Free Tempting Her Reluctant Viscount by Catherine Hemmerling Page B

Michael?”
    “I found, ah, another name for the list. It is…it is…”
    Tears welling up in her eyes, Hope whispered, “It is my father, isn’t it?”
    A bleakness appeared in Michael’s eyes as he nodded. “You knew?”
    Shaking her head, she replied, “No, but…” The tears in her eyes began streaming down her cheeks as she said, “This man, Richard Butt.” Hope paused to show Michael the name. “He is my father’s financial advisor. When I saw his name…well, I had hoped…but I guess… Oh Michael—” Too choked up to speak any further, Hope simply looked at him in anguish and despair.
    “Oh, Hope,” Michael sighed, pulling Hope into his arms, “I am so sorry.”
    Giving into the warmth and comfort of Michael’s arms, Hope finally allowed herself to cry in earnest. How could this be happening? Yes, her father had been acting suspiciously as of late and he was hoarding money, but did that make him a criminal of this magnitude? Hope would not…could not…believe it.
    Sitting up, Hope wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Michael had thoughtfully handed her and she looked at him with determination. “There is no way my father could have done this. I refuse to even consider the idea.”
    Reaching up to cup Hope’s still damp cheek, Michael replied softly, “Then it will be up to us to prove his innocence.”
    “You don’t believe he did it, either?” Hope asked, astonished that Michael would so willingly discard what was some pretty damning evidence, even by her own estimation.
    “I don’t know,” Michael said honestly, “but I believe in you. And if you say he didn’t do it, then that is good enough for me.”
    And Hope simply melted.
    “Oh, Michael,” she sighed and, without even thinking, she leaned in and kissed him squarely on the lips. She was surprised how warm and dry they were and when they began to move softly against hers, Hope thought she would die from the pleasure it evoked. Never in her wildest dreams did she think a kiss felt like this .
    It was then she realized what she was doing. Hope broke off the kiss and was on her feet so quickly she almost fell over. Covering her mouth with her hand, she blushed so deeply she was sure her hair was going to turn red.
    “I’m so— Oh my G— I never…” Hope stuttered and stammered in complete mortification. “Ohhh…” she moaned as she plopped back down in her chair and buried her face in her hands. What was the matter with her? Had all her morals flown right out the window? Proper young ladies did not let themselves be kissed and they certainly did not initiate the kissing. What must Michael think of her?
    …
    Michael was, frankly, in shock.
    It had all happened so quickly, but he was rather sure that Miss Hope Stuckeley had just kissed him. She had kissed him , of all things. A positively goofy smile spread across his face, and he reached up to touch his still tingling lips. It was unconventional, to say the least, but Michael found he was not at all upset that Hope had taken matters into her own hands.
    However, the same could not be said for Hope. She looked so completely horrified, it almost hurt for Michael to look at her. But he refused to let her turn what was the most amazing event of his life into something shameful. There was something downright wicked about being kissed by Hope Stuckeley. She was so prim and proper on the outside, but Michael was beginning to see that inside…inside, Hope was pure woman. It couldn’t hurt to help her explore this side of her, could it?
    Michael chuckled at Hope’s consternation but didn’t try to placate her. Instead he pulled her into his arms once more. Their first kiss had been far too quick, in his highly biased opinion.
    Michael breathed in Hope’s scent like a man starving for air. When their lips finally met, Michael reveled in the spark of desire that had him tingling again. This was what a kiss was meant to be. More than just lips against lips, but soul intertwining