Daniel let his breath out on a hiss and turned sharply, catching her mouth with his own. Suzette smiled and responded to the demanding kiss he gave her, and then shifted to straddle his thighs on the settee. When her skirts hampered her, Daniel helped by pulling them up and out of the way. Suzette felt cool air touch her naked bottom, and then Daniel continued to hold the skirt up with one hand, but dropped the other to clasp and squeeze one round cheek. He then broke their kiss, used his hand at her bottom to urge her to rise up a bit and then closed his mouth over one nipple through her gown as soon as it rose into range.

Suzette groaned and clasped his head, then bit her lip as the hand on her bottom dipped between her legs, but stiffened as she heard a throat being cleared behind her.

Daniel released her breast and dropped her skirts at once. He then leaned to the side to look toward the door as Richard said, “Well, it appears I arrived just in time.”

Suzette groaned and dropped to sit in Daniel’s lap so that she could press her flushed face into his neck. She heard him sigh and felt him pat her back soothingly, but then he stood up, taking her with him, to set on her feet. Suzette felt him brush a kiss to her forehead and move away, but stayed where she was. She didn’t embarrass easily, but really, Richard had just got an eyeful of her bare bottom and she would just rather not have to face him at the moment, so she remained where she was with her back to the door until she heard the parlor door close and the murmur of their voices moving away. The moment she heard the front door close, however, Suzette dropped onto the settee and buried her face in it, both embarrassed and frustrated.

“Well . . . that went well too,” Daniel commented as they stepped out of the tailor’s some hours later and started up the walk in the direction of the Radnor carriage. It was the second stop they’d made, and both had been very successful. He and Richard had only planned to make arrangements for the blackmail funds when they’d left the townhouse earlier and had managed the task with little trouble. However, Daniel had taken note of Richard’s discomfort in his brother’s clothes as they’d arranged the transaction, and upon leaving had suggested a quick stop at the tailor’s before returning home. It hadn’t taken much persuasion to convince Richard. The man had returned to England with little in the way of clothing befitting an earl and had been forced to choose from George’s wardrobe. George had always had terrible taste, preferring bright colors more fitting on a peacock.