room. No Hunt and no Eunice. This was not good.
So many couples had been caught together in libraries that Diana decided that was the best place to look. She stopped a footman to ask where the library was located.
Following his directions, she arrived, took a deep breath, and scolded herself for being foolish.
Until she opened the door.
Hunt stared at the note in his hand. He’d just been dealt a winning hand and was reluctant to leave the game. But the note from Diana specifically asked him to meet her in the library immediately.
He sighed and threw his cards down. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I have been summoned.” He pushed back his chair and found a footman to direct him.
If Diana was in some sort of trouble again, he would be hard pressed not to throttle her. But he could think of no other reason why she would ask to see him immediately.
The library was down a long corridor from the ballroom. The farther he walked from the ballroom, the quieter it became. With a touch of apprehension, he reached the latch and opened the door.
“Diana?” He walked farther into the room and closed the door, lest anyone walk by and see the two of them alone together. “Diana?”
He turned as a rustle of skirts sounded behind him. “Lady Eunice? Is Lady Diana with you?”
Lady Eunice sauntered up to him, and all his senses went on alert. “Where is Lady Diana?”
Lady Eunice shrugged. “Upstairs in the ladies retiring room.”
Feeling foolish since his brain seemed to have shut down, he held out the note. “I received this note to meet her here.”
Lady Eunice grew closer until she placed her palms on his chest. “I sent the note.” She whispered as if sharing a great secret.
Hunt backed up and walked around her. “If you will excuse me.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “No.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and attempted to pull him in for a kiss, but he resisted.
The library door opened, and Diana stepped in. “What the devil is going on in here?”
Lady Eunice growled and turned to Diana. “Lord Huntington and I are having a private conversation. You may leave now.”
“No, we’re not,” Hunt said, taking a deep breath of relief. Who knew Diana would be the one to rescue him this time? He finally pried Lady Eunice’s arms from around his neck. “I got a note supposedly from you asking me to meet you here.”
Diana walked up to Lady Eunice and took her arm. “May I escort you back to the ballroom, dear? I am sure your guests are missing you.”
“No.” She attempted to pull her arm free.
“Um, actually, Eunice that was not a question or a request.” With a solid grip on her arm, Diana marched the girl firmly toward the door, opened it and pushed her through.
Diana leaned against the closed door and grinned. “Almost got caught, didn’t you?”
Hunt walked toward her, and she joined him halfway. He wrapped her in his arms, delight from the near disaster flooding his body. “I can’t thank you enough. How did you even know we were here?”
“Eunice invited me to join her in the ladies retiring room. After about ten minutes I noticed she was gone and hadn’t said anything to me. At first I didn’t think too much about it, but after a while her absence began to concern me.
“When I didn’t see you or her in either the ballroom or the card room, I decided my suspicions were valid and since most ‘compromises’ take place in libraries, I made that my first stop.”
Hunt stared down at her. Flushed skin, bright eyes, plump lips ready for kissing. Slowly he bent his head and took her mouth in scorching possession. He’d dreamt of this moment, as well as other more erotic encounters for weeks. Her body pressed against his felt perfect. She fit in all the right places.
He cupped her head and turned it so he could take the kiss deeper, prodding her lips with his tongue. She opened, and he explored her warm, moist mouth. His tongue slid over her teeth and tongue, tasting, sucking. He must be crazy since this would only lead to places he didn’t want to go.
Of course he did want to be in those interesting and scandalous places, but this was Diana. Lady Trouble.
His hand seemed to slide up her body of its own volition. He cupped her breast, massaging gently and then slid his finger into the bodice to