Pleasures of a Tempted Lady by Jennifer Haymore

His hand slipped from her cheek behind her neck, bringing her into it with him, into a give and take that made her whole body reawaken and yearn for the touch it had once known. His touch.
    She slipped her arms behind his back. His muscles rippled beneath her hands. He tasted like salt and the sea, and like Will. His taste—sweet, musky, and all male—was something she’d never forget.
    Gently, he drew back, his breaths harsh in the quiet of the room, and touched his forehead to hers. “I still want you, Meg.” His voice was low and infused with wonder.“After all these years, after all that has happened, I still want you.”
    God, she wanted him, too. But she drew back, remembering Jake in the next room, her cheeks flooding with hot shame. She closed her teeth over her lower lip, then took a deep breath. “I must think of Jake. He comes first.”
    Will flexed his hands, then looked away from her.
    “Please understand. I’ll do anything— anything— to prevent Jake’s father from taking him away from me.”
    His chest rose and fell as he inhaled a deep breath. “I understand. If Jake’s safety is important to you, it’s important to me. We’ll keep him safe. Together.”
    The next day consisted of more long hours of travel. That night, they slept in a hotel at Southampton, and the following morning, the three of them were breakfasting when a loud screech assaulted Will’s ears. He plunked down his coffee cup to see a large, round woman bearing down on their table, her focus on Meg. She was clothed in an orange dress, which made her look rather like the citrus fruit.
    She blustered to a halt, her voluminous skirts swirling, and bent down until she was almost nose to nose with Meg before straightening again.
    “Why, Lady Stratford, it is you! I mightn’t have recognized you in that dress, but I’d know your face anywhere. I told Mildred, ‘Look, there is Lady Stratford,’ and she said, ‘Of course it is not. Lady Stratford doesn’t wear pink, or…’ ” Here the woman hesitated, then glanced at Jake and quickly covered with, “ ‘… have a child.’ But I said, ‘Yes, indeed, Mildred, it is Lady Stratford, and I shall prove it.’ ”
    “You were right, Barbara.” A shorter, thinner ladywearing spectacles came up behind the woman. She inclined her head toward the table. “Good morning, Meg.”
    Oh, hell. These women were friends of Serena’s. The thin woman’s gaze rested on Jake for a second and then moved to Will. Fortunately he didn’t know either woman. Maybe he could get them out of this.
    The large woman clapped her hands to her voluminous bosom, making it jiggle. “What on earth are you doing in Southampton, my lady? Why, you just arrived in London two weeks ago, and you told me you planned to stay for the duration of the Season!”
    The lady paused, waiting for Meg to respond. Meg gazed up at her, blank eyed, pale faced, and speechless, her lips parted in shock.
    Patting his napkin to his lips, Will rose. “I’m so very sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid we’ve no idea who you’re talking about. We’re not acquainted with any Meg or Lady Stratford.” He glanced outside and found their carriage parked at the curb waiting, thank God. He bowed toward the ladies. “Now if you’ll excuse us, our carriage awaits, and we must hurry away if we want to be in London before dark. Come along, lad.”
    He bustled Jake and Meg out of the hotel, leaving their breakfasts half eaten and the two ladies standing in place, gawping after them like a pair of hungry goldfish.

Chapter Six
    A t dusk, the carriage pulled in front of a tidy house in St. James’s Square. Meg didn’t move—she just stared bleakly out the carriage window. “I know this place.”
    Will hadn’t taken his eyes off her since they’d stopped. “Yes,” he said softly.
    She tightened her fingers around Jake’s hand. They’d stopped not directly in front of, but very near to Meg’s aunt Geraldine’s house. Aunt