The marquis made a ragged sound of his own, chuckling breathlessly. “For God’s sake,” he muttered into her hair, “don’t leave me like this.”
Lilith raised her head to look down at him and grinned back. She kissed him deeply, then tentatively lifted her hips and lowered herself on him again. “How is that?” she asked.
“Splendid,” he groaned.
Gripping tightly around her hips, he guided her movements until she felt more confident about what he wanted and what she wanted from him. Jack began lifting his own hips to meet her, and she placed her hands on his shoulders and threw her head back. As the tension inside her exploded. Jack clutched her hips and held her close against him, sucking a breath in through his teeth as he erupted as well.
Lilith leaned against him, panting, and he gently wrapped his arms around her. “Lil?” he said quietly after a few moments.
“Hm?”
“I love you,” he murmured.
Lilith shivered, her eyes closed tightly. He’d said it. He’d said it when she had begun to think he never would.
As soon as she could breathe normally again, she raised her head. “Well, that settles it, then,” she said in what she hoped was a matter-of-fact voice.
He furrowed his brow. “Settles what?”
“You’ll just have to marry me.”
Jack’s eyes met hers with a startling intensity. “Beg—beg pardon?”
“I’ve completely ruined you,” she continued. “No doubt someone saw us both enter the room. If you don’t agree to wed me, I’m afraid no one else will have you.”
Slowly the wary look on Jack’s face slid into a smile. His eyes dancing, he reached up to brush a straying hair from her eyes. “Is that so? You wouldn’t mind being leg-shackled to a poor excuse for a gentleman such as myself?”
“Not a bit,” she replied promptly. “If you don’t mind being married to a respectable chit who’s far too concerned with propriety.”
The marquis laughed. “I think you’ve cured yourself of that, my dear.” He pulled her face toward his and gently kissed her. “I suppose,” he said softly, “if you can become a bit more scandalous for me, then I can become a bit more proper for you.” He kissed her again. “Lilith, will you marry me?”
A tear ran down her cheek. This must be what absolute joy felt like. “Yes, Jack, I will marry you.”
Jack shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they were twinkling merrily. “And the sooner the better, I might add,” he continued, sliding his hands down her arms to entwine his fingers with hers. “You’ve already had seven proposals this Season. I don’t want to risk your finding someone more qualified.”
Lilith laughed through her tears. “Shut up, Jack,” she warned him, holding his hands tightly, “and kiss me.”
The Marquis of Dansbury was more than happy to comply.
About the Author
SUZANNE ENOCH once dreamed of becoming a zoologist and writing books about her adventures in Africa. But those dreams were crushed after she viewed a National Geographic special on the world’s most poisonous snakes—of which 99% seemed to be native to Africa. She decided to turn to the much less dangerous activity of writing fiction.
Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance, the most hazardous wildlife Suzanne encounters are dust bunnies under the sofa.
To see pictures of those dust bunnies, please visit
www.suzanneenoch.com.
Suzanne loves to hear from her readers, and may be reached at:
P.O. Box 17463
Anaheim, CA 92817-7463
Or send her an e-mail at suzie@suzanneenoch.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Other Books by
Suzanne Enoch
A LADY’S GUIDE TO IMPROPER BEHAVIOR
THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE
ALWAYS A SCOUNDREL
BY LOVE UNDONE • BEFORE THE SCANDAL
AFTER THE KISS • TWICE THE TEMPTATION
SINS OF A DUKE • SOMETHING SINFUL
AN INVITATION TO SIN • SIN AND SENSIBILITY
ENGLAND’S PERFECT HERO
LONDON’S PERFECT SCOUNDREL
THE RAKE • A MATTER OF SCANDAL
MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT • REFORMING A RAKE
TAMING RAFE • STOLEN KISSES
Contemporary Titles
DON’T LOOK DOWN • FLIRTING WITH DANGER
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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STOLEN KISSES. Copyright © 1997 by Suzanne Enoch. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books
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EPub Edition © JUNE 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-210961-3
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