Lost in a Royal Kiss by Vanessa Kelly Page B

bit of it had become trapped under her bottom. She let out a dismayed squeak when she glanced down and noticed that both night rail and wrapper were bunched up around her knees, leaving her feet and calves naked. She snapped her gaze back up to find Sir Anthony inspecting her bare legs.
    “Yes,” he answered in a distracted voice. “I was just getting to that.”
    Linnet wanted to squirm, but instead she wrapped her arms defensively around her body. That movement had the unfortunate effect of bringing his gaze up from her lower limbs, where it settled on her breasts. To her undying horror she could feel her nipples bead, instinctively pulling tight in response to his heavy-lidded gaze.
    “I couldn’t sleep in this dreadful heat,” she said, jerking her arms up over her chest. “I thought I might find a book in Lady Farnsworth’s study to occupy my time.”
    “Ah. That explains it.”
    He sat on the bench, propping his shoulders into the corner of the bay, looking entirely at his ease. Linnet, however, was anything but, since the seat was not nearly big enough for both her and his powerful frame. She tried to edge backward, but had nowhere to go. His long legs stretched in front of her, blocking her in. If she wanted to escape, she’d practically have to leap over him.
    But she didn’t want to escape, even though every moral precept she’d ever learned insisted she flee.
    “Didn’t you have anything in your room?” he asked. “I brought your book back to the house this morning after your rather precipitous exit from the gazebo. I made certain the butler brought it to your room.”
    Was he teasing her? He sounded amused, but she couldn’t really tell. If anyone had the ability to mask what he was thinking, it was Sir Anthony.
    “Yes, thank you, but I was looking for something else,” she said in a polite voice. “Something that would help me to sleep.”
    He tilted his head, studying her.
    Definitely amused.
    “And was it only the heat that kept you awake?” His voice held a husky note that made all her muscles want to go slack.
    She shrugged. “I can’t think what else it could be.”
    Her attempt at a casual gesture made her breasts jiggle under the light fabric of her nightclothes, and drew his attention back to her chest. She winced, painfully aware of her immodest appearance. Her lamentably plump breasts bordered on the indecent, and she always made sure to keep them chastely covered.
    He reached out and trailed a finger along her shoulder to her neck. “I can think of one other reason why you couldn’t sleep, can’t you?”
    “Um, no, I cannot.” She needed to get away from him before she did something rash and foolish. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll return to my room.”
    She started to wriggle away, but when his hand clamped down gently on her shoulder, she froze. He bent his head, looking her in the eyes, and she lost her breath all over again.
    “Don’t you want to select something to read before you go?” he teased as one finger softly stroked her neck.
    If he kept touching her like that, she might very well melt into the window seat. It terrified her to think what would happen if he placed both hands upon her body.
    At a loss for words, she settled for shaking her head.
    “No? Well, I have another suggestion for you. One that will be sure to help you sleep, at least afterward.”
    She tried to swallow, but her throat went tight. “What’s that?” she managed.
    “This.” His mouth covered hers with a hot fervor she felt all the way to the marrow of her bones. One of his hands remained clamped on her shoulder, but the other slipped around her waist. He leaned into her, bending her gently back over his brawny arm.
    Linnet moaned as the tips of her breasts brushed up against his linen shirt. When her lips parted, his tongue slipped inside, tasting her with a bone-melting kiss that had her digging her nails into his arms. She wanted to rub against him, and she shook with the