Page 11 (1/2)

James stood back froainst his chest "Kiss me back," he demanded, low and fierce

"How drunk are you?" Theo asked "What are you doing?"

"You’redown at her His voice was unsteady, his breathing harsh

His eyes burned with an enize, but it sent an instant thrill through her whole body She started to speak, but he bent his head again and silently demanded that she kiss him back The problem was that she wasn’t sure how At the same time, she rather desperately wanted to do whatever he asked, so she touched his tongue with her own She expected it to be revolting, but instead

Dihed, or pushed him away, or called for help Her mother--not to mention the Prince of Wales himself!--was only a matter of feet away, on the other side of the screen

She should slap hi lady would do after being grabbed by an inebriated gentleman and kissed in public Or in private, for that matter

But she wantedfire that eeping her body,that made her move closer and closer to him

"That’s it," he said, his voice a thread of sound

Giddy heat seared what little logic Theo had left She took his face in her hands She could kiss the way he wanted It wasn’t really about tongues It was aher

Once she realized that, kissing hiers clenched his hair, knowing that the saed hiroan, and pulled her closer The sound of his groas so heady that Theo shivered all down her body, a direct response to his tight grip and the sensual touch of his tongue She had never thought of herself as particularly fereith such pronounced features could do so--but in James’s arms she suddenly felt feminine, not in a delicate way, but in a wild, erotic way

It was intoxicating Itof wanting more of hiainst his chest; he ain And then he bit her lip

She gasped and--

Found herself reeling backward, thanks to a hand pulling her free as if she were a dog in a fight To her profound dismay, it was her mother "James Ryburn, what in the na?" Mrs Saxby demanded

Theo stood still, breathless, her eyes fixed on Ja as if he’d somehow passed his intoxication on to her

"And you, Theodora," heron her, "what in God’s na?"

A deep, cultivated voice said in a rather ae irl will be the first of the season to tie the knot"