Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick

Author:Amanda Quick
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical Romance
ISBN: 9781410447203
Publisher: Putnam
Published: 2012-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

It took her a few minutes to catch her breath and collect herself. When Evangeline opened her eyes she saw that Lucas was watching her with an unsettling expression. It was shatteringly intimate and tender but there was masculine possessiveness in the look, as well. It was as if he had learned her deepest, most closely held secret and that he wanted her to know that he knew it.

She raised her head from his shoulder, still slightly dazed. What on earth did a woman say at a time like this?

“Lucas,” she whispered. She traced the strong angle of his jaw with her fingertips, lost in the wonder of what had just happened.

He caught her fingers in one hand and kissed them. His eyes met hers. “Are you all right?”

She smiled. “I think so. That was … extraordinary.”

“Yes,” Lucas said. “It was extraordinary.” He smiled. “But you are an extraordinary woman, Evangeline Ames.”

She realized with a start that she was still draped across his thighs in the most wanton manner imaginable. The wrapper had fallen open and the hem of her nightgown was crumpled above her thighs.

Mortified, she scrambled off his lap and got to her feet. She was not the only one who was partially undressed. Lucas’s shirt had come undone and the front of his trousers was still open. It required an act of will not to stare at the broad expanse of his sleekly muscled chest, but she dared not drop her gaze any lower.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said.

“There is no need to say anything.” Lucas leaned down and pulled off his boots. “You are a passionate woman. Passion is a normal emotion. It does not require words. Except, I suppose, in sensation novels.”

She glared. “I am not a naive young girl, sir. I have read a great number of sensation novels and I am an author of such stories, if you will recall. I am an expert on the subject.”

“Of course.” He stood up and stripped off his shirt. “My apologies.”

She straightened her shoulders. “It is not as though I was unacquainted with desire before our”—she fluttered a hand, searching for the right word—“our encounter. I have been kissed any number of times.” She frowned, trying to recall the exact figure. “At least three times, I believe.”

“Ah, yes, that would account for your expertise.”

She frowned. “Although I must admit that until tonight I was obliged to use my imagination when it came to describing certain sensations. This experience tonight has been very educational, I must say. Enlightening, actually.”

“Happy to have been of service, my dear author.” He gave her a lazy smile, the sort of smile a lion might wear after dining on a plump gazelle. “In future, rest assured that I will be delighted to make myself available for additional research. I hope you will consider me a source of inspiration.”

She made a face. “Now you are laughing at me.”

“Never, Miss Ames.” He stepped out of his trousers. “Well, perhaps a little.”

It finally dawned on her that he was undressing in front of her.

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