“Now, I never called you that. It was you who pinned that tag on yourself. Quite unfairly, I might add.”

His appreciative gaze swept downward over the skirt of her best plum silk, then back up again, lingering on her bosom long enough to cause a wild disturbance there, before returning to her face. His eyes caressed her features, and his expression refined into a look of intense desire. She caught her breath as the air suddenly seemed to sizzle. Though they stood a foot apart, her body tingled as if his hands were beneath her gown, stroking her warm flesh.

Oh my. She was not supposed to allow lascivious thoughts into her mind. He was far too dangerously attractive a man. Especially when they were alone in her chamber with the inviting expanse of the bed directly behind him.

Seeking a distraction, she said, “Will you tell me about the other parts?”

“Parts?”

“Of a lady’s armor against society. You said that fine clothing is one. If there are more to be known, you’d best warn me.”

“Those will pose no problem, for you already possess them in abundance. Charm. Grace. Wit.” His expression intensifying, he stepped closer and skimmed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, melting her heart in the process. “And the beauty of confidence, of course. I may be the one in need of armor and sword to fight off all of your admirers.”

At that light touch, the passion simmering between them flared like a flash of lightning. It seared away all rational thought, leaving only an acute awareness of him beating in her blood. His eyes darkened, and she sensed a banked tension in his masculine form, a desperate need that matched her own.

She couldn’t say who moved first, but suddenly they were in each other’s arms and she was reveling in the firmness of his muscled chest against her bosom. He brought his head down, his gaze searching hers, his warm breath caressing her face as if to give her a chance to refuse him. But she could no more resist him than she could cease breathing.

Reaching up, Natalie looped her arms around his neck. “Hadrian, I shouldn’t want you so much … but I do.”

A ravenous growl emanated from deep in his throat in the moment before their mouths met. The heat of the contact sent desire coursing through her veins to every part of her body. A madness descended upon her, a craving for all the sensual pleasure he could give her.

This kiss was even more fervid than the first one they’d shared. In the three days since then, she had existed in a state of acute awareness of him. It was most intense at night, while lying alone in her bed, wishing he was there with her. That had been her most secret fantasy, an indulgence reserved for darkness, when she would toss and turn, beset by an unbearable ache that instinct told her only he could appease.