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cheeks, and an old-fashioned china doll prettiness that provided a somewhat incongruous setting for her
exotic brown eyes. Lillian s face was longer and vaguely feline in cast, with tip-tilted eyes and a full,
sweetly carnal mouth that made his heart thump an uncomfortable extra beat.
Marcus was still watching her mouth as she spoke.  Thank you, my lord, she said.  I trust we may
depend on your silence about our game?
Had Marcus been another kind of man, or had he entertained the merest flicker of romantic interest in
either of the girls, he might have made use of the situation with some flirtatious little piece of blackmail.
Instead he nodded and replied firmly,  You may depend on it.
Another cautious glance established that the flagstone walkway was still unoccupied, and the three of
them walked out from the concealment of the juniper. Unfortunately, when they had reached the midway
point between the hedge opening and the kitchen entrance, the sudden sound of voices echoed across
the smooth slate-paved walkway and bounced gently off the manor wall. Someone was coming.
Daisy took off like a startled doe, reaching the kitchen entrance in a fraction of a second. Lillian,
however, took the opposite tack, launching herself back toward the juniper. With no time to consider his
actions, Marcus followed her just as a group of three or four figures appeared at the head of the
walkway. Crowding with her in the narrow cavity between the juniper and the hedge, Marcus felt more
than a bit ridiculous, hiding from guests on his own estate. However, his own dirty, dust-streaked
condition was not something he cared to vaunt in company & and suddenly his thoughts were jumbled as
he felt Lillian s arms clutching around the shoulders of his coat, pulling him deeper into the shadows.
Pulling him against her. She was trembling & with fear, he thought at first. Shocked by his own protective
reaction, he put his arm around her. But he quickly discovered that she was laughing silently, so
inexplicably tickled by the situation that she had to muffle a series of squeaking gasps against his shoulder.
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Smiling down at her quizzically, Marcus pushed back a straggle of chocolate-colored hair that had fallen
over her right eye. He squinted through a small aperture between the fragrant, thickly needled juniper
branches. Recognizing the men, who were slowly making their way along the path as they discussed
business matters, Marcus ducked his head to whisper into Lillian s ear.  Quiet. It s your father.
Her eyes widened, her laughter dissolving as she dug her fingers reflexively into his coat.  Oh no. Don t
let him find me! He ll tell Mother.
Dipping his chin in a reassuring nod, Marcus kept his arm around her, his mouth and nose near her
temple.  They won t see us. As soon as they pass, I ll take you across the walkway.
She stayed very still, staring through the tiny spaces in the juniper leaves, seeming not to realize that she
was locked against the Earl of Westcliff s body in what most people would have described as an
embrace. Holding her, breathing against her temple, Marcus became aware of an elusive scent, a faint
flowery overture that he had vaguely registered at the rounders field. Hunting for it, he found a stronger
concentration of the fragrance on her throat, where it was blood-heated and intoxicating. His mouth
watered. Suddenly he wanted to touch his tongue to her tender white skin, wanted to rip her dress down
the front and drag his mouth from her throat down to her toes.
His arm tightened around Lillian s narrow frame, and his free hand compulsively sought her hips, exerting
gentle but steady pressure to bring her closer against him. Oh yes. She was the perfect height, so tall that
minimal adjustment was needed to match their bodies in just the right way. Agitation filled him, igniting
sensual fire in the pulsing pathways of his veins. It would be so easy to take her like this, just pull her
dress up and kick her legs apart. He wanted her a thousand ways, over him, under him, any part of him
inside any part of her. He could feel the natural shape of her body beneath the thin dress, with no corset [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]