Whirlwind Wedding

looked directly into his eyes. 'Is that true?'

'How the hell would I know?' He fought an urge to tug at his suddenly constrictive cravat. His damn valet had obviously tied his neckcloth too tight. And hang it, when had it become so hot in here?

'Are your kisses boring, Miles?' she asked taking a step closer to him.

'I haven't the vaguest notion. I've never kissed myself.' He took a wary step backward. His shoulders bumped into the mantel, effectively stopping him from retreating any farther.

She advanced another step, then another, stopping within a foot of him. Gazing up at him with luminous eyes, she said 'Well, then, why not kiss me, and I'll let you know.'

'That is a most improper suggestion, Caroline,' he said grimly aware that he wanted nothing more than to oblige her.

She placed her hands on his shirtfront. 'What's wrong, Miles? Are you afraid you'll discover your kisses induce boredom?'

He valiantly fought for control. The touch of her hands was driving him to distraction.

'Look at me,' Caroline whispered.

He stared over her shoulder, silent and tight lipped.

'Kiss me,' she breathed.

'No.'

'Hold me.'

'Absolutely not.' He gritted his teeth and prayed for strength. He had to get away from her. He raised his hands and grasped her wrists, planning to forcibly move her away from him. But then he looked at her.

It proved his undoing.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and the vulnerable longing on her beautiful face all but sliced him in half. He grasped her shoulders, intending to push her away, determined to be noble, but she raised herself onto her tiptoes and flattened herself against him.

'Please, Miles. Please…' She placed her soft lips against his jaw, the only part of his face she could reach without his cooperation.

Her plea and her tears pierced his heart like arrows. His control snapped and with an agonized groan he lowered his mouth to hers.

God help him. Had any woman ever tasted this sweet? Felt this good? She softly moaned his name and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. The sound of his name coming from her lips on a breathy sigh made him tingle all over.

With unhurried languor he introduced her to the art of kissing. She was inexperienced but very eager and a fast learner. When he ran the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, she did the same to him. She gasped in surprise when his tongue invaded the velvety warmth of her mouth, but within seconds she rubbed her own tongue against his, causing him to clasp her to him fiercely.

Again and again he slanted his mouth over hers, alternating between a lazy, coaxing touching of lips and a hard demanding melding of mouths and tongues.

When he finally raised his head she clung to him and buried her face against his shirtfront. 'My goodness,' she whispered. 'That was-'

'A mistake, Caroline. A big mistake.' His voice shook and his heart raced at triple speed. Dropping his head back, he squeezed his eyes shut and again prayed for strength. His arms still held her tightly against him, and he knew she must feel his arousal pressing against her, but she made no move to stand away from him. Instead she clung to him all the tighter. He wished he could blame the liquor for what had just occurred but he couldn't.

He'd wanted to kiss Caroline more than he'd ever wanted anything before. He just thanked God he'd found the control to stop himself from taking any further liberties with her. He shuddered to think what Austin would do if he ever found out about the way his most trusted friend had just kissed his innocent sister. Pistols at dawn weren't beyond the realm of possibility.

She raised her head. 'How can you possibly say it was a mistake? It was wonderful.'

Miles forced himself to step away from her. 'It shouldn't have happened. If I hadn't had so much to drink, it never would have.' Liar.

'You didn't enjoy it?' she asked her eyes clouding over with hurt bewilderment. 'How can that be? It was the most wonderful moment of my entire life. Did you not feel what I felt?'

Dear God how could he deny it? Their kiss had nearly brought him to his knees, but he could not, must not, tell her that. 'It was just a meaningless kiss, nothing more.' He pushed the lie past his lips and his insides cringed when her eyes filled with tears.

'Meaningless?' she whispered in a broken voice. She turned her back to him in an obvious struggle to compose herself.

He longed to take her in his arms, to take back his hurtful words, but he forced his hands to remain at his sides and he kept his mouth shut. He had to be firm. She was too young. Too innocent. Definitely not the woman for him. The only way he could ever have Caroline would be to marry her. And he wasn't about to get married simply to quell a lustful urge. He'd bring his lustful urges to a mistress and remain a carefree bachelor, thank you very much.

'So, did you glean your answer about kissing?' he asked in a light tone, trying to gloss over the last several cataclysmic moments.

Caroline drew an audible breath and whirled around. She faced him squarely, her eyes still damp, but shooting daggers nonetheless. 'Yes. You'll be happy to know that your kiss isn't in the least bit boring,' she informed him in a voice that shook with emotion. 'But calling what happened between us meaningless is dishonest in the extreme.' She raised her chin a notch. 'A falsehood of the first order.'

His eyes narrowed on her flushed face. 'Are you calling me a liar?' he asked for the second time that evening.

'Yes, Miles. I'm calling you a liar.' She stalked to the door, then shot his still-bulging manhood a scathing glance. 'And a very poor liar at that.' She swept from the room, and he gaped at the empty doorway.

Good God. What a crushing set down.

What an incredible woman.

And just what the hell was he going to do about it?

Chapter 14

Austin awoke slowly, drowsily becoming aware of gentle hands roaming his chest. He pried one sleepy eye open and was rewarded with a view of a perfectly round breast topped with a plump rosy nipple. Deciding this required further investigation, he slid his other eye open and delighted in the sight and feel of his naked bride sitting astride his thighs, running her hands slowly up and down his torso.

Her glorious hair surrounded her like an auburn cloud, cascading over her shoulders to touch her full breasts and caress her hips, the curling ends gliding behind her to rest on his legs.

The fact that he was aroused did not surprise him a bit. Indeed, he'd been in a constant state of arousal for the past three days.

But today things would change. He'd sent a message to Bow Street and had been informed that as of last evening, no one had yet heard from James Kinney.

And late last night another blackmail letter had been delivered, demanding that Austin gather the incredible sum of five thousand pounds and await further instructions. He'd questioned the lad who brought the missive and learned that a 'Frenchie' had offered him a bob to deliver the note. After paying the ragged youth a crown, he'd further learned that the 'Frenchie' had frequented several establishments by the riverfront. The description the boy had provided of the man left no doubt in his mind that it was Gaspard. Austin planned to visit those places this afternoon in the hope of confronting the bastard face to face.

So, as delightful as this brief interlude with his bride had been, it was time to turn his attention to other matters.