Free Lorelie Brown by An Indiscreet Debutante Page B

resist one last nip of her bottom lip. Flesh gave under his teeth.
    She didn’t straighten fully. With her cloud of red hair, she hovered over him like a depraved angel. He liked it. He liked her a hell of a lot, for that matter. Especially the way she grinned. “See? Perfect.”
    He chuckled again, until he realized that he’d been unable to let go. His fingertips smoothed over her soft skin, from her nape to her shoulders. “I concede the point.”
    Her hands were on his shoulders, and she dug in, like a kitten finding her nesting spot. She had blunt and square-tipped nails that scratched over his skin with an extra measure of temptation. Her gaze returned to his mouth. He could see beneath the gilt now. Darkness and worry altered her eyes to mossy green. “You were very brave today.”
    An uncomfortable knot settled in his stomach. He hadn’t done anything unusual. “Speak nothing of it.”
    She shook her head, and then sank to her knees. His chest clenched on a spiral of restriction and control. Between his outstretched legs, she was a froth of silk and lace and all that pale, pale skin. “I can’t say nothing . I owe you my thanks. My appreciation. My gratitude.” Her mouth pinched into what was likely supposed to be a smile. “There’s not enough ways in the world to say it. Or to…offer it.”
    Had it really only been six hours ago that he thought her a complete jade? She was more lost than found. Offering herself as repayment for him doing what any man should…
    He wanted her. There was no denying that. He wasn’t the sort to run around taking advantage of women either. Not to say there hadn’t been temptation nor times that he’d dallied in delectable activities. He always chose partners who were on an equal footing, both in terms of expectations and potentials. He couldn’t imagine any man who’d grown up with a loving mother and sweet sister could do anything else.
    If a man took advantage of his sister in a similar situation, he’d gut the bastard from stem to stern.
    That didn’t mean he was perfect. His hands framed her face, his thumbs rubbing over and over that tender skin. Delicate insanity.
    He took her mouth one more time. Sugar and velvet. Her lips pressed against his. He traced the inside tenderness of her bottom lip, then the hard edge of her teeth. His body curved over hers, offering shelter from the storm that no one would be able to keep away on her behalf.
    She made a quiet noise that spilled into his mouth. Her fingers dug into his muscles, making the tendons across his neck shiver and pull tight. He had to put her back again. Move her away from his reach. She wasn’t the only one traipsing down routes best left forgotten.
    He turned his hand and rubbed her jawline with his knuckles. She tilted her chin into the touch. “You shouldn’t be here.”
    “I think it’s a little late for that sort of protest. Neither of us are spinster maidens.”
    “Let me put it this way, then. I thank you for what you’re offering. But I have to decline.”
    She sat back on her heels, her mouth bending into a displeased frown. “You’ll regret that. I’m sure of it.”
    Bugger yes, he was going to regret that. He already was. His cock all but reared up in protest. But he only shook his head. “Then that will be my regret to live with. Not yours.”

Chapter Seven
    By four days later, Lottie knew that Ian had been wrong. The regret was all hers. In the second best parlor of her school, she stood with her hands folded at her waist as she blindly watched three rows of girls practice curtsying. Mrs. Sera Thomas stood at the front of the room leading the class and occasionally shooting Lottie questioning looks.
    It wasn’t often that Lottie felt it necessary to watch a class. But she’d needed to reassure herself that she was on the right path. She hadn’t lost her mind.
    The whole last week had been a tumble of too many emotions at once. She didn’t like feeling so…at sea. Flipped