Lost… he was totally, utterly lost. No woman had ever felt like this, tasted like this. Yet, it wasn’t simply the way she fit so perfectly in his arms or the delicious flavor of her that affected him so powerfully. It was also her ardent response to his kiss, to his touch. He doubted he’d have had a prayer of resisting her under any circumstances, but the fact that she kissed him, touched him, with a fervor equal to his own all but brought him to his knees.

She moaned and shifted restlessly against him, and his hands wandered down her back, to cup the enticing curve of her buttocks. He settled her more firmly against him then slowly rubbed himself against her. His erection jerked and he knew he stood in real danger of losing all control. Desperate to slow things down before he disgraced himself in a way he hadn’t since he was a green lad, but unable to stop this madness, he somehow found the strength to abandon the silken delights of her mouth, to trail his lips over her soft cheek, then along her jaw.

But he found no relief there, as her skin inundated his senses with the elusive hint of roses. He ran the tip of his tongue over the delicate shell of her ear, absorbing her sharp intake of breath, which melted into a husky groan when his teeth gently grazed her earlobe. He nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her ear, and she arched her neck to afford him better access, all while her hands smoothed over his chest and shoulders. He touched his tongue to the throbbing hollow at the base of her throat, absorbing the frantic beat.

Stop… he had to stop… but every halfhearted rational thought fled when she fisted her hands in his hair and dragged his head up.

“Again,” she whispered against his mouth, not a plea, but a command filled with impatience. If he’d been capable of doing so, he would have laughed at the autocratic demand, which was the same one she’d issued him three years ago. He hadn’t denied her, or himself, then, and he’d be damned if he was capable of it now.

Their mouths melded in a lush, deep kiss, his tongue stroking in an imitation of the act his body ached to share with hers. Wild hunger, unlike anything he’d ever before experienced, roared through his veins. His hands glided up her back, then forward to cup her breasts. Her beaded nipple grazed his palm through the material of her riding costume-material that had to go. He slipped off her lace fichu, then glided his fingers over the satin swells of her full breasts. Bloody hell, she was so soft. Her warm skin quivered beneath his hands, and his fingers slid beneath the edge of her bodice.

She leaned back, breaking off their kiss. “Wh-What are you doing?” she panted against his lips.

Questions? She expected him to be able to answer questions? His fingers brushed over her nipple and he groaned.

“What are you doing?”

He had to swallow to find his voice. “Surely that is obvious.”

Shoving against his chest, she pulled out of his embrace and backed up several paces. With her chest heaving, hair mussed, bodice askew, color high, and lips moist and swollen, she looked aroused and as if she’d just left her lover’s arms. Until he looked into her eyes. Then she looked like glaring Fury about to sizzle him where he stood with a lightning bolt.

“Yes, it is obvious,” she said, her eyes spitting anger as she grabbed at her bodice. “You’re looking for your letter.”

Nine

Today’s Modern Woman will hopefully in her search for intimate fulfillment meet a gentleman who can render her aroused and weak-kneed with a mere look. While it is always delightful to find such a man, she must remain on her guard with this man at all times for he, by virtue of her strong attraction to him, wields power over her.


A Ladies’ Guide to the Pursuit of

Personal Happiness and Intimate Fulfillment

by Charles Brightmore


Nathan stared at her, nonplussed, ragged breaths puffing from between his lips for several seconds. Then he shook his head and laughed. “Well, hell. That’s actually what I should have been doing. Unfortunately it never occurred to me.”

She sent him a withering look. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe that of an accomplished spy.”

“After three years of not using my spy skills, I’m afraid they’re a bit rusty. And you’re not giving your charms nearly enough credit. I never once thought of the letter.” As if I could have. Damn it, if she’d asked him to state his own name he would have been hard pressed to recall it. He sucked in a deep breath and shoved back his hair with hands that still weren’t quite steady. “However, now that you’ve brought up the subject of my note, I want it back.” He pushed away from the wall and approached her. Her eyes widened, but then she straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin and stood her ground. When only two feet separated them, he reached out and gently traced the backs of his fingers against her flushed cheek.

“Please, Victoria…” Her name rolled off his tongue, and he knew that after what they’d just shared, he’d never want to address her formally again. “Give me the note. After everything I told you today, surely you can see that it’s important to me.”

She blinked, then her eyes narrowed. “Dr. Oliver-”

“Nathan. We’re rather past the formal use of titles, don’t you agree?”

“Nathan… I cannot decide if you’re sincere or trying to trick me. Spies are known to be very crafty, you know.”

“I can’t deny that I can be crafty on occasion. But in this case I’m sincere.”

She studied him for several seconds, then said, “I want to give you the note, but I insist it be done on my terms. I want to help in this search for the jewels.” Stepping away from him, she paced the narrow confines of the cave, then paused to face him. Her features remained resolute, but her eyes-those huge blue eyes that reminded him of the sea-beseeched him. “Nathan, I’ve been cosseted and coddled my entire life, but ultimately always dismissed as nothing more than a decorative piece. I am simultaneously admired and ignored. Men hear me when I speak, but they do not listen to me. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? I’ve nearly always managed to suppress these feelings, but lately…”

She blew out a long breath and her bravado seemed to wilt. “Lately, I’ve experienced an unprecedented, unsettling sense of discontent that urges me to stop accepting things that I do not like. Things I think are unfair. And these feelings came to a head with the discovery of my father’s secret occupation. For years he lived an adventurous life while I was lied to and relegated to an existence that was as exciting as watching a blob of paint dry.” Her chin dropped and she looked at the ground. “Until you brought me to this cave, the most exciting moment of my life was when you kissed me in the gallery.”

That admission, whispered so softly, slammed into him with the force of a blow to the chest. He touched his fingers beneath her chin, urging it gently up until their gazes met. To his alarm and dismay, her eyes shimmered with moisture. “You’re not going to cry are you?”

“Certainly not. I’m not the weepy sort.”

“Good. Because I’m not the sort of man who is swayed by feminine tears.” His conscience kicked him squarely on the arse for that bold-faced lie. Damn it, if she’d railed at him, demanded her way, he could have fought her, but this show of vulnerability sliced him off at the knees. Of course, he’d be damned if he’d let her know that.

A flash of anger glittered in her eyes and she pulled away from him. “And I’m not the sort of woman who resorts to false tears to cajole a man into giving me what I want.”

“No, I can see that you’re more the type to bludgeon a man with your demands.”

“I am simply sick and tired of being treated like an empty-headed nitwit because I’m a woman.”

“I don’t think you’re an empty-headed nitwit. Indeed, I think you’re far too clever.”

She seemed to recover herself. “Er, thank you. Far too clever to give up the note without you agreeing to my terms.”

“All right.”

“I’ll not compromise on this.”

“Very well.”

“Do not think that I’ll fall victim-” She squinted her eyes at him. “What did you say?”

“I’ve agreed to your terms.”

“That I’ll assist in the search for the jewels?”

“In exchange for my letter. Yes. However, I have some terms of my own.”

“Which are?”

“As I am experienced in these matters and you are not, I will expect you to heed my advice.”

“So long as you agree to not dismiss my ideas out of hand, that is acceptable to me. Anything else?”

“Yes. There is a possibility that there may be some danger involved in this matter. Your father has sent you here for safekeeping, and it is my duty to see that you remain unharmed. I’ll insist on your word that you will not take any risks or wander off by yourself.”

She nodded. “I’ve no wish to place myself in danger. You have my word. So… we’ve struck our bargain?”

“Yes. Well, except for the final thing.”

“And what might that be?” she asked in a suspicion-laden tone.

“We must seal our bargain as all spies do.”

“Oh. Very well.” She held out her hand.

“With a kiss.”

She snatched back her hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “What nonsense is this?”

“Spies seal bargains with a kiss.” When he stepped toward her and she hastily backed up, he made a tsking noise. “Here we are, mere seconds into our agreement, and already you are reneging, Victoria. We agreed that as I am the expert in spy-related matters, you would heed my advice.” He took another step toward her, which she answered with another step backward.

“And I shall gladly heed your advice when you are not spouting Banbury tales. Kiss to seal a bargain indeed. Next I suppose you’ll expect me to believe that you sealed bargains with my father, your brother, and Lord Alwyck with kisses.”