His face was harsh in the shadows. “Of course not,” he said mockingly.
Strange, feverish anticipation was building within her. “At my ladies’ club, we also have wagers and dares, very much like your gentleman’s club, White’s.”
He dealt her an arresting stare. “We do not have dares at White’s.”
“There is a dare with your name on it,” she murmured. “It involves kissing you. I have been thinking about fulfilling that dare for some weeks now.”
There was no mistaking about the raw tension in the air and throbbing strain between them. There was no mistaking the intent in his eyes or that he was not resisting the temptation. Percy gripped her hips and dragged her onto his thighs even more, giving her a fair warning of his intention.
“This is a lesson,” he murmured.
“Yes?”
“Should any cad come this close to you, plant him a facer.”
Amusement rushed through her. “So this is a lesson on what not to do.”
He lightly fingered a loose curl bouncing about her forehead. “Yes.”
“And when he kisses me?”
“Do not allow him this close,” he growled.
“Perhaps I could bite him on the lips if he succeeds,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Freddie?”
Each time his gaze met hers, her heart turned over in response. “Yes?”
“I am going to kiss you.”
She was enthralled by the sensuality etched on his face. A rush of wonder swept through Frederica. She touched the corner of his mouth, wanting to weep with the relief that filled her body. He wanted her…perhaps as much as she wanted him. She had always thought when they first kissed, it would be some sort of accident on his or her part, or a comedic situation that she could laughingly joke away if she was mortified by her attempts.
“A lesson?” she asked.
He watched her very steadily. “No, because I want to. So damn much.”
A shocking surge of heat quivered through Freddie. Her instinctive response to him was too powerful, but she did not shy away from it. “I dare hope this will be most instructional and pleasurable. Remember, my lord, you are a rake of the first order. Make my first kiss very good.”
“You really are a minx,” he murmured and then took her mouth with a fierce hunger that swamped her senses.
The suddenness of his move she had not expected, or the perfect feel of his mouth against hers. Her heart pounded so fiercely she wondered if he could hear her heartbeat.
“Part your lips,” he urged sensually.
“Why?”
He gave a sensual, husky laugh. “It is a part of kissing.”
Oh!Before she could comply, he took her lower lip between his teeth and gently bit down, teasing her lips to part with soft, arousing kisses. Those little nips burned through her, hot and intoxicating. Sliding her arms around his neck, she parted her lips a little wider, inviting him inside. Percy groaned his approval. His arms came around her waist like bands of steel, pulling her into the hard, masculine heat of his body. She was surrounded by his clean male scent, and it felt wonderful to be caged so intimately in his arms.
He was gentle but also exquisitely thorough. He tasted like…whisky and something sweet. A low throb started in her belly and traveled down to the womanly heart of her. That sensation was unexpected, and she squirmed atop his lap. His tongue stroked against her lower lip, and another unfamiliar sensation fluttered low in her stomach. Frederica gripped the lapels of his evening jacket in a fierce clasp, shifting to move even closer.
He released her mouth to press kisses against her shoulder, her chin, down to the sensitive hollow of her throat. When he took her mouth again, suddenly, it was almost unbearable in its tenderness. Frederica felt cherished instead of ravished, and a lump of emotion rose in her throat.
As their kisses grew deeper and wilder, her breasts felt peculiar, suddenly heavy and full, her nipples tautening into almost painful sensitivity.
She was transfixed.