Free All I Want by Lynsay Sands

air had left her lungs. She was left gasping and arching, little sounds of excitement slipping through her lips, until he muffled them again with his mouth. He kissed her almost violently, and slid a knee between her legs, drawing the material of her borrowed gown with it.
    Borrowed gown. Eleanore’s gown. Eleanore’s advice. Asquickly as that, Prudence’s troubles crashed back down around her, abruptly dampening her ardor. Recalling what she had intended to do, she clenched her fingers in his hair and tugged urgently at it, trying to pull him away. “Wait. Wait, my lord, I—”
    His soft chuckle made her hesitate and peer at him uncertainly as he eased their embrace enough for her to slip her arms between them.
    “I think you can call me Stephen now, my lady.” His voice was husky with passion as he peered down at her through the dim light. “I believe we are beyond formality.”
    Prudence offered him a strained smile. “Aye. Well.” Reluctant to escape his embrace, she began to play with the front of his shirt, keeping him near, yet far enough away that he couldn’t kiss her again and muddle her thinking. “I…”
    His eyebrows rose at her hesitation. “Aye?”
    “I wished to ask you…” She got further that time before faltering, then forced herself to continue. “To ask if you would please refuse him admittal?”
    She said the last with her eyes shut, horrified at how the request sounded. It had not seemed a bad suggestion when Eleanore had made it.
If
you cannot keep him from going to Ballard’s the owner can. Mayhap if you ask nicely, Lord Stockton would do that for you
, she had said. Of course, Prudence supposed her friend hadn’t imagined Prudence being in his arms when she made the request. Stephen certainly didn’t appear as if he was reacting well. His arms tightened around her, his face becoming expressionless. She could feel his emotional withdrawal from her like a physical tearing.
    “I see. Well, I imagine it could be arranged. It depends.”
    Prudence swallowed at the unpleasant undertone to his voice. “Depends on what?”
    “How much more of this might I get should I do so?”
    Her first reaction was a backward jerk of her head, as if he had slapped her. It couldn’t have hurt her more had he actually done so. But her second reaction was chagrin. What could she expect him to think? She had certainly done everything else she could to save her family, much of it likely illegal. Unquestionably it was all improper behavior for a well-bred young lady of the
ton
. And she had also never made any attempt to hide her desperation. She shouldn’t be surprised that he had jumped to such a conclusion.
    “My allowing you to kiss me has nothing to do with this,” she said with quiet dignity. “As a point of fact, I brought a halt to the kiss because I was becoming rather…er…distracted and feared forgetting to make the request at all.” She could feel her face burning with embarrassment as she made the admission, and was grateful for the concealing darkness.
    Stephen considered her through the gloom, then said, “So you like my kisses? This is not some new scheme? This is not some way to pay me back because your father loses money in my establishment?”
    Prudence frowned, trying to find an argument in her mind to prove that she enjoyed Lord Stockton’s kisses, then brightened. “Surely you can tell if a woman is enjoying your kiss? Does it not show?”
    “Aye. Unfortunately I was rather distracted with my own enjoyment and did not—” His words broke off on a surprised gasp when Prudence suddenly stepped closer, reached up on tiptoe, and pressed her lips against his.
    He did nothing at first to make the kiss easier for her, but as she felt the tension in his arms ease, his hands began to move over her back and his lips moved with true passion. Prudence let a little sigh slip out as her mouth opened under his, her toes curling in her slippers as she arched into him, putting all she