Luck Is No Lady Read Free Page B

lifted her hands to the loose ends of his cravat.
    â€œDo not expect something of high fashion,” she warned in a soft murmur. “I know only one formal style, and it is quite outdated.”
    It was a design her father had taught her years ago when her parents still socialized, before her mother’s illness and her father’s descent. He’d had a valet back then for everything else, but the styling of his neckcloth was reserved for his eldest daughter.
    â€œSweetheart, anything you can manage would be appreciated,” he drawled.
    Taking another step closer in order to comfortably reach up to his throat, she began to twist and fold the neckcloth into a style she had re-created many times before. Warmth emanated from the stranger and cool night air drifted around her. There was a solid strength to his body as he stood still and accommodating beneath her hands. The sound of his breath began to match the rhythm of her own and the light-headedness she had experienced earlier returned in a rush.
    Her fingers fumbled through the familiar movements as what should have been a simple task became weighted with acute expectancy.
    By the time she smoothed the edges of the cravat beneath his coat, Emma’s breath was tight and her pulse beat in a frantic rhythm. Craving distance and a safe return of her faculties, she shifted her weight to step back, but her retreat was brought to a halt when he lifted his hands to cup her face.
    â€œOne more thing,” he murmured. Then his mouth covered hers.
    She had not yet lowered her hands, and they flattened against his chest as she tensed in shock. Her stomach went into a tizzy of uncontrollable flutters, and what remaining sensible thoughts she may have had were sent spiraling from her head.
    He pressed his fingertips into the hollow at the base of her skull and propped his thumbs beneath her chin, holding her in place to accept the exquisite pressure of his lips. He took a step closer and his feet stirred the fall of her skirts as his body bumped gently against hers. Then he tilted his head and his mouth softened in unspoken entreaty, as if he were asking for something more.
    Emma had never been kissed before, and as his mouth moved over hers, she found herself utterly unprepared for the sensations it evoked. She never could have anticipated the delicious heaviness invading her limbs or the tingling that rushed through her blood. When he pulled on her lips, as if trying to draw something from her, her body tightened deep inside with a yearning that came on so swiftly it startled her.
    It finally recalled her to her senses—the inexplicable need that overtook all rational thought. Emma was not accustomed to such a complete destruction of mental acuity, and it frightened her.
    She tensed the curve of her lower back. The resistance was small, but it was enough, and he lifted his head. Emma fought the urge to run her tongue over her lips. Though he had ended the kiss, he did not step back or release his hands from her face.
    â€œAre you certain you wish to remain unknown to each other?” he whispered darkly. His voice felt like a caress. “We could continue this encounter in a more comfortable location. Somewhere just as private, lit by candlelight.”
    â€œYou should not have kissed me,” she replied breathlessly as her thoughts began to reorganize themselves and a raw panic seeped into her bones.
    â€œI do a lot of things I shouldn’t. It does not mean I won’t do them again.”
    Her alarm intensified at the thought of him kissing her again. She could not let that happen, not when his first kiss had been so unsettling. A second might be devastating.
    â€œNot with me, you won’t.” She pushed against him. This time he stepped back and dropped his hands to his sides. The loss of his warmth was tangible, but she ignored the shiver that coursed over her skin. “Remember our agreement. You said you would not