Free My Lady, My Spy (Secrets and Seduction Book 4) by Sheridan Jeane

her.
    He moved closer. She shifted her weight, flattening her skirts against the heavy desk at her back. She stopped, trapped between him and the leather-topped desk.
    Frederick reached out his left hand and touched her waist in exactly the same spot where Lord Temple had touched her. He slowly glided his hand along the warmth of her ribcage.
    Her breath caught and she let out a small gasp of surprise at his touch. But she didn’t pull away as she had with Lord Temple. Instead, she stared up at him, her mouth slightly open, her lower lip full and soft and... trembling?
    The sight of that quavering movement pierced him as nothing else could. He leaned down, unable to resist the temptation of her lips. As their mouths touched, he nearly moaned with the pleasure of it. The warmth of her lips wrapped around him like a dream. His hand tightened at her waist, then he pulled her closer, crushing her body against his. Wanting, nay, craving what she’d freely given him only a week ago.
    How had he stayed away from her for so long? How had he convinced himself he could live anything resembling a life without her?
    Her hand slid up his chest. She pulled at the lapel of his jacket, then slipped her hand beneath it, flattening it to the spot where his heart thundered. The heat of her palm seared into his skin. Her hand clenched, grabbing hold of his shirt. But only for a moment— an instant later, she flattened it against his chest again.
    And pushed.
    Frederick stumbled back. Dazed.
    She turned her back to him. The pale arch of her neck glowed reproachfully in the soft light. Vulnerable.
    As she glanced over her shoulder at him, he saw the pain in her eyes. The confusion. “Frederick, what are you doing? What do you want from me? Is this all I am to you? A plaything?” Her fists clenched in the satin skirt of her gown, crushing the delicate fabric. “Am I nothing more to you than a toy you pull out on a whim and then toss aside again when you’re bored?”
    Her words struck him like a fistful of snow. The pain in her voice pierced his heart with shards of ice. He shook his head. “Is that what you believe? That I hold you in such low esteem?”
    Her eyes seemed to darken with anger as she faced him, planting her hands on her hips. “What else am I to think? You court me for nearly a year until I can no longer resist you, and once you’ve had me, you avoid me. Or should I say, you avoid me until you see me with another man.”
    “Lord Temple? You think I’m jealous of that specimen? That’s ridiculous. He’s so malleable you already have him dancing to your tune.” He regretted the words as soon as he’d spoken them.
    A sharp smile cut across her face. “I saw you arrive,” she said. “You didn’t notice me at first, but once you did, the look you gave Lord Temple was a telling one. Do you dislike him so very much?”
    She’d been able to read that in him? Frederick pressed his lips together. Had he lost control over his emotions where she was concerned, or was she particularly skilled at interpreting his facial expressions? “Are you suggesting that I’m so awkward and inelegant that I broadcast my every emotion for the world to see?”
    Her stern expression softened as she gathered her hands at her waist. “Not to worry, master spy. It’s only because I’ve come to know you so well.” Her face tightened again. “Which means I know you well enough to recognize when you’re toying with me.”
    He flinched from her words. “I’d never treat you so shabbily. I know I’ve lost your trust, but I hope you’ll believe me when I say I hold you in the highest esteem.”
    She narrowed her eyes, examining his face, and then gave a terse nod. “You believe what you’re saying. That doesn’t mean you’re telling me the entire truth. I don’t believe you know your own mind where I’m concerned.”
    Frederick let out a huff of frustration. “You believe me but you don’t believe me? Is that what you’re saying?