“I see. So you playacted the role of a rake who was only pretending to be in earnest, knowing you would come across as though you had the lowest of motives, when in fact, you were sincere?” “Precisely.” She gave a short, wry laugh and shook her head at him. “Convoluted sir! You are a maze.” He shot her a sulky glance. “I thought you were going to say I was amazing.” “That, too,” she admitted with a rueful smile, capturing his square chin between her fingertips.”

“Miranda!” “What?” She batted him with her pillow. “Hoyden! Are you drunk?” “I don’t think so. I’m not sure. They never gave us wine at Yardley. I feel happy.” “Happy?” He grabbed a corner of the pillow as she whacked him again with it. “Stop it!” “You’re too serious, Winterley!” She reached for another pillow. “I will beat you until you smile!” He ducked out of his chair with a rakish grin as she swung at him, then tackled her flat on the soft bed, both of them laughing. “You are . . . impossible,” he chided with a gentle sigh as he braced his elbows on either side of her head. He traced her cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. “Difficult, but not impossible.” She wrapped her arms around him, relishing the weight of him atop her, the smoothness of his bare chest against her bodice. “It all depends on who’s trying.” “That sounded distinctly like an invitation,” he murmured.”

“You saved me again," she told him with a starstruck gaze. He cupped her cheek and gave her a tender smile in the dark. "Because you are my princess and I am your knight.”

“You’re safe now .. .and I love you.”She lifted her face and turned to him, her eyes wide at his words, her lips soft and trembling. “I love you,too, Robert,” she said very quietly. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”

“I’ll never leave you. I’ll never mistreat you. I think you know that by now. Try with me. Let us find what wemay find.”“What do you expect to find, Robert?”“How should I know? I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life.”Tears shone briefly under her graceful long lashes before she blinked them away and glanced at himagain with a reluctant twist of a smile. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her bent knees andsighed. “You are asking us both to set ourselves up for great hurt when it comes time for me to leave.”“Leave? Don’t speak of leaving, angel. You must stay forever.”“As your mistress.”“As my love,” he countered insistently.”

“I’ve been wanting to do this all night. Give me those luscious—” He ripped the front of her bodiceopen, freed her breasts, and buried his face between them. “Mmmm. God, I could devour you,” hemoaned as his hot, wet mouth captured her nipple.Bel gasped then let out a low, breathless laugh of delirious pleasure.”

“You could be a gambler. A thief, for all I know. Besides—” He captured her hand and stoppedher from walking on, holding her in place.“Besides what, you insufferable prude?”“Prude, eh? Do you need another kiss to remind you what a prude I am?”“Don’t you dare.”“Then don’t call me names.”“You started it.”