Page 138 of Storm of Bells
Heat gathered in my belly, spreading allthrough my body as if my blood were boiling. In a flash, I was upon the bed, until I was face-to-face with him, hovering a fewinches above his perfect, chiselled face. Dark, sea-coloured eyesgazed up into mine.
‘What are you up to, Miss Linton?’
‘Me?’ I asked innocently, my fingers slidingdown his sides into his coat pockets. ‘I’m just expressing my love.Why would I be up to something? What makes you say such athing?’
‘Knowing you.’
Ah. Good point.
‘How dare you insinuate such a thing?’ Idemanded, while insinuating my hand into his inner coat pocket.Still no key. Damn! He glanced down at my arm and, quickly, Ipressed a kiss on his throat. Instantly, he stiffened below me, andsucked in a breath. ‘Don’t you trust me, Sir?’
‘No.’
‘Smart man.’ Grinning, I let my lips wanderdown, down, farther down over his skin until I finally reached thetop button of his shirt. My nimble fingers made short work ofit.
‘Miss Linton! It is the middle of theday!’
Another button popped open. Another kiss. Ifelt the muscles of his chest flex under my lips. ‘You don’t say. Imust say, I assumed as much from the big, fiery ball in the sky.Did you know it’s called “sun”?’
‘People are right down the hall!’
‘That didn’t stop you last time.’
Silence.
‘Oh.’ I grinned. ‘I see. By “people”, youmean “my mother”.’
‘Mr Linton…!’ Two iron-hard hands gripped myshirt, threatening. The meaning was clear.Don’t continue. Don’tyou dare continue with the M-word now!
My grin widened.
‘Don’t worry. Your mother might be justaround the corner, but so are three professional prostitutes. Thatkind of cancels out the mother factor, don’t you think?’
In answer, a noise came out of his mouth thatsent an ice-cold shiver down my back. Looking for keys was such afabulous pastime!
Another button popped open.
Oh yes, fabulous. Especially with all theother stuff you found on the way…
‘Miss…Miss Linton!’
‘Yes, Sir?’
‘Desist! I order…I order you…to…’
I reached the lower pockets on his shirts.For some reason, though, they weren’t my prime interest in themoment.
‘Don’t you remember, Sir?’ I pressed a gentlekiss where, a moment ago, his shirt had been, and now there wasonly him. Hard, implacable, wonderful him. ‘I don’t have to followyour orders anymore.’
He cracked.
In an instant, hands swept me away. I foundmyself flat on my back with him hovering above me, his open shirtfluttering in the wind like the sail of a—
Oh, who the heck cared about the shirt?
He certainly didn’t.
In a flash, he had torn the thing off and itsailed into the corner of the room.
