“Oh, right,” he teased. “You asked me to guess if you were a tiger or a nun.”
He was simply too charming for words. “You know it was a leopard, and I never asked you to guess anything about me,” she said with a smile. “You are a devilish rogue who has twisted my words beyond recognition. You have forgotten what I said.”
His eyes turned serious as he held her close. “No, I haven’t forgotten one thing about you. But what I remember most about that afternoon was that our attraction to each other was instant and mutual. We both felt it.”
A quickening started in the depths of her abdomen and shuddered all the way up to her breasts and lingered there before moving on to her throat, tightening it.
“I’m not denying that,” she whispered.
His eyes searched her face. “What do you suggest we do about it?”
“Accept it?” she questioned.
His lips crooked into a captivating grin. “Perfect answer.”
His head bent toward hers again. Susannah knew what they were doing was not acceptable in Polite Society, and heaven help her but she didn’t care. There was something particularly delicious about once again being rebellious against all that her peers held dear. She had no inclination to discourage Race from the liberties he wanted, and she had no inhibitions about being in his arms.
Her lips parted again, and when his touched hers, she knew this would not be a gentle kiss. His lips brushed hungrily, greedily over hers, and she matched his fervor. His strong, firm arms wrapped tightly around her back and crushed her to him. It pleased her to hear him swallow small gasps of pleasure as her tongue explored the inside of his warm mouth. Passion, hot and demanding, seared between them.
He kissed his way over her chin, down her neck, and back up to the sensitive spot behind her ears. Susannah’s skin pebbled with delicious tingles. He kissed the lobe of her ear, pulling it and the small gold earring she wore into his mouth. Shivers of delight threaded across her breasts, through her abdomen, and settled between her legs. Her lower body strained to get closer to the hardness she felt beneath his breeches. The elating sensations caused her to press her lips to his once again and slide her tongue deep into his mouth with a muffled groan.
Susannah ran her open palms over the width of his strong back. She loved the feel of the expensive wool fabric of his coat beneath her hands. She slid her fingers into the back of his thick, rich hair and gloried in the freedom to touch him as she wished.
He found the hollow at the base of her throat, and his tongue sampled her skin again. “You taste as rich as the finest cream, Susannah.”
“You tempt me too much, Race.”
“I’ll consider that an honor.”
Desire soared between them as his hands ran up her back, over her shoulders, and down to her breasts. He cupped them, fondled them as he continued to kiss her lips, her cheeks, and her chest. She moaned her pleasure deep in her throat. Susannah felt as if her insides were twisting into wondrous knots of pleasure, and it was thrilling. She felt more alive than she had felt in years.
She loved the way his lips moved over hers and the taste of his tongue in her mouth. She was eager to enjoy everything she was experiencing, but should she give in to desire for a handsome, charming man as she once had?
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Susannah knew she was playing with fire so, reluctantly, she pushed out of his arms and stepped away from him.
Trying to calm his labored breathing, Race took a deep breath and smoothed down his hair with his hand.
“Susannah,” he said.
She turned to him, lifted her chin, squared her shoulders, and without emotion said, “I was eighteen and only three weeks into my first Season when it happened.”
Race started toward her, but she held out her hand to stop him from coming closer.
“Susannah, don’t. It’s not important what happened years ago.”
“It is to me. I want you to know everything about my past, and then if you still want me to meet you at a party some evening or go for another ride in the park, I will.”
“All right. Tell me anything you want, but know this, nothing you can say will affect what I am feeling for you right now or how I will feel about you after you finish.”
She believed him. Susannah turned away from him. He had given her an out. She didn’t have to tell him.
So don’t.
No, I can’t go any further with him unless I do, and my heart tells me to enjoy this man.
Race watched Susannah closely as she turned back to face him, looking strong and confident. She was studying over what he had said. He didn’t care a fig about her past, but if it was that important to her, he would listen. It was the present and the future that mattered to him, and he had already decided he wanted her in both. He gave her an understanding smile and nodded once.
“I met him at my first party. He was so confident and handsome. My heart was so young and eager to find the perfect husband before the Season was finished. After our dance that first evening, I knew he was the man I wanted to marry.
