A Taste of Temptation (5 page)

She pierced him with what she considered her most firm and resolute expression. “I held your soap in my hands, not your money. I am not destitute. I have no need of your possessions, my lord.”

Shadowed lamplight made his face seem sinister as he regarded her with half-closed eyes, all signs of a smile gone from his lips. Still, he studied her.

“I’m afraid your answer as to why you are in my private rooms has not been adequately answered. You’re not explaining yourself very well, Miss—”

“Banning,”she said, lifting her chin and doing her best to remain composed. “Miss Olivia Banning, and how can I possibly explain myself well at all, sir, when you barge in here without knocking, scare me out of my wits, and then have the audacity to accuse me of being a thief. It’s shameful.”

He cocked his head and asked, “Scare you? Audacity?

Shameful? This is
my
room. I often barge into it, and always without knocking.”

“Perhaps from now on you won’t be so hasty.”

“To enter my own bedchamber? That’s an unbelievable statement, Miss Banning.”

“Surely when you have guests in your home there can be a more civilized approach to finding someone in your private chamber other than assuming they want to steal from you.”

Her mind was racing and she was coming up with crazy answers but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. If she didn’t stay on the offensive he would overcome her.

“There is a very logical conclusion I could draw from finding a beautiful young lady in my room, but I’m not convinced you want my thoughts going in the direction of thinking you have designs on me and you want a passionate rendezvous.”

She gasped. He was outrageous.

“Does your ego have no boundaries, sir? How dare you suggest such a thing? I don’t even know you.”

“True, but you were definitely looking me over when you were in the receiving line.”

Olivia felt a guilty flush creep into her cheeks again.

This man was maddening, fascinating, and invigorating.

“This is a large residence, my lord. It would be very easy for someone to get lost among the many rooms.”

“I suppose one could get lost, Miss Banning. But right now all of my guests except you are downstairs finding their pleasure in my food, my wine, and my music. You are the only one up here in my private chamber sniffing my shaving soap.”

Olivia cringed again. What she had done sounded so improper when he said it that way.

She needed to leave. She should be begging his forgive-ness and heading for the door. Instead she was standing here trying to match wits with him and her efforts were fu-tile. It was clear he was not going to be appeased by anything she said.

Taking a calming breath she answered, “You are quite right, my lord. I should be downstairs enjoying the party, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.” She started to walk past him but was stopped when he grabbed hold of her gloved wrist. Olivia glanced down at his strong, capable hand. She felt power beneath the commanding grip of his masculine fingers. She lifted her lashes and their eyes met and held. Suddenly, she experienced that same strange sensation low in the pit of her stomach as when she first noticed him staring at her on the walkway, that same strange sensation that pulled her into his chamber.

“Not so fast, Miss Banning,” he said, his tone sounding as stormy as his dark honey eyes. “No proper young lady would be caught prowling in my rooms.”

“Prowling? What strong words you use, sir.”

“Would you prefer
pilfering
or
snooping
? Do those words better suit you?”

“Of course not. I was merely—” She stopped.

“You were prowling through my private chambers looking for something. Tell me the truth. Who are you and what are you after?”

She had told him the truth, or as close to it as she dared.

She had to search the house for Agatha, but she had no excuse for stopping to smell his soap. Other than it was as if she’d been incapable of leaving before she looked around his room.

There was no way she could tell him that she had to hunt for a ghost because she couldn’t bear the thought of her aunt’s flawless reputation being ruined by the scandal of everyone thinking she’d gone mad, thinking a beau who’d jilted her over forty years ago was now calling to her from the afterlife.

It wouldn’t matter if Olivia’s reputation was ruined in London. No one knew her. Besides, she planned to return to Kent. But her aunt would forever be remembered as a foolish old woman thinking the man who had jilted her had returned from the grave to claim her.

Olivia wouldn’t allow that to happen.

She had no choice but to stick with the truth, though at all cost she had to keep Agatha’s name out of it.

“Truly, I’m searching for Lord Pinkwater’s ghost. I’ve heard he’s in London and I thought I sensed his presence when the vase fell from your foyer landing. I only meant to peek inside this room, not enter it.”

“To see if you could find a ghost among my belongings.” Once again she thought she saw a flicker of a smile playing about the corners of his lips, but he was remaining so stoic, she couldn’t be sure.

One thing she was sure of. She would never forget the scent of his soap or those strange sensations that developed low in her abdomen.

She swallowed hard. There was no way she could appear any more foolish, so she answered, “No, that was mere curiosity once I found myself inside. What I meant to say is that I never intended to actually enter your chambers. I heard someone coming up the stairs, and I didn’t want to get caught at your doorway so I stepped inside, and then—” She stopped again.

He lifted a skeptical brow. “And then what?” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “I’ve never been in a gentleman’s rooms before, and I must admit my curiosity got the better of me. There, now are you happy that I’ve admitted to such inquisitiveness?”

“I accept that curiosity led you to my dressing table, but if a ghost led you into my rooms, either you should be committed to Bedlam or you are a good actress. Either way, I still see no reason why I shouldn’t call the magistrate and have you taken straight to Newgate.” She tried to pull her wrist from his grasp but he was too strong. His hard gaze remained firmly on her face, searching her eyes. Then, suddenly, without warning, he let go of her.

Keeping her voice level, she said, “By all means call the magistrate if you wish, my lord. I have told the truth and even you should know that sometimes people stray into the wrong rooms at private parties.”

Without giving clear thought to what she was doing next, Olivia suddenly held her arms out wide and said, “I did not come in here to steal anything from you. Search my person. You will find that I have nothing of yours on me.”

“You would really let me search you?” His tone, the light of intrigue in his honey-colored eyes, made her stomach quiver deliciously. Teasing warmth tingled across her breasts. She sensed an unusual quickening between her legs. What was she doing challenging this man to touch her?

Maybe I have gone mad.

She slowly returned her arms to her sides. She took a step back and found her hips pressed against the dresser.

There was no escape. She was trapped but strangely not frightened.

She looked into his eyes again and suddenly she felt hot, breathless, and excited.

“I only meant that I want you to be sure that I have taken nothing from your room, nor do I want anything from you.” He advanced on her, imprisoning her with his powerful body, near enough to touch her. His voice was low and suggestive as he whispered, “So you said. But perhaps, I will search you. Just to be sure. Do you have anything hidden in your hair?”

The earl leaned his body closer to hers. She sensed his strength, she felt his heat. He reached up and placed one hand to the side of her head. Warmth flooded her at his touch.

He lightly threaded his fingers through the side of her hair, making a few strands of her dark blonde curls tumble from the chignon at her nape. The gentleness of his caress was strangely soothing when it should have been egregiously shocking.

A small puff of breath was all that escaped her lips. She knew she should push him away, or scream, or at least slap his face. But she had no desire to do any of those things.

She stood there, barely breathing, and allowed him to mes-merize her with his compelling touch and provocative words.

“How about your ears? Have you hidden something behind them, Miss Banning?”

His hand softly, confidently slipped down to her ear.

With his fingertips he outlined its shape, very slowly, before slipping his fingers behind her ear to tenderly caress the soft skin there with the pads of his fingers. His caress stimulated her more than anything she’d ever experienced.

Olivia was glad the dresser offered support, because at the moment she feared her legs were too weak to hold her.

She didn’t understand why it felt so good to have this man touch her.

“Perhaps it’s in your mouth,” he said in the same husky, enticing voice.

His fingertips never left her skin as they fluttered from behind her ear and over her jaw line until his thumb rested at the corner of her lips. His palm lay against her neck and she knew he could feel her pulse beating out of control.

He leaned in closer and still she didn’t object. Heat from his body and his breath fanned on her cheek. The musky mint scent of his soap stirred the air. Was it coming from him or wafting up from the block that lay on the dresser behind her?

With his mouth no more than an inch from hers, his eyes locked on hers, she was attuned to his every breath.

And her heart thudded wildly against her chest.

He traced the curve of her upper lip with his thumb. The warmth of his touch sizzled through her. For a moment, she was afraid he was going to kiss her, and then just as suddenly she realized she was afraid he would not.

Her lips parted and her tongue lightly wiped across the pad of his thumb. She heard the quick intake of his breath.

Olivia trembled with a need for something she didn’t understand.

“You are very tempting, Miss Banning, very tempting indeed. Do you realize how easy it would be for me to take advantage of you right now?”

She nodded.

“Are you frightened?”

She had no breath to speak so shook her head.

“I didn’t think so.”

His lips came down to hers, lightly brushing across them.

The contact was delicate, feathery, and enticing. Olivia’s stomach quivered, but she didn’t back away from his intimate touch.

Lord Dugdale raised his head and looked down into her eyes. She felt her heart flutter in her chest just as her lashes fluttered against his beckoning stare. She knew he was questioning her, asking with the lift of his eyebrows if he should try his luck and kiss her again or should he step away.

Kiss me again,
she wanted to say. Her lips parted but she couldn’t seem to find the words on her tongue.

He placed the tips of his fingers under her chin and lifted it ever so slightly while his thumb caressed her bottom lip. The lace from the cuff of his sleeve brushed her neck as the back of his arm rested softly, innocently, against her breasts.

“Your mouth is beautiful, Miss Banning. Made for kissing.”

Slowly he bent his head and kissed her again, moving his lips seductively over hers. His lips feathered down her chin, over to her cheek.

She felt his breath on her ear before she heard his whispered words, “You’re heavenly.”

Slow curls of unexpected pleasure came alive inside her, and without conscious effort her chest lifted to feel more of the weight of his arm upon her. The warmth of his touch seeped inside her and she gave herself up to these new, unexplained feelings of desire.

All of a sudden the bedchamber door swung open with a clatter. Andrew lifted his head and stepped away from Olivia. Glaring light from the corridor shone brightly in her eyes.

She heard gasps of outrage. She saw three ladies in the doorway, but the only faces she recognized were her Aunt Agatha’s and that of the Viscountess Collingsworth.

“Livy! By the holy saints above, what are you doing in here and what is that man doing to you?”

“Nothing,”Olivia said, horrified. “We aren’t doing anything.”

“That’s not how it looks,” the Viscountess said. “Andrew, my heavens, what is she doing in your room and in your arms?”

“Was he kissing you?” Aunt Agatha asked.

“No, of course not,” Olivia exclaimed and winced at the prevarication.

He was most certainly kissing her, but how could she admit that to the three ladies staring at her with shocked expressions on their faces. The questions were coming so fast and she didn’t have time to think, but instinct told her the truth was the last thing she should admit to.

She would never live down this folly.

Never.

How could she have been so tempted by this man? To enter his room? To allow him to kiss her? What strange enchantment had come over her?

Olivia turned to the earl. “Tell them we weren’t doing anything,” she whispered huskily.

With a grim expression on his face, softly he murmured so only she could hear, “I want nothing more than to assure them of that, but it’s a bit difficult to do when three ladies saw you backed against the dresser and my hands on your face.”

“You must try.”

“Oh, I intend to try, Miss Banning.” Squaring his shoulders and looking at the small gathering, he placed a smile on his lips and seeming in total control said, “No matter what you are thinking right now, ladies, this is not what it looks like. I was merely trying to help Miss Banning get something out of her eye.”