because his words really were magnificent. “I believe ye can do this.”
Her free hand rose to rest against his chest. “Kenneth?”
His gaze dropped to her lips. “Aye?” he almost groaned.
“I should rather like to kiss you now, if you do not mind?—”
Barbara almost swallowed her words as his mouth dropped to hers, but she didn’t mind; she was already smiling against his lips, reveling in the feel of him.
Over the years, she’d read her fair share of wicked novels, romantic novels, and everything in between. But this kiss?
Nothing she’d read could have prepared her for this kiss.
Who knewtongueswere so relevant? Who knew they could do things besides speak and whistle and?—
When his tongue slid across her lips Barbara opened them with a little moan, delighted by the sensation.
Still holding her, Kenneth stepped closer until her hand was flattened against his chest and she could feel his heart pounding a rhythm to match hers. She could also feelotherthings, a hardness which made her thighs clench so hard they spasmed and her fingers clutch at his lapels.
Thank goodness he was holding her upright.
With a little noise of approval—or perhaps pleasure—Kenneth deepened the kiss, his fingers massaging her neck while a thumb traced small circles on the inside of her wrist. He really was quite good at this kissing thing, wasn’t he?
Barbara recognized it; recognizedhim, recognized what he was doing to her. She was intelligent and well-educated, ofcourseshe recognized a rake when she saw one. He was seducing her. She was at the center of a seduction.
And in this moment, in this place…she absolutely did not care.
This was the experience she’d been waiting for: a man who treated her as worthy of passion, worthy of desire, worthy ofunderstanding.
She wanted this. Wantedhim.
Kenneth’s mouth left hers, kissing along her jaw. With a little moan of encouragement Barbara tipped her head back, offering him better access to her throat and thrusting her breasts into?—
“Ho-ho-ho, what have we here?”
The jovial call was a proverbial bucket of unwelcome cold water. Between one heartbeat and the next Kenneth jerked away from her, dropping his hold on her to turn to face the display case as Barbara pressed her palms to her chest and tried to steady her breathing.
“M-Mr. Sinter…” She swallowed, wondering how disheveled she looked. “I am—we were merely?—”
“Tut-tut, Miss Fokette.” The jolly, big-bearded man was waving his finger at her, as if she were a naughty child. “I wondered where you two had disappeared to, and now I see Sir Kenneth is doing his best to woo you with canopic jars, the bright lad!”
“I…” Barbara glanced to her right where Kenneth stood, his back to Mr. Sinter, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes screwed up tightly. He looked as if he were fighting for control.
Perhaps it was for the best he said nothing right now.
Mr. Sinter, still beaming, offered his arm. “Your hair and gown still look lovely, my dear. Come, let us join the lecture and no one will be the wiser.”
What a remarkably kind offer. Barbara found herself relaxing that this dalliance wouldn’t ruin her standing in the eyes of her mentor, and flicked one last glance at Kenneth.
