Page 17 of Daring the Forbidden Earl
He mustered a wry snort. “Who better to advise you than an expert?”
Chapter Nine
“Why are you really doing this for me?” Johanna said, rising from the armchair and tracing a fingertip casually across her bosom, remembering some of the advice that Nora had given her since that night.
Inside her head, a maelstrom of emotions swirled. Mark’s excuse did not make sense to her, and she was somewhat wary of the sudden change in his demeanor. But she did not want him to see her discomfort and suspicion. She just wanted her letter back.
He visibly floundered. “I… feel duty-bound to protect you against such things. I do not know why.” He dropped his gaze. “I think it stems from the ball, and my guilt surrounding what happened between us.”
“Which part?” She smiled in a manner that she hoped seemed seductive. “Do you feel guilty about dancing so closely with me? Do you feel guilty about pulling me against you? Do you feel guilty about pressing your hand to the small of my back, instead of my waist? Do you feel guilty about wanting to kiss me? Or is it only the cutting words you spoke to me?” With every question, she sauntered toward him.
His head shot up in astonishment, his eyes fixing on her nearing bosom before he quickly looked away again. “What? Why would I feel guilty about… um…Well, I did not want to… I mean, I was only dancing in the Viennese style. They waltz that closely, and they position their hands there.”
“You are blushing, Mark.” She paused and canted her head in order to elongate her slender neck, just as Nora had taught her.
Indeed, she might have looked sultry and confident on the outside, but inside, she was in turmoil. Her stomach churned violently, and her chest clenched as though someone had turned it in a vise. She was not brazen or bold, and she would never normally have dared to make such unconfirmed statements, but these were the ways to succeed in the art of seduction. At least, that was what Nora had assured her.
Though she did not know that I might use them on you, Mark.
Mark’s hands dabbed at his cheeks. “Am I? It must be the summer warmth. It is rather hot in here, do you not think?”
“Is this your way of telling me you hold some affection for me?” Johanna continued to close the gap between them, building upon her side of the power balance. “Is that why we have always argued, because there is some other tension that we have not been able to speak of? In truth, I did think I saw something like desire in your eyes, when our waltz ended.”
Mark swallowed loudly, but he did not say anything. It might have been the first time in their shared history that she had ever seen him at a loss for words.
At last, she came to his armchair. Leaning over to expose more of her bosom, she braced her hands against the armrests and gazed down into his startled eyes.
“What is it you really want from me, Mark? What is the true reason you want to protect me from a scandal?” She nodded to his waistcoat. “And why, pray tell, has this impulse come after you have read such an… unusual letter? Did it inspire something in you?”
She hoped he could not see that her hands were shaking, and her bottom lip was trembling. If he noticed, it would surely shatter the alluring illusion that she was trying to conjure.
What do I do now, Nora?
Johanna would have given anything to have her friend here, though perhaps not in the room, to offer advice. The words and questions had rolled off her tongue easily enough, but she did not know what she would do if those words turned into something more. What if hedidfeel inspired by whatever was in that letter?
“Johanna, I…” He trailed off. A split second later, his arms were around her, pulling her into his lap.
She gasped in surprise as she landed upon his firm, muscular thighs, and felt his hand cup her face. “You what?” she murmured, trying to maintain the illusion. “What is it you want?”
Turning to face him, she almost reeled back and fled out of sudden fear. He was so tantalizingly close that she could see the golden flecks in his eyes, and the slight creases in his kissable lips. But she could not retreat now. She had led him to this moment because she wanted something from him, too. If she ran away now, she doubted another opportunity would come along.
“I…” His breaths turned shallow; the passionate, heavy sound making Johanna’s abdomen tighten with delight.
“Is it, perhaps, this?” Emboldened by the change in the atmosphere, which had turned thick with unspoken tension, she took hold of his face and leaned in.
As their lips met, fireworks exploded throughout the length and breadth of Johanna’s body, making her skin tingle as it had done when they waltzed together. His mouth was warm and soft and inviting, while the arm that encircled her waist felt safe and strong, as though she was someone worth protecting.
It began as a tentative graze, at least on her part, but it appeared that Mark had not gained his reputation without reason. His lower lip guided the kiss in a sensual rhythm, catching her mouth over and over, while his hand moved down to her neck, his thumb caressing her skin. As her lips parted, she felt his tongue slip into her mouth for a moment, like a kiss within a kiss, before he drew it away again.
She gasped as his teeth raked her bottom lip gently, before he dipped back into the kiss with increased fervor. All she had to do was follow his lead, and she had never been happier to do so, for it was the most explosive kiss of her life. Not that she had much in the way of experience.
As his kisses moved away from her mouth, and began to meander down her throat, toward her bosom, she pushed against Mark’s shoulders and lifted herself out of his lap. A kiss was one thing, but anything more… She was not yet sure of that, with him.
“Did I offend you?” Mark asked, looking concerned. “Was that not what you wanted, or was that… a trick of your own, to be played upon me?”
Johanna shook her head. “It was no trick, and I am anything but offended. I would have been rather more offended if you had pushed me away, and I had mistaken your intentions.”
“Then… why have you stood up?”
