Free Blackthorne's Bride by Shana Galen

trailed from her chin to her lips, parting them slightly.
    "I will," she said, feeling his finger move as she spoke. But she didn't. His body was warm against hers. He felt like liquid steel—so hard and yet so flexible.
    "I'm waiting," he whispered.
    "So am I," she answered; Oh, Lord. She shouldn't have said that. Lady Madeleine wouldn't have said that.
    She was going to go to hell for encouraging him. But she was in a hell of anticipation right now. She needed him to kiss her again.
    With infinite slowness, he obliged. He lowered his head, his gaze holding hers until the last possible second, then he touched his lips to hers. She felt like a feather had brushed her skin, only no feather had ever made her skin zing before.
    She moaned slightly as the tingle infiltrated her body—traveling from her lips to her neck, her shoulders, the tips of her fingers. She felt numb. Drugged. Intoxicated.
    Seemingly of its own volition, her hand came up to touch his back. As he wore only a linen shirt, she could easily feel the cords and bands of his muscles. Wrapping both hands around his waist, she pulled him closer. She felt his mouth curve in a smile against hers.
    "Do you want more, Maddie?" he whispered against her mouth.
    She nodded.
    He caught her bottom lip, and she felt his tongue trace her mouth slowly. The shock of that erotic sensation made her body come alive. She shook with the zing of pleasure, feeling it shoot through her—from her fingers back up her arms, straight to her back, where her spine tingled and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
    "Tell me."
    Maddie closed her eyes. She shouldn't allow this to go any further. She should walk away, walk back to Mr. Dover, who was waiting for her, worrying about her.
    Or at least worrying about being behind schedule.
    "Give me more," she whispered.
    With consummate skill, he slanted his mouth over hers. Maddie felt her nipples grow erect and hard, felt her legs grow wobbily. Blackthorne deepened their kiss, taking it from playful and innocent to somewhere she'd never been. Somewhere dark and dangerous and exciting.
    And then he opened her lips, and she gave in to the sweet surrender of his invasion. The way he moved, the way he explored her, and encouraged her to explore him in return, took her breath away.
    Or it might have been that she was pressed so tightly against him that she wasn't sure where he ended and she began. And still she couldn't get close enough.
    It wasn't until he broke away that she realized she hadn't been breathing. She was light-headed and dizzy, and she had to clutch him to keep from falling over. She closed her eyes, hoping the world would stop spinning.
    When she opened them, he was still looking at her.
    "You were right," he said.
    She shivered at the husky timbre of his voice. It made her want to grasp his shirt and pull him back to her.
    But she didn't.
    "Right?" she asked, managing to keep her voice from wavering.
    "We shouldn't have done that."
    "I'm always right," she moaned, not in the least pleased by that fact at the moment. "I should start listening to myself."
    "Lady Madeleine!" Mr. Dover called again. "These men are growing quite ... impatient!" His voice squeaked, and Maddie knew she had better get out there.
    "I have to go," she said.
    "Oh, no you don't." He put his hands on either side of her head, trapping her. "I won't let you risk yourself."
    Maddie scowled at his attempts to control her. She'd been right again. "Move out of my way. I don't need protection."
    "The hell you don't."
    She tried to hold her temper. "You're just like my father, always trying to stop me from helping."
    "Maybe he stops you because he doesn't want to have to rescue you. Now stay here."
    "You
stay here." And she darted under his arm and sprinted back toward the road.
    Blackthorne was close on her heels. She thought she heard him mutter, "You'd better be right this time," but then she saw poor Mr. Dover, and she slammed to a halt.
    The large man