Free Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath

capture a tear she’d not even realized had formed. His action was heartbreakingly familiar. He’d done the same in Scutari, just before he’d drawn her into the circle of his arms and provided her with a safe haven. “What do you know at this moment?”
    “That you’re the most remarkable man I’ve ever known.”
    His thumb stilled. “Do you know that my brothers bought me a commission because they thought me lacking in character? That I preferred women above all things.”
    “And women prefer you above all men.”
    His eyes widened slightly.
    “I do not think there was a nurse in all of Scutari who didn’t fancy herself in love with you. You have the ability to smile at a woman and make her believe that you have never smiled in quite the same way at any other.”
    “Was it my smile that charmed you into my bed, then?”
    Once again, all hope that she’d been more than simply one of the nurses shattered into sharp shards with the affirmation that she’d been merely one of a dozen. When he touched her, when she was near enough to look into the blue depths of his eyes and absorb the beauty of them, when his attention was focused on her, she could easily forget that she’d meant nothing to him. While she had worshipped him for his strength, his unselfishness, and his willingness to tend to her heart, she’d obviously misread his affections for her, had thought herself more than she was. But what did her place in his heart truly matter when he had so courageously secured a place in hers?
    Slowly she shook her head, unable to usher forth the teasing smile that he was no doubt expecting. How could she when her heart was cracking? “No, not your smile.”
    His other hand came up, as large and strong as the first. His gaze wandered over her face, stopped at her lips. They tingled, parted. In his eyes, she saw interest, curiosity . . . desire. “My kiss then.”
    Before she could inform him that he’d not enticed her with a kiss, he was doing exactly that, his mouth plying provocatively over hers. She stiffened when he pushed his tongue between her lips and swirled velvet over silk, then relaxed as his skill seduced her. He did not force, but he invited. She accepted the invitation. His flavor was rich and powerful, wine and whiskey combined into a darkness that was as intoxicating as the caress of his tongue. He ravished without brutality. He caused every nerve to tingle, every inch of her body to respond as though he slowly stroked her from toe to chin.
    She’d dreamed of him sweeping her off her feet a thousand times as she’d walked the narrow path between the beds at the Barrack Hospital tending to the needs of other men, as she’d prepared to leave Scutari because of John’s impending birth, as she’d traveled the rough seas on a ship, as she’d journeyed via railway to Paris. Major Stephen Lyons had never been far from her thoughts.
    But in spite of her various imaginings, she’d not been prepared for the compelling nature of his kiss, delivered with such urgency. She returned it in full measure. Life was short, opportunities few, and she’d yearned for this nearness for too long to be demure now. She stepped into his embrace and felt as though she’d finally returned home, to the spot where one night with him had shown her she could be. As his arms came around her, drew her even closer, she knew she was where she was meant to be. She had looked into his eyes that long-ago night and she’d seen his compassion and kindness. She knew of his bravery, had seen his unselfish devotion to his men.
    A man lacking in character? If he’d ever truly been such, she had no doubt he’d left that part of himself on England’s shores when he’d boarded the ship that carried him east.
    She’d feared that he’d left his memories of her in Scutari, but he kissed her now as though he were intimately familiar with the contours of her mouth. He left no part wanting for attention. His feral groan echoed around