turned in her arms and moved her away from the windows. Staring down at her, he asked, “Is this just another thing to check off your list?”
Her cheeks colored scarlet.
“I think you should leave now.” He moved away from her before he felt the desire to kiss her again.
“Simon, you were not specifically on my list,” she said with a wry smile.
Simon? Now she decides to call him by his Christian name. “I suppose that is something,” he muttered. “Do you have a carriage tonight?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Good. Riley will escort you to it.” Simon opened the door and shouted for Riley. “Goodnight, Miss Drake.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Kingsley.” She blinked as if holding back tears.
“What do you need, King?” Riley asked as he reached the top step.
“Get Miss Drake’s winnings and then escort her to her carriage.”
Riley nodded as he glanced back and forth between them. “Miss Drake, wait here until I retrieve your money.”
Simon looked over at her as she attempted to wipe away a tear without him noticing. Dammit! He closed the door while Riley fetched her money. The room felt far too confining with just the two of them in it.
“I should never have come here tonight.”
“Any night. You should stay away from Hell and me.”
“I thought I had. You were still supposed to be at Worth. If I’d know you were back in town, I would have gone straight home and missed the drink I wanted. I would never have come here.”
She wiped away another tear. Simon reached out and pulled her into his arms, exactly the wrong place for her. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. Whenever she was near, he wanted her in his arms, his lips on hers. Slowly, he lowered his head to hers and slanted his lips, touching her lips lightly. One taste of her, and he wanted more.
And evidently, so did she. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to him, deepening the kiss. He was lost to the sensation as her tongue breached his mouth and skimmed across his tongue. Never had he desired a woman as he did Emma.
He wanted to show her what lovemaking could be like with the right man. Except he wasn’t the right man, nor could he ever be. Nor did he want to be some item on a list she scratched off when completed. She deserved a gentleman who could give her respectability.
“Miss Drake, I am ready when you are,” Riley shouted from the hall.
They broke apart as if both suddenly realizing their mistake.
“Goodbye, Miss Drake.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Kingsley.”
He watched her leave and then picked up the empty brandy snifter and hurled it at the door. The last thing he needed was a reckless girl who only wanted him because of some damned list. Who makes a list of ways to ruin their reputation? And why should he care if she chose him to help her eliminate some of the items on her list?
Because he did care.
He shouldn’t give a damn what she did...but he did.
Dammit all to hell. He had to find that list and see what else might be on it. Thwarting Emma Drake would now be his priority. He wasn’t about to let her ruin her reputation and live with the consequences for the rest of her life.
Chapter 14
Emma frowned as she struck through the words on number five of her list. This afternoon she intended to pay a call on Susan and confront her. It still pained her that her dearest friend would have done such a thing. Then again, so far, very little about this list had happened the way she expected. Mostly due to one man.
Introduce yourself to a man at a ball
Visit a gaming hell dressed as a man
Get foxed
Kiss a man
Get banned from Almacks’s
Learn to paint in oils
Race a carriage
Break a law
Seduce a rake
Simon Kingsley thwarted her every effort to have a little fun. Frustration consumed her, causing her fists to clench into tight balls whenever she thought of that loathsome man. How could she be attracted to him?
Besides the obvious answer that the man’s looks were simply too handsome for words. And why did he have to tell her about his reputation last night? Now she knew he wasn’t the scoundrel and rake everyone spoke of in the ton. He’d had no involvement in that duel with Winston. After hearing that, she might decide she might yet like the man as well as desire him.
This would never do!
She couldn’t like