At last he gave up, deciding to sleep upon a sofa he’d located earlier. A gust of cold air swept into the drawing room from the hall, and he wondered if there was a window that needed to be sealed off. Stephen buttoned his coat to ward off the freezing chill, following the source of the cold until he saw Emily standing at the back door. It was open slightly, and snowflakes were drifting into the hall.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, moving forward to close the door. But she placed herself in the door frame, blocking him.

“Come here,” she ordered. She held a lantern in her hand, and the amber glow revealed swirls of white snow. Dizzying fat flakes fell so fast he could hardly see beyond the garden. The wind slashed at his coat, but Emily didn’t seem to notice the cold. Her face was shining with a wide smile, her lips wet from the cold. “Look.”

“It’s freezing, and you’re going to make yourself ill if you remain out in this weather.”

She lifted her hood as a compromise, and dashed forward. Leaning down, she reached into the wet drift and formed a snowball.

“Don’t even think of it, Emily. We’re not children anymore.”

But she took aim and fired it at his shoulder. “What good is snow if you can’t play in it?”

With the snow falling against her hood, a few flakes landed upon her lashes. Her brown eyes were dark and mischievous, like the eyes of the girl he’d known. In that moment, he no longer cared that it was the middle of the night, and they were caught in a snowstorm. It didn’t matter that he was an earl with a respectable reputation to uphold.

He strode forward with a snowball in his own hands. “Do you really want to play, Emily?”

Before he could throw it, his foot caught on a patch of ice and he stumbled forward. He grabbed Emily’s hands, trying to regain his balance, but he tipped over, dragging her with him.

She laughed, smashing snow into his collar. He didn’t find it amusing at all, but with her body straddled atop him, unexpected desire roared into full force. His hands moved into her hair, dragging her mouth down to his. Though her lips were cold, he didn’t care. The spiraling attraction made it impossible to think clearly, the kiss tempting him beyond reason.

He kept waiting for her to strike out at him, but she didn’t. Instead, she cupped her hand to his face, seeking comfort. She nipped at his upper lip, and when her silken tongue touched his, it took everything he had to break free from the spell she’d cast upon him.

“Emily, stop.”