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“When a woman is so careless of propriety, even a man of honour may be tempted too far,” he said, his voice ominously quiet

“Indeed!” She tossed her head, heedlessly scattering pins “You are outraged because I spoke privately with him for scarcely two minutes, yet it is quite correct that you redon is the soul of honour Wise, cautious, and pure of heart Everyone knows he would do nothing that was not exceedingly correct, for he is above all temptation”

The words had no sooner spilt froretted therateful, when he was only trying to help,

and when he had said nothing that Aunt Millicent had not already told her dozens of times already What on earth drove one to taunt him so? Delilah could feel the tension in the roo towards theHe was furious

“Mr Langdon,” she began as he advanced upon her, “I do beg your—”

That was as far as she got because she couldn’t breathe He stood only inches froe, and her heart was pounding so she thought it would choke her

“You hellcat,” he growled

She felt his hands close around her throat, but she was iaze helplessly into the pitiless depths of his darkened eyes Then his mouth crashed down on hers and all was darkness

Darkness and violence, as his ly over hers until he’d forced her lips open She was di froue pushed itself between her teeth The invasion ainst hiainst him so she could scarcely move at all

Then, to her dis over her in wave after wave, and bringing with it a sweeping need, like hunger and a greater need still as hisher cheek and down her neck She moaned softly, the sound drawn from her in spite of herself

Dear heaven, she thought wildly, why could she not ht have broken free Instead, her hands crept up along his coat to his crisp neckcloth, and on to bury themselves in his hair She held him so, a moment, then, impatient, drew his face, his mouth back to hers

She had scarcely tasted his lips again when, without warning, he put her away froaze flicked briefly over her hot face and he smiled an odd, small, bitter smile

“Let that be a lesson to you, Miss Desmond,” he said, his voice low and harsh “Even a bookworm can be pushed too far”

Without another word, he left

Delilah stared blankly at his retreating back, and was still staring as the door slammed behind him

“Jack?” she said, very softly Then heat flooded through her once more and she tottered, thunderstruck, to a chair

She sat for a long while, her eyes wide open but seeing nothing a as they had been a few minutes before Once more she experienced the pressure of his hands upon her back, the warm touch of his lips upon her neck, the clean, e that had frightened and excited her at the saainst which she had been utterly powerless

Powerless? That wasn’t the half of it All her will had turned into craving and she wanted hiain, endlessly

Yet she could not possibly want hi scoundrel of her fantasies, the younger version of her adored Papa she’d always hoped for This was a quiet, provokingly conventional, irritatingly muddled bookworhly enraged in order to show a spark of passion?

A lesson, he’d said Da lesson Bookworm or no, he evidently kneell as any other man how to stir a woman’s senses, and had proceeded to prove it He’d shown her how little she knew of him, of any man, despite all her so-called worldly wisdom He’d shown that Delilah Desirl to practised love

Only it wasn’t love, but anger He despised her She wanted to hen she recollected his cold, contemptuous expression when he’d thrust her away He’d made her feel like a whore—and certainly she’d behaved like one—after, that is, acting like a Billingsgate fishwife

Miss Des herself when she received Lord Berne’s note half an hour later It was filled with apologies He’d been too hasty, he wrote His plan was ill-advised He’d since learned that Mr Atkins was te by circumstances too coht, the viscount promised to consult with her Until then, they must be patient

Delilah tore the note into very set the o anywhere with hiuard She’d already had one sample of the viscount’s ardour Suppose, today, he’d been the one to kiss her in that violent way? She ined how easily-roused a beast lurked within one

Delilah was not altogether surprised when Mr Langdon appeared late the nextto ask her to drive with hihts about her behaviour, obviously the Soul of Honour must have had some fit of conscience as well