Free Lost in a Royal Kiss by Vanessa Kelly Page A

her as she felt about him.
    She frowned, absently stroking the shape of his ribs through the fine linen of his shirt. At least she thought he felt the same way about her. In the heat of the moment, they’d certainly declared their desire for each other, but neither had truly professed any degree of emotion. But surely he knew she would never have given of herself if she didn’t love him. She had assumed the same about him. But as the moments ticked by, she began to wonder if she had assumed too much.
    Anthony stirred beneath her. “Are you all right, Linnet?”
    Afraid of what she might see on his face, she cautiously brought her head up. His eyes still smoldered with banked passion, but his features once more held the firm, almost stern expression they habitually carried. He certainly did not look like a man who’d been carried away on the wings of Eros, or on the wings of anything else.
    Beginning to feel awkward in her perch on his chest, she started to slide off. One big hand clamped firmly at the base of her spine, holding her still.
    “You don’t need to move yet,” he said. “The servants won’t be up for hours.”
    She dredged up a smile, hoping it didn’t look as stiff as it felt. Only a few minutes ago, her body had moved with grace and abandon. Now she felt clumsy and hesitant.
    “I must be crushing you,” she said. “Surely, this can’t be very comfortable.” She knew she was no lightweight, and that was as good an excuse as any if he wanted to put some distance between them.
    To her surprise, he let out a husky laugh, and the heat in his eyes sparked back to life. “Love, I’ve never felt more comfortable in my life. You are the sweetest blanket any man could want.”
    “Even in this dreadful heat?” she protested.
    By way of answer, his hands drifted down to smooth across her bottom, and his lips parted in a wicked grin. Her anxiety eased, and she couldn’t help smiling back at him.
    “In fact,” he murmured, cupping her, “if you stay in this position much longer, I think I’m going to have to do something about it.”
    Linnet choked out a shaky laugh, surprised at the coiling of arousal low in her belly. Anthony obviously possessed the ability to stoke her need with barely the touch of his hand. She didn’t know whether to be delighted or dismayed at the revelation.
    Instinctively, she wriggled against him, and felt the thrust of his growing erection. When she widened her eyes, he let out a laugh that sounded more like a groan.
    “However,” he said, “given that you are new to this, I think it best that we not repeat our performance. Not tonight.”
    She sighed and settled back onto his chest. “That might be wise. I expect I’ll have a little trouble walking tomorrow, as it is.”
    “I’m sorry if I hurt you, love. I should have waited until our wedding night before bedding you. A soft mattress would have been a great deal more comfortable than a divan in Lady Farnsworth’s study.” He nuzzled the top of her head. “But I could not wait to claim you as my own, even if it does only take three weeks to read the banns. Not when you looked so deliciously disheveled.”
    Linnet’s brain stuttered over his words. Obviously, she was relieved his intentions were honorable, and of course she should have expected nothing less from him. But she was still trying to comprehend the monumental change in her circumstances. She wanted marriage with Anthony—at some point in the future—but there was a great deal to be discussed first.
    Starting with how he truly felt about her.
    “I do realize that you would make certain assumptions based on what just happened between us,” she said cautiously. “But we should not get too far ahead of ourselves.”
    Even though he didn’t move, Anthony’s entire body went rigid. The air grew thick with a fraught silence, and Linnet didn’t need to look at him to know he was probably scowling.
    In one movement, he sat up, bringing her with him. She