The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

had no idea it was so wonderfully sensitive — she caught her breath on a gasp and shivered with almost unbearable pleasure. She arched her neck in shameless invitation as his mouth moved lower. His lips parted and the velvety tip of his tongue against her flushed neck sent ripples of pure bliss shimmering along every inch of her skin. The jumble of new sensations was so dazzling that all rational thought vanished. A moan rose from the back of her throat. She gasped his name, over and over, while kneading his back and shoulders with restless desire.
    The sound of his name seemed to renew his passion, for he brought his lips back to hers and plundered her mouth again, almost savagely. She responded with equal hunger, and they kissed until her head swam in a sort of dark, sensual haze.
    When they finally broke the kiss, she leaned her forehead against his, her breath ragged and her heart in turmoil. “Geoffrey? Is this real? Or are we still play-acting?”
    “Does it seem like play-acting to you?”
    “No. Oh, I don’t know! You have my mind all in a whirl. I don’t know what to think.”
    He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. “Sweet Lydia, I have a confession to make.”
    “Oh?”
    “Hartwell was not detained, and he did not ask me to replace him tonight in your little scheme.”
    “He didn’t?”
    “No, I asked him. In fact, I all but begged him to allow me to take his place. When he told me of your plans, I knew I wanted to be the one to play the lovesick fool.”
    “But why?”
    “So I would have a good excuse to do this.” And he kissed her again. “And this.” He trailed his lips along her jaw and down her throat. “And this.” His tongue dipped into the cleavage of her bosom while one finger slipped inside the lace at her neckline until it found her nipple, just barely covered by her stays. She uttered a moan of shocked pleasure as he teased it.
    “Oh God, Lydia.” His voice was raw and breathless. “We must stop.”
    She buried her face in the crook of his neck. “This is real, then? You are kissing me because you want to and not because of Lord Tennison?”
    “I have wanted to kiss you for ages, Lydia. And the devil take Tennison. Surely you do not really want him, do you? Would you give me a chance instead?”
    She threw her head back and laughed for joy. “Silly man. Of course I do not want that odious Lord Tennison. I have a confession, too, you know. What I told Daniel and Philip was true. I was indeed pining away for someone who never noticed me, and they really did help me contrive a plan to make that someone jealous. But it was not Lord Tennison, it was you.”
    “Me? I had assumed it was Garthwaite or Lonsdale or any of a number of eligible gentlemen — but when you named Tennison, I began to have my doubts. I knew you were up to something, and I dared to hope it might involve me.”
    “Wretched man! You knew all along I had lied about Lord Tennison?”
    “Of course I did. You would never be attracted to such a jaded libertine. But you did give me pause in the supper room, when you flirted with him. You see, your scheme worked after all. I was seething with jealousy! Though I didn’t need that ploy to make me notice you. I’ve been noticing you since you gave up plaits and put your hair up.”
    “Truly? I had no idea. I thought you entirely indifferent to me. You never hinted otherwise.”
    “Because I was convinced you disliked me. With all Daniel’s other friends, you were fun and lively. With me, you always seemed a bit cool. But still, I found you irresistible.”
    “Oh no, you resisted me quite easily! If I seemed aloof, it was because I was afraid to reveal how I truly felt.”
    “And how is that?”
    “I have loved you forever, I think.”
    “And I love you, Lydia. With all my heart.”
    “Deeply and completely?” she teased, throwing his words back at him, hoping he had meant them.
    He laughed, took her face in his hands, and stroked his thumbs along the