“I can almost hear your mind whirring.”

Lisa glanced up with surprise at Findlay’s amused words to find that while she was fretting, he’d urged her back up against the railing and stepped in front of her.

“You look nervous,” he commented solemnly, slipping one arm around her to draw her closer, while using his free hand to tilt her chin up and then let his fingers trail down her throat. “Have you never been kissed before, Lisa?”

Eyes wide at the goose bumps his touch raised in her, she shook her head.

“Ah.” For some reason the news made him smile, and then his expression turned solemn and he said, “Never fear. It is like dancing. The man leads, the woman follows. I will teach you. All right?”

She gave a jerky nod, and then held her breath as his mouth lowered toward hers. Some part of her mind was waiting for Robert to bark out her name and interrupt again. In fact, she was quite surprised when Charles’s lips brushed over hers without that happening. She was even more surprised when the pressure of his lips increased and then softened as his mouth opened and he nipped at her lips teasingly.

Lisa moved instinctively closer then, feeling some of that warmth she’d read about slide through her body, along with a desire to feel more. Her own mouth opened a bit, her lips nipping back as he was doing and her arms slipped around his shoulders. The action raised her breasts, which were suddenly pressed against his chest as he tightened his embrace and the action sent a frisson of interest through her that had her pressing closer still.

When his hand slid up the back of her neck to cup her head and tilt it slightly to his preference, that sent another little shock of pleasure through her. She quite liked his handling her so. Certainly, she had no idea what to do with her head. It was all very pleasant and making her tingly, so when he suddenly broke the kiss and eased back, she opened her eyes to peer at him with disappointment.

“Is that all?”

A surprised chuckle of amusement burst from Findlay. Once it passed, he shook his head and said solemnly, “No, my dear, that is certainly not all. However, that is as much as a gentleman would permit himself with a lady such as yourself.”

“Oh,” Lisa breathed, and smiled crookedly as he eased her out of his arms. She supposed it was good that she wanted more. That was certainly a promising sign. But at the moment she just felt a bit frustrated, as if she’d been given a taste of something that might be quite delicious, but hadn’t got enough to tell for sure.

“We should go back in,” Findlay murmured, easing her to his side. “My friends cannot keep Langley busy forever.”