“Is it so unbelievable that I want to kiss you?” he asked.
“It is not unbelievable at all,” she retorted. “For years, I’ve put up with this kind of thing. God grant I get old and ugly quickly so it will stop.”
“God forbid. You’ve never once found a man you’ve wanted to kiss?” he continued, as if truly interested in the answer.
She paused. In truth, there were few she could remember who had stirred her even a little ever since her first love. The man in front of her now, though, certainly commanded her attention. She’d be damned if she told him that, though. “Why should you care?”
“Because you’re too lovely to be put on a shelf. You’re made for living.”
“I suppose you are the judge of such things,” she said sourly.
“I have some experience,” he drawled. “And I can tell one thing about you already. You want to prove me wrong. So here’s your chance. One kiss. One kiss, and you may flee back into the ballroom, secure in the knowledge that I am as disappointing as all the others.” His confident, absurdly self-assured tone belied his words.
Cordelia stood stock still. She’d never heard an offer like that before. It was not veiled in a proposal, and it had a kind of honesty about it. “All right.”
If the man was surprised at her acquiescence, he didn’t dwell on it. “You’re game?” He cupped her face in his hand, looking at the sensual curve of her lips that even her pout couldn’t erase.
“Is this a necessary step?” she asked.
“I have only one kiss to give you. I must make sure it’s well planned.”
Cordelia caught the teasing in his voice. “Well?”
“Patience.” He bent down and laid his lips on her own. He moved his hand to the back of her neck to better control the kiss, and let his mouth linger there.
Cordelia felt her resolve slip when he touched her, and when she felt his tongue tease her lower lip, she gasped at the sensation. He sensed her relative inexperience, but also her interest. He deepened the kiss, parting her mouth to dart inside with his tongue. She fluttered beneath him, her heartbeat surging.
Cordelia had never connected the word
kiss
with what was happening to her now. This was far beyond anything she’d expected. And she didn’t want it to stop.
When she felt the man’s arms around her waist, she knew she had to end this madness. Her hands were somehow laid flat against his chest, so she pushed him away, though her movement didn’t have much force to it. Still, he released her instantly. An insolent smile hovered on his lips. “Heartless, you said?”
“Yes,” Cordelia said shakily. She wasn’t sure her legs would work properly to let her walk away. “Don’t think you’ve changed my opinions.”
“You’ve changed a few of mine,” he said, watching her back away. “Perhaps I was mistaken in not attending more Society functions.”
“So you could seduce women in dark corners?” she asked sharply.
“So I could meet you.”
Cordelia frowned. “You haven’t met me. And I assure you that we’ll never see each other again.”
He tilted his head. “Don’t place too high a wager on that, beauty.”
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