heard.
He caught her up in his arms, holding her to his chest as though fearing she would move again and make further noise.
She gasped, gripping his arms to shove him away. Only he wouldnât budge. She was a prisoner in his arms. Unless she wanted to struggle and alert Kirkendale of their presence . . . she was stuck.
Her fingers flexed against the superfine of his jacket, marveling at the hardness of his biceps beneath her fingers.
Trevis had not felt nearly so firm and muscled, and he was a physical man. She shook her head once as if to shake it free of such senseless thoughts. What was she doing making comparisons between the two? Neither was a viable option for her. In fact, both men had made it clear she was unacceptable .
Heat stung her cheeks, and she renewed her attempts to disengage herself with care, wiggling against him with constraint, still determined to break free of the unwanted intimacy.
He pulled her closer, his arms steel bands around her. One of his hands crept to the back of her head, pressing their faces horrifyingly close. His cheek rasped against hers. Her skin tingled where their skin touched. Her belly dipped, twisted. A ragged breath escaped between her lips.
She wanted to demand he move away, but fear of being discovered held her voice in check.
His lips brushed the sensitive whorls of her ear as he whispered, âCease your movements lest you wish to be caught and explain what we are doing in this wardrobe together.â
Shaking from head to foot, she gave a hard nod, not trusting herself to speak in a voice that wasnât a shrill squeak.
âGood girl,â he murmured in that low voice that pulled at her belly.
With one hand at her head, his other spanned her back. She felt the hot imprint of each finger through the silk of her gown. All else faded but this. But him. The hard length of him painted onto her.
She no longer registered any sounds outside the wardrobe. The world was gone. There was only thisâthemâcaptives in this tiny space.
His mouth remained at her ear, not moving, but still touching. Still driving her mad.
She tried to pull back once again. Surely he would see that she would be careful, that she dared not make another sound. But he fastened a hand in her hair while his broad palm at her back deepened its pressure, keeping her pinned against him.
Strength radiated from him. Unusual for a dandified prince. Unusual for any of the dandified lords sheâd met about Town.
Upon arriving in London she quickly realized she could overpower most of the lily-handed prigs. As a former game master for a vast estate, she was accustomed to working and pushing her body to the limits every day. And yet the hard male body against hers did not belong to any idle blueblood.
At least he wasnât moving against her, actively touching her. She could withstand this. She could tolerate mere closeness to him. As long as he kept still. He was only holding her to help keep her motionless, after allâ
Then he moved.
Chapter Four
A ir hissed between her clenched teeth.
His warm breath teased her ear as his head lowered, and lowered. Parted lips touched the flesh of her neck, skimming lightly. Another sharp breath pushed past her lips.
What are you doing?
The words formed in her mind, but she couldnât speak them. She could not risk speech.
She wished his mouth still pressed hotly to her ear. Better that than this . Sensation zipped along her nerves, reminding her that she wasnât immune to a handsome man. A handsome man who happened to be everything that was wrong for her. He was a prince with only disdain for her. But here she was, reacting, reveling in his sensual assault as if he hadnât said any of those horrible things about her. Which begged the next question: Why was he even taunting her with seductive caresses?
His mouth did not move into an actual kiss. Nothing so bold as that. Yet that didnât lessen the absolute shock of