yet.
At the thought of holding her naked in his arms, hunger shuddered through him. While she didn’t dress to display her body, he knew enough about women to guess what she’d look like out of that unfashionable blue frock. She might be slender, but the bosom curving beneath those discouragingly high collars was round and firm. He’d wager that description matched the rest of her.
Perhaps winter and this tedious house party encouraged a taste for more subtle attractions. Three days in her company had convinced Erskine that Philippa Sanders was a rare beauty indeed. He was just grateful that his blockheaded companions were too distracted by the false gold of her sister to notice.
“I hardly think you care about my opinion,” she said in a repressive tone.
“I’m a sensitive soul.”
“Clearly,” she responded just as drily. “Now unlock the door.” She paused and added a sugary edge to the next word. “
Please.”
He laughed, wondering why her bossiness charmed him. He didn’t in general like managing females, but something about this small, confident woman touched the heart he’d imagined immune to tenderness. “Did that hurt?”
Another of those delightful, dismissive snorts. “You’ve had your fun, my lord.”
Not by a long shot, my dear.
“Believe me, Miss Sanders, unless I can open this door, nothing can save you from the consequences of your foolishness. It seems fortune doesn’t favor the brave.”
He should be in a blind panic about what might happen if they were discovered together in such a compromising situation. Somehow, he…wasn’t.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing.” He paused. “You’re most welcome to search me if you believe I have a key.”
Her faint gasp made him wonder if she too relived that searing moment when she’d touched him. “The door’s really stuck?”
“It’s really stuck.”
He heard the faint rustle of her plain dark blue dress, the same dress she’d worn sitting across the table from him at dinner. Her expression had been critical as she’d observed her overbearing cousin’s attempts to captivate him. Caroline had been almost as busy as the beauteous Amelia making cow eyes at him.
When he’d accepted Sir Theodore Liddell’s invitation, he hadn’t realized matchmaking lay on the horizon. Although damn it, he should have. He was hardly a green boy when it came to ambitious parents.
Beside him, the doorknob rattled. Miss Sanders wasn’t one to give up before she was well and truly defeated. He admired her stalwart soul. He’d mocked her bravery in sneaking into his room to steal her sister’s letter, but it was a damned gallant act. An act that, unless they were very lucky, would have major repercussions.
As she moved, he caught a drift of her scent. Like Philippa Sanders, it was an intriguing mixture of tart and sweet. Lemon soap. And something warmer and earthier.
He couldn’t let her continue battling with the door. Already she breathed in frantic little gasps. He placed his hand over hers. There was that same shock of connection that he’d felt when she flattened her palm on his bare chest. “Do you believe me now?”
“Yes.” She sounded young and frightened, not at all like the assertive miss who had demanded the letter’s return. “This is such a disaster. We can’t say here alone. What if someone finds us?”
Chapter Two
ERSKINE DIDN’T EVEN consider sugarcoating his response. “We’ll find ourselves in the middle of an almighty scandal.”
“Please…please try and get the door open.”
Her shaky request tugged at his heart. No, she didn’t sound at all like the imperious chit so keen to put him in his place. Of course she was frightened. He was a stranger and he could imagine what exaggerated stories she’d heard about his amorous exploits. Hell, even without exaggeration, the truth was bad enough to terrify an innocent.
This tiny room wasn’t his preferred venue for flirtation, but up to
At the thought of holding her naked in his arms, hunger shuddered through him. While she didn’t dress to display her body, he knew enough about women to guess what she’d look like out of that unfashionable blue frock. She might be slender, but the bosom curving beneath those discouragingly high collars was round and firm. He’d wager that description matched the rest of her.
Perhaps winter and this tedious house party encouraged a taste for more subtle attractions. Three days in her company had convinced Erskine that Philippa Sanders was a rare beauty indeed. He was just grateful that his blockheaded companions were too distracted by the false gold of her sister to notice.
“I hardly think you care about my opinion,” she said in a repressive tone.
“I’m a sensitive soul.”
“Clearly,” she responded just as drily. “Now unlock the door.” She paused and added a sugary edge to the next word. “
Please.”
He laughed, wondering why her bossiness charmed him. He didn’t in general like managing females, but something about this small, confident woman touched the heart he’d imagined immune to tenderness. “Did that hurt?”
Another of those delightful, dismissive snorts. “You’ve had your fun, my lord.”
Not by a long shot, my dear.
“Believe me, Miss Sanders, unless I can open this door, nothing can save you from the consequences of your foolishness. It seems fortune doesn’t favor the brave.”
He should be in a blind panic about what might happen if they were discovered together in such a compromising situation. Somehow, he…wasn’t.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing.” He paused. “You’re most welcome to search me if you believe I have a key.”
Her faint gasp made him wonder if she too relived that searing moment when she’d touched him. “The door’s really stuck?”
“It’s really stuck.”
He heard the faint rustle of her plain dark blue dress, the same dress she’d worn sitting across the table from him at dinner. Her expression had been critical as she’d observed her overbearing cousin’s attempts to captivate him. Caroline had been almost as busy as the beauteous Amelia making cow eyes at him.
When he’d accepted Sir Theodore Liddell’s invitation, he hadn’t realized matchmaking lay on the horizon. Although damn it, he should have. He was hardly a green boy when it came to ambitious parents.
Beside him, the doorknob rattled. Miss Sanders wasn’t one to give up before she was well and truly defeated. He admired her stalwart soul. He’d mocked her bravery in sneaking into his room to steal her sister’s letter, but it was a damned gallant act. An act that, unless they were very lucky, would have major repercussions.
As she moved, he caught a drift of her scent. Like Philippa Sanders, it was an intriguing mixture of tart and sweet. Lemon soap. And something warmer and earthier.
He couldn’t let her continue battling with the door. Already she breathed in frantic little gasps. He placed his hand over hers. There was that same shock of connection that he’d felt when she flattened her palm on his bare chest. “Do you believe me now?”
“Yes.” She sounded young and frightened, not at all like the assertive miss who had demanded the letter’s return. “This is such a disaster. We can’t say here alone. What if someone finds us?”
Chapter Two
ERSKINE DIDN’T EVEN consider sugarcoating his response. “We’ll find ourselves in the middle of an almighty scandal.”
“Please…please try and get the door open.”
Her shaky request tugged at his heart. No, she didn’t sound at all like the imperious chit so keen to put him in his place. Of course she was frightened. He was a stranger and he could imagine what exaggerated stories she’d heard about his amorous exploits. Hell, even without exaggeration, the truth was bad enough to terrify an innocent.
This tiny room wasn’t his preferred venue for flirtation, but up to
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