Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious by Mary Wine Read Free Book Online Page B

brought me out here for a moonlit kiss.” She turned her back on him, suddenly as frustrated as he appeared. “I wouldn’t dream of sullying your reputation by having our names linked over breakfast tables tomorrow.”
    Disappointment raked its claws across her emotions, killing the excitement that had been twisting her insides. It was bitter, indeed. All her senses felt heightened, her lips more sensitive as though they longed to feel what his kiss was like.
    What you want is to flirt with a man who will not act like a gentleman…
    “You have no concept of what you’re saying, Miss Aston.”
    She turned back around to face him, her temper sizzling. “I see you’re intent on punishing me like some child who needs reprimanding. If that is how you see me, please depart.” It stung—in spite of her determination to banish him to a place in her mind where his opinion might have no importance.
    “An incorrect assumption on your part, Miss Aston,” he insisted. “I’ve noticed just how much of a woman you are.”
    His leisurely position had given her a false sense of security. To her surprise, Darius closed the gap between them and pulled her against his body in a fluid motion that was lightning-quick.
    “My interest in you is rapidly growing beyond my ability to ignore it. This opportunity to kiss you, too tempting to resist. Yet if you are intent on reminding me that you are a woman, there is no reason for me to restrain myself.”
    She flattened her hands against his chest, but that didn’t stop him. He angled his head and pressed his mouth against hers before her skirts had finished swishing. She tried to shove him away and pull her head back, but he captured her nape, cradling it in one large hand to keep her in place for his kiss.
    The few kisses in her past paled in comparison. Darius pressed his lips over hers but began teasing her lips with his. The kiss didn’t end after a brief press. He continued to slide his mouth across hers, pressing against her lips until they parted and their mouths fit together more completely.
    Sensation poured down her body. She felt it pooling in her belly as excitement flared up. She moved in his arms, not necessarily in an effort to escape, but following his lead, moving her lips in unison with his. She heard him pull in a deep breath, and it made her bolder. She rose onto her toes to make sure her lips were fused with his, and his kiss became harder, more demanding.
    She liked his embrace. The hardness of his body and the way his hands moved her to suit his desire. He continued to kiss her with a skill that sent delight racing through her. He teased her lips with the tip of his tongue, just a tiny stroke along her lower lip, before he sealed her mouth again with his. She shivered, surprised to feel her passage yearning for something more.
    The desire was there inside her, shocking but too real to ignore—twisting every principle she had while, at the same time, urging her to seek out his bare skin. It was instinct, something rooted deep inside her, and it felt like it was ripping at the fabric of her being in an attempt to break free. The scent of his skin further fueled her rising desire.
    “We must stop…” she murmured.
    “No,” he growled softly.
    She reached up and depressed the device covering his ear. It let out a sharp whine. He reached for her hand, giving her the opportunity to escape his embrace.
    “Yes,” she insisted, but her breathing was harsh, and she noticed his was too.
    “Damn us both, Janette. I didn’t need to know what you tasted like. It will be damned hard to forget.”
    Yes…it will…
    There was a promise lurking in his eyes that she retreated from. The more she considered it, the farther back she moved. It wasn’t Darius who frightened her; it was her reaction to him. When combined, they created a reaction that threatened to be unstoppable. What surprised her was the realization that she was equally responsible.
    “I shouldn’t