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But this was Elizabeth, and she was different, and James was completely undone Her hair was so blond that it seemed almost invisible where it entlethat was uniquely this wo to pay hoe to the delicate line of her collarbone The top buttons of her frock were undone; he had nothem open, but he must have, and he reveled in the small strip of skin that was bared to hi, felt it whisper across his hair as he asping now, htened even more at the evidence of her desire She wanted him She wanted him more than she could ever understand, but he knew the truth This wasone thing she could not hide

Reluctantly, he pulled away, forcing himself to set a foot of space between them even as his hands rested on her shoulders They were both shaking, breathing hard, and still needed the support of each other James wasn't certain he trusted his own balance, and she looked no better

His eyes raked over her, taking in every inch of her dishevelment Her hair had escaped the confines of her bun, and each strand see to be drawn over his lips His body was drawn into a tight coil, and it took every ounce of Jaainst him

He wanted to tear the clothes frorass, and claim her as his own in the most primitive way possible And then when he was done, when she could have no doubt that she belonged coain, this ti every inch of her with his hands, and then with his lips, and then, when she was hot and arching with need--

Abruptly, he yanked his hands away from her shoulders He couldn't touch her when his ged against the tree, raising huge blue eyes to ue darted out to wet her lips, and Jaut

He took another step away With each move she made, each tiny, barely audible breath, he lost another piece of his control He no longer trusted his hands; they itched to reach for her

"When you admit that this is why you want me," he bit off, his voice hot and intense, "then I'll marry you"

Two days later, the memory of that last kiss still made Elizabeth shake She had stood by the tree, dazed and stunned, and watched him walk away Then she had remained in place for another tenblankly at the last spot where she'd seen him And then, when her mind had finally woken from the passionate shock of his touch, she had -at down and cried

She had been dishonest when she had tried to convince •wrestle that she wanted to many him because he was a wealthy marquis It was ironic, really She'd spent the lastfor h to give her fa

She loved him Or rather, she loved a man who looked just like him Elizabeth didn't care what Lady Danbury or the Ravenscrofts told her; humble James Siddons could not be the same man inside as the lofty Marquis of Riverdale It simply wasn't possible Everyone had his place in British society; this was soht early, especially people like Elizabeth, daughters of es of the ton

It see to hi him she wanted him, not his money She'd be married to the man she loved, with ample resources to support her fa suspicion that she did not know himatist inside reminded her that she probably wouldn't know any man she chose to marry, or at least that she would not know him well Men and women rarely conducted courtships beyond the most superficial of levels