Free Dance of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries Page A

kissing her to deliver his dire threats in that bullying tone of his.
    “Excellent point,” he muttered.
    “I thought so.” She was finally winning a round. Buoyed by the possibility of success with this new tactic, she added smugly, “Indeed, if you don’t move away and give me that watch, I might be tempted to complain of your behavior anyway. It would be my word against yours, and as I said, in such a case mine is more likely to be believed.”
    She’d expected to make him capitulate at last. Instead, humor glinted in his eyes. “Then I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb, mightn’t I?”

    She had only a second to wonder what he meant before his mouth came down on hers again.
    She didn’t even attempt to fight him this time, angry that her tactic hadn’t worked, annoyed that he would call her bluff, and…curious, too, God help her. How far would he take this absurdity?
    She had her answer in seconds. Because his mouth was no longer the only thing touching her. He snaked one arm around her waist to pull her flush against him and caught her chin with his other hand to hold her still for his kiss. Then he melded himself to her, breast to thigh, while all she did was stand there, letting him.
    She wasn’t even sure why, except that his kiss was different this time, coaxing, more intimate than threatening. His lips played with hers, sipping at them, caressing them. Oh, bother, that made it so much more difficult to ignore.
    The sudden intrusion of his tongue between her lips shocked her, but he gave her no time to fight it. With a deftness Lucifer himself would admire, he delved inside to explore her mouth.
    The strange act intrigued her. No man had ever put his tongue in her mouth. She would never have expected it to feel so…pleasurable. And thrilling and decidedly wicked.
    She swayed against him without even realizing she did so, and a noise half-growl, half-groan rose from his throat. He dragged her closer to give her one long, drugging kiss after another. With every plunge of his tongue, her pulse spiked higher and she grew more light-headed. Good Lord, but he certainly could kiss. She’d never dreamed men were capable of this much…passion.
    No, that wasn’t quite true. She had spied on her uncles kissing their tarts a time or two. Now she understood why thewomen had always been breathless and flushed and weak-kneed when they’d pulled away.
    For the same reason she was growing breathless and flushed and weak-kneed beneath his hands.
    His strong, masterful hands. The one at her throat stroked and caressed, treating her skin as if it were delicate and fine. The other splayed its fingers over her back to urge her against him until she feared that every button on his waistcoat would leave its imprint on her bodice. Yet despite the close embrace—and the magnificent swirl of feeling it incited—he still only kissed her. She knew there was more to ravishment than that.
    Perhaps the wolf wasn’t quite so dangerous as he pretended. Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out for sure—give him a little rope and see if he hung himself.
    And pray that he didn’t tie her up with it instead.

Chapter 5
The artful Angler baits his Hook,
And throws it gently in the Brook;
Which the Fish view with greedy eyes,
And soon are taken by Surprize.
A Little pretty pocket-book, John Newbery
    M organ wanted to stop, but he couldn’t. Bon Dieu , she tasted like heaven. She felt like heaven, too, with her willowy body yielding in his arms. Which was precisely why he should let her go. Her eager response showed that his attempt to intimidate her wasn’t working.
    Yet he couldn’t stop kissing her. Her warm, welcoming mouth inflamed his need, and her flowery scent teased his nostrils. He wanted to sink into her. From the moment she’d raced to Johnny’s defense like an avenging angel, he’d itched to taste her, to touch her, to strip off her ugly gown and…
    Ravish her. Yes, that sounded vastly