A Taste of Temptation by Amelia Grey Page B

to never again host a party in his home.
    As soon as he entered the crowded room he found a servant and asked that he be brought a brandy. Champagne and wine were not strong enough to get him through the rest of this evening.
    The music sounded uncommonly loud and the chattering of his guests was more of a resounding roar in his ears. Light from the hundreds of candles seemed harsh and brassy rather than soft and golden. The strong smells of perfumes, liquor, and flowers mixed heavily in the unseasonably warm air.
    He would have liked nothing better than to clear his house of all the richly dressed women and impeccably clothed gentlemen and have the time to reflect on the possible consequences of the past few minutes, but he couldn’t do that. He had to make the best of what was surely to be a long night.
    Over the next couple of hours, Andrew made a point of walking from room to room, talking with everyone in attendance. All his guests were having a marvelous time. He discussed horses with the Marquis of Westerland, hunting with Lord Colebrook, and politics with the Duke of Knightington and two other members of Parliament.
    Andrew had already danced with three different young ladies who were enjoying their first Season in Society.
    And he was gliding across the crowded dance floor with the fourth, but he really didn’t see the lady’s face in front of him at all. His thoughts were on another female—one standing by his dresser, her golden-colored hair bathed in lamplight. He would never forget the look of pure, innocent pleasure on her face as she held his soap to her nose.
    Her delicate skin didn’t have the milky white look of so many young ladies he’d admired over the years. Her complexion had more the color found in a piece of expensive parchment.
    When she’d offered him permission to search her body he hadn’t been able to deny himself the pleasure of touching her, breathing in her scent, and tasting her lips and mouth. Once his fingertips caressed her silky soft skin it was as if nothing else mattered. He had to kiss her and that had made him want to lay her on his big bed and sink deeply into her.
    At the time it didn’t seem so unusual that she was more than willing to allow his forward advance, never once trying to stop him. He should have known she had her own designs when she didn’t admonish him for his forward behavior in any way. He’d been too enchanted by her beauty, her boldness, and her body.
    How could he have passed on the challenge she threw out to search her person to prove her innocence?
    He couldn’t.
    And she knew it.
    That thought tightened his stomach with anger. He wasn’t used to being outmaneuvered by a bewitching young lady.
    The problem was that he’d been captivated by her before he ever opened his mouth to say a word. Obviously that had been part of her plan.
    And it had worked.
    Otherwise she would have screamed for help when he touched her or at least slapped his face. Yet, all she had done was melt into his arms as if she had been waiting a lifetime for him to come and awaken her to the wonderful, sensual pleasures of kissing.
    She could claim all she wanted that she was really looking for a ghost or merely curious about the contents of his room, but he was convinced what she really wanted was to be the wife of an earl.
    He’d stepped right into the middle of her plan.
    Andrew shook his head as the young lady he was dancing with twirled under his arm. He couldn’t think about Miss Banning as looking like an angel and feeling like a long-lost lover in his arms, especially when he was in the company of a young lady who was trying desperately to charm him with her smile.
    He must remember Miss Banning as the sprite who entered his private chamber without invitation and made herself at home. He must remember her glaring at him with seeming outrage when he had accused her of being a thief.
    He must remember she had laid the blame for their being caught on him.
    Yes, that was