Nowhere Near Respectable (LL 3) by Putney Mary Jo

Author:Putney, Mary Jo [Putney, Mary Jo]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Regency, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781420117226
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2011-04-26T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Kiri’s words blazed a direct line from Mac’s brain to his groin. Every muscle in his body clenched while he fought to regain control. They were in a hackney, for God’s sake! In front of their temporary home. They really must alight and go inside.

He had a swift image of them making love right here and now and the whole lightweight vehicle shaking madly. The humor of that cleared his wits a little.

“We are going to exit from this hackney and leave madness behind us,” he said firmly. “We will go inside and retire to our separate bedrooms and separately sleep the sleep of the just.” Except he’d lie awake all night from frustrated lust so intense that his good right hand would be unable to fully relieve it.

“Don’t be absurd,” she said tartly as she straightened her garments and felt around for her bonnet. “We may have no future, but we have a present. We desire each other, and we are living outside our normal lives. For as long as this investigation lasts, we can do as we wish without social censure.”

Needing to drown that tempting vision, he threw the door open and jumped to the street. This time he didn’t offer his hand to help her out since he didn’t dare touch her, and she was certainly capable of climbing from a carriage on her own.

She proved that she could, and ruined his good intentions by taking his arm. Wordlessly they climbed the steps and he unlocked the door. Inside the small foyer a dim lamp had been left to guide them. There was only one candle left on the table, so the rest of the household had returned and retired by now.

Keeping his voice low, he said, “The Garden of Eden contained Adam, Eve, and a serpent. You, Lady Kiri, are most surely descended from the serpent who is offering temptation in return for Adam’s and Eve’s souls.”

Instead of being insulted, she laughed. “I’ve read that sexuality was the real temptation the serpent offered, and Adams and Eves ever since have been grabbing that apple with infinite enthusiasm.” Her laughter died as she peeled off her gloves, revealing her elegant, long-fingered hands. “Why shouldn’t we do the same? Where is the harm?”

The thought of those lovely naked fingers on his body made him swallow and look away. “You are too intelligent not to understand that sexuality is volatile and sometimes dangerous. It can cause great grief and suffering. It almost got me killed.”

“I have no mad husband, and unless you’ve been keeping her hidden, you have no mad wife,” she pointed out.

His mouth twisted. “I haven’t lain with a woman since Harriet died.”

She caught her breath in surprise. “That can’t be from lack of opportunity.”

“It isn’t. The reason is . . . guilt, I suppose.” He forced himself to explain why he’d avoided any kind of entanglement with other women. “I was heedless with Harriet, and that triggered a disaster that killed her and injured too many others.

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