“When I was good and proper, as I was taught to be, I am sure I did not have nearly as much fun as I did last night, being bad and I think rather improper.”
He grinned. “Sweetheart, I think you are exaggerating! I can’t imagine you were improper. Perhaps a little risqué, that is all.”
Sweetheart? Tina swallowed and put the word aside for later examination, concentrating on his other words. She supposed that he, being an expert, knew what he was talking about.
“Well risqué or improper, it makes no difference. Rather than draw the attention of the one man I want to marry I drew the attention of the wrong men . . . man.”
“And did you think of me there, at your shoulder?”
A warm heat washed through her as she remembered her imaginings of last night and her earlier flirtatious dream. Oh yes, Richard had very much been with her. “I did,” she said a little stiffly, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more.
“And it helped?”
“A little.”
“Did Lord Horace kiss you?” he asked her abruptly, once again throwing her heart into a wild rhythm. The only man she’d been dreaming of kissing was the one right here in front of her.
“Kiss me? Goodness, no! We weren’t even alone, and if we had been . . . well, I didn’t get the impression he wanted to kiss me. He seemed more interested in my friend, Anne, and besides, he was in a very odd mood. Agitated about something or other.”
“Agitated?”
“Or upset.”
Richard considered her, his fingers steepled under his chin. “Forgive me for being blunt but did you want him to kiss you?”
Tina opened her mouth to tell him that yes, of course she did! But the words wouldn’t come. An image of herself, clasped in Horace’s arms, suddenly poured into her brain. It was vivid, very real, and strangely unsettling. Horace’s cologne, which she wasn’t particularly fond of, his mouth on hers, his hands grasping her. It made her feel uncomfortable, almost revolted. No, perhaps that was too strong a word. Rather it was how she might feel if Horace were Charles and Charles had suddenly decided to kiss her in a very unbrotherly fashion.
She took a ragged breath. This was completely ridiculous! Horace was definitely not her brother. No, he was the love of her life and the answer to all her troubles. She was absolutely positive that once Horace kissed her it would all be simply wonderful. Yes, one passionate embrace, and all these silly doubts would disappear like smoke on the wind.
“I want Horace to kiss me very much,” she said decisively. “I do. It is just that”—she lifted her chin to hide her sudden sense of vulnerability—“I have never been kissed by a gentleman, so I am uncertain how to proceed.”
Never been kissed?
It was too good to be true, and far too tempting a prospect for Richard to pass up. Oh, he knew what he should do. He should tell her to use her instincts and all would be well. Then he should change the subject.
But the words refused to be uttered.
Tina’s lips were there in front of him, soft and pink and gorgeously lush. He desperately wanted to kiss her, to make her remember this kiss forever, and he was damned if he’d give the privilege of her first kiss to a man like Gilfoyle.
“Perhaps you need me to give you a lesson or two in the art of kissing. So that you feel more comfortable about the whole process.” He spoke as if he was doing her a favor, as if he cared for her peace of mind.
He did care, he told himself. Of course he did. He cared so much that he was willing to bear the brunt of her anger by undermining her chances of marrying a brute like Gilfoyle. Surely that was because he cared about her? Certainly not because he was a greedy fool who was lusting after a woman he could never have, no indeed!
She was looking at him in that serious way she had, as if she were weighing up the pros and cons. As if the decision she was about to make would be one of life or death.
“Tina, do you want to be kissed by me?” he said, his voice deepening. “Purely as part of our business contract.”
“Of course. I understand that. And yes, I think perhaps I do want to be kissed by you.”
Richard stood up and reached out his hand, and she placed hers trustingly into it. He drew her toward him, slowly, giving her time to change her mind although he had no intention of changing his. Her breath was a little uneven, her lips parted in anticipation, and then he pressed his lips to hers.
Soft, just as he’d imagined. He brushed his mouth against hers, but she didn’t respond, simply allowing him to kiss her. Clearly she had been telling the truth when she said she’d never been kissed. Never mind, he had plenty of time, and it wasn’t as if this was a hardship.
Her skin was scented like orange blossom, sweet and fresh, and he breathed her in as his lips coaxed hers, gently but firmly, into responding. Until finally, with a little sigh of pleasure, she began to kiss him back.
Tina’s cheeks were warm. Her arms were heavy where they rested about his neck, her fingers catching in the hair at his nape with a tug that was more pleasure than pain. Her sleepy green eyes were almost closed, shielded by her lashes.
This was no longer a lesson.