Free Once Upon an Accident 01 - The Accidental Countess by Melissa Schroeder Page A

banged against the door before falling to the floor.
    “What the bloody hell are you doing?”
    “I’m acting like a simpleton!”
    He smiled. It warmed his eyes and softened his features. A whisper of misgiving brushed over her skin. The man was deadly when he turned on the charm. “I was only joking with you. Trying to ease the tension.”
    “Sebastian! You said we would not get caught. Now we are trapped and not only that, your mother and sister think I am going to London with you.”
    He looked away from her and walked to the window. “Would it be that bad, Colleen? You’ve never been there. You could see all the sights.”
    “And then what? Wait until the annulment is fulfilled?”
    He didn’t say anything. The clock ticked, the only sound in the room. The silence lingered and the tension tightened. Her suspicions rose and almost choked her.
    “We are getting an annulment.”
    “Colleen, that might be a problem.”
    She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Her mind now whirled with the implications of what that simple statement meant.
    He turned, an apologetic smile on his face. “I’m an earl, Colleen. It makes for a sticky situation.”
    Sebastian tried to keep his thoughts on their conversation but it was proving difficult. Colleen’s face flushed with anger again. God, she was a sight to be seen when she was annoyed. A few strands had escaped her pulled-back hair and curled under her chin. His fingers itched to tuck them behind her ear. Or, thread his fingers through the heavy mass, causing it to fall.
    With each angry breath, her chest rose and fell, drawing his attention to her breasts. The bodice of her dress left little to be desired, but in her anger, the soft, worn fabric hugged against her breasts, clinging to the curves with each inhalation.
    Momentarily, he thought of stripping away the fabric, revealing just what she looked like naked. Ideas of gliding his hands over her skin tumbled through his mind. He could just imagine teasing, arousing, drawing her passion from her as he delighted in taking his own pleasure. Suddenly, painfully, he needed to know what her breasts looked like.
    Were they pale with rose-tipped nipples that would tighten the moment he brushed his fingers over them?
    “A sticky situation?”
    Her voice brought him back to the present, although he had to shift again, to try to ease the heaviness of his groin.
    “Yes. An annulment will be hard to obtain.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means that we may have to stay married.”
    Slowly she rose and walked to him, her hands on her hips. “You said there would be no problem. No one would know we were married.”
    She was close enough for her sweet scent to reach him, surround him. Jesus, it made him want to nibble her neck and work his way down to more interesting parts.
    “Well, there is a slight problem with that. My mother knows.”
    “You said you told her the truth.”
    She had the most magnificent pair of lips. They were plump, the bottom one a little fuller than the top. Her untutored kisses almost made him lose control. With a little practice and some help from him, she would be exquisite. Thoughts of teaching her, kiss by kiss, sent another rush of heated blood through his veins.
    “Sebastian! Are you paying attention to me?”
    “Yes. I am.” He cleared his throat and pulled his mind from teaching his wife to kiss. “Mother would never lie about me being married.”
    There had come a point in his discussion with his mother that he had realized they would have to stay married. He was obligated to produce an heir. She had risked her reputation to save his life. While physically she wasn’t his usual type of woman, she had a quick wit and sinful lips.
    And she smelled of hot rolls.
    “What are you saying?” Her voice was just above a whisper. He smiled, trying to reassure her.
    “I’m saying that maybe we should reconsider our arrangement.”

Chapter Six
    All color drained from Colleen’s face.