Free Never Trust a Rogue by Olivia Drake Page A

much as the content of his words. He sounded confident . . . cocky . . .
amused
.
    She jerked at his hold. “Why, you vainglorious fool—”
    “You’re right; I must be a fool.”
    On that cynical statement, he pulled her deep into the shadows of the arbor and brought his mouth down on hers. Lindsey was too stunned to offer more than a token resistance. His arms held her tightly, trapping her hands against his broad shoulders. His aroma and taste, his sheer maleness, engulfed her senses. All at once, her anger and antagonism transformed into a heat that burned at her core.
    Without thinking, she closed her eyes and succumbed to the pleasure of his lips gliding over hers. The warmth of his muscled body clasped to hers was a delight unknown until this moment. She reveled in it, pressing herself closer to him, hardly understanding the need that induced her to utter small throaty sounds of desire. On some deep level, she was aghast at her own behavior, yet the temptation to enjoy the moment overwhelmed her.
    “Sweet Lindsey,” he muttered, his breath hot against her skin. Then his tongue sought entry between her lips, exploring her mouth with a skill that had her melting in his arms. Nothing else mattered but to be held by him, to feel his hands stroking up and down her back. She ached for him to touch her more intimately, in ways no innocent young lady ought to contemplate. Unlike other girls her age, she knew a little of sexual matters from her time in India, where rules were more lax and where she often had eavesdropped on the raucous gossip of servants.
    As abruptly as he’d grabbed hold of her, Mansfield lifted his head, his breathing harsh in the quiet night. She started to murmur a protest, but he placed his forefinger over her lips. There was a tension in his body, an alertness that penetrated her silken trance.
    Voices emanated from somewhere nearby. The scuff of footsteps approached on a pathway.
    A glimmer of sanity returned to her mind. She stood very still within the circle of his arms. Lud, there was a party in progress a short distance away. What had she been thinking, to permit him such a passionate kiss when anyone might happen by and see them?
    What had she been thinking to grant this man a kiss
at all
?
    Awareness of her wanton behavior bought a hot blush to her face. She hadn’t been thinking, that’s what. At one expert brush of his lips, all sense had flown from her brain. Even now, she reveled in the warmth of his body against hers. It shook her to realize how easily he’d aroused her base instincts—instincts that had lain dormant until this moment.
    No wonder Mansfield was renowned for his prowess at seduction.
    The chattering couple walked past the little arbor without spying them standing in the gloom. Lindsey had been waiting for the couple’s voices to fade before wrenching herself from his arms. But Mansfield released her first. He stepped back, a tall black shadow in the gloom.
    “You’ll want to return to the ballroom before you’re missed.”
    His formal tone nonplussed her; he might have been dismissing a disobedient child. Was he so unaffected by their fervent embrace? She told herself to go, to put as much distance between them as possible. Yet the devil of pride prodded her into asking, “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”
    He didn’t answer at once. Music from the ballroom drifted into the silence. The orchestra had begun playing again, and the dancers would be forming sets. She waited on pins and needles, wishing to her shame for some acknowledgment that he’d experienced the same all-encompassing thrill as she had.
    “I’d advise you to make haste,” Mansfield murmured. “Lady Entwhistle is due to join me out here in a few moments.”
    His cool words made her humiliation complete. He had subjected her to an ardent kiss merely to pass the time while he waited for his lightskirt.
    Drawing back her arm, Lindsey slapped him.
    She scored a direct hit despite