Jilted in January by Kate Pearce Read Free Book Online

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    But Mr. Ford had been magnificent. She would never forget that.

    At dinner, Great-Aunt Maude offered her approval of the match, and afterward Colin was allowed to take Miss Leyton for a short stroll on the terrace that ran along the back of the palatial mansion. The covered portico protected them from the hint of rain and was illuminated by several lanterns and the glow of candlelight from within the house. Colin looked down at Miss Leyton’s bowed head and found himself smiling like an idiot.
    Her shawl slipped from her shoulder, and he reached for it, catching the silky strands as his hand brushed the curve of her shoulder. He slowly inhaled the scent of her skin and realized she was looking up at him, her brown eyes wide.
    Colin cleared his throat. “I should imagine Lady Maude thinks I will steal a kiss from you while we are out here alone.”
    Miss Leyton worried her lower lip. “You don’t have to do anything you—”
    He cut off the rest of her sentence by the simple expedient of placing his mouth over hers. She gave a tiny squeak of surprise and then kissed him back as he guided her toward a bench at the end of the balcony. She sank down onto the seat in a rustle of petticoats and satin, and he joined her, one hand clasping her neck, the other settling lower around her waist.
    He murmured his approval and delicately probed the seam of her lips, begging for entrance, which she gave him, allowing him to introduce her to a whole new kind of kiss that sent waves of heat rushing through his body, settling in his now attentive cock. She moaned into his mouth and moved closer into his embrace, her arms now around him, her fingers threaded through his curls.
    Colin forgot where he was and what he had been attempting to achieve in the sheer delight of the kiss. His hand slid lower, tracing the curve of her hip and coming to rest on the pleasing mound of her buttock. He shifted position until she was practically in his lap—too intent on the overwhelming sensation of touching her to think coherently. Not that she seemed to be doing much better. Her hands were roving, too, pushing inside his coat as she stroked his chest.
    “Too many clothes,” he muttered.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    He opened his eyes and blinked at her. “I…” Damnation, what on earth could he say? “I… apologize. I quite forgot myself.”
    She pressed her fingers to her lips, which were now reddened from his kisses, and his cock kicked up against his breeches.
    “That wasn’t quite what I was expecting.” She sounded even more breathless than he did.
    “I can only apologize again. I didn’t intend to become so… involved .”
    She moved slightly away, her color high. “It’s quite all right. I didn’t expect that either.” As she spoke, her gaze lingered on his mouth, which didn’t help matters at all. “I don’t remember Henry kissing me like that.”
    Inwardly Colin cringed. “He probably treated you with more respect.”
    “But I liked what happened between us.” She finally met his gaze. “Is that wrong?”
    Only if she didn’t want to be ravished—because the way Colin was currently feeling made that option highly likely.
    He cleared his throat. “If we continue to kiss like that, our thoughts might turn to more carnal matters.”
    “Such as?”
    “Taking you to my bed, stripping you naked, and having my way with you.”
    “Oh.” She eyed him carefully. “But why?”
    “What do you mean?”
    She smoothed a hand over her bosom and downward. “I am hardly the kind of woman who excites men to consider acts of lust.”
    “Whoever told you that?” She went to answer him, and he held up his hand. “I’ll wager it was your beautiful sister, am I right?”
    She nodded, her gaze holding his, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
    “Your sister is wrong, you know. You have beautiful skin, whisky-warm eyes, and a mouth meant to be kissed.” He let his gaze travel over her. “You are well formed, with sufficient