“I want you, too.”

Anna swallowed hard, her feelings tied into knots so tight that she couldn’t imagine how to begin untangling them. She glanced up at him through her lashes, wishing he wouldn’t stand quite so close. At the same time, she wished he’d just reach out and sweep her into his arms and end her agony.

He leaned forward so that his lips were but a whisper from hers. “We can be very good for each other.” His breath brushed her face, hot and possessive.

She shivered. “Can we?”

Anthony’s hands slid around her waist. “You are a very attractive woman, Thraxton. Beautiful, even.”

If she leaned forward just the tiniest bit, she’d be against his chest. To Anna’s horror, she found the thought fascinating. Engrossing. Wonderful beyond description. Agitated, she stepped back as far as his grasp allowed. “If you are doing this just to get that damned schedule out of me, then you’re wasting your time. I don’t like schedules and I don’t intend to use one.”

His lids lowered slightly and he regarded her for a long moment, his eyes shadowed by his thick lashes. “You can’t elude me forever. There’s fire between us, Anna. And you know it.”

“I’m sure Hades tempted Persephone with those exact words.”

“And look what a pleasant interlude they had.”

And an interlude would be all it was, Anna decided, her thoughts clearing miraculously. A pleasant interlude to be enjoyed, something to keep with her as she went about her business being a prim and proper governess.

Some of her feelings must have shown on her face, for in one sharp movement, he pulled her hard against his chest and kissed her. As his mouth opened over hers, all sane thought left her. Emotions swirled in a wild dance that sent ripples of hunger through her, making her move in restless abandon. In some distant recess of her mind, she recognized that Anthony Elliot was a trained specialist when it came to delivering soul-searing kisses. Kisses that stole her breath and melted her into a mindless puddle of desire. His passion ignited hers, and she returned the kiss so wantonly that he moaned her name against his lips.

Anna was a woman who loved the feel of raw silk on her bare skin. A woman who lusted after the better things in life. She dreamed of diamond and ruby necklaces, their weight decadent against her naked throat. And now she discovered even more wanton dreams—of being held in a man’s arms as he kissed her into madness and beyond.

Anthony’s mouth trailed a hot, damp line to her throat. “Anna,” he murmured against her skin. “Do you know what you taste like?”

She took a shuddering breath, her hands unconsciously twining in his hair as she offered herself to him. “What?”

He lifted his head and smiled down into her eyes, his hand cupping her face, his thumbs tracing the line of her cheeks. “Rice pudding.”

She laughed, and his smile faded, replaced by a sudden hunger. He kissed her again, fierce and passionate, as if her laughter had sparked some new response, something blazing hot and possessive.