Tempting a Devil by Samantha Kane

I got that last night, not today.”
    “But, what—”
    Roger cut her off. “Harry, we don’t have much time.” He indicated the bustling square out the window. “It’s the middle of the afternoon, I assume Mercy will be wakingsoon, or Lady Lockerby will be back, or some other interruption will occur. My luck simply runs that way around you. So could we please leave my battered state for a later discussion and get down to the kissing?”
    “Kissing?” she asked stupidly. “You want to kiss some more? But I thought we were going to have relations.”
    Roger coughed as if he was choking. “Have relations? Um, no, I’m afraid not immediately. I like to work up to that sort of thing.” He gave her a calculating look. “Is that how it worked with your late husband? No kissing before?”
    She shuddered. “I didn’t want kissing from Mercer.” Or anyone else who’d tried .
    With another sigh, Roger led her over to the sofa and sat her down. Then he seemed to think better of it and pulled her up again. He sat down and, much to her surprise, yanked her down into his lap. She squealed as she fell on him. She needn’t have worried. Roger caught her and wrapped one arm around her waist, resting a hand on her thigh. “I like kissing,” he told her. “So we’ll do a lot of it. Is that all right?”
    “Well, it is a little odd,” she answered with a shrug, trying not to laugh out loud with relief. “But I have enjoyed the few kisses we’ve shared, so I’m not averse to it.”
    “Not averse,” Roger muttered, nuzzling her neck. She could feel his breath on her skin and she shivered as he breathed deeply, savoring her scent. He pulled back and smiled at her. “It’s a start.”
    That was all the warning she got before he slid his hand up her back and into her hair and pressed her mouth to his. This kiss was different. It was playful, almost sweet. His lips nibbled on hers, she even felt his teeth once. He rubbed his mouth over hers, sucked on her upper lip. She didn’t know what he was doing. Was this kissing, or did ithave another name? She liked it very much. She slid her hand up his chest and around his neck, sinking deeper into his lap until his hand buried in her hair was supporting her. Roger seemed to settle into the sofa cushions until they were half reclining, while he continued his sweet assault on her mouth.
    The hand on her thigh began to move, rubbing along her hip and then sliding up to her ribs. Suddenly Harry could hardly breathe, her heart pounding in her chest, as her lips parted and she panted into Roger’s mouth, hovering just above hers. “More?” he whispered. “We’ve got time for just a little more.”
    “More,” she answered, shocked at how breathless she was.
    This time Roger’s mouth was open when it met hers, and his tongue slid inside, against her sensitive inner lip, outlining her mouth from the inside. Harry moaned at how good it felt. When she heard herself make that sound, her eyes flew open and she tore her mouth from his.
    “Don’t be frightened, Harry,” he whispered, rubbing his nose along her cheek. “It’s just kissing. And this.” His hand ran up the slope of her breast, covering it, cupping it. She gasped at the heat of his palm holding her. He squeezed lightly and she jerked in his lap. “Yes?” he asked, and she knew that if she said no he’d stop. She didn’t want him to. She’d been handled there before, but not like this. Roger was rubbing his thumb along the inside curve of her breast, tracing the shape of it, subtly moving his palm against her nipple with each sweep and she felt it all the way down to her toes. Such a small touch with such a huge impact. He really did know what he was doing.
    She nodded, worried that she’d sound silly and weak if she tried to speak.
    “Good,” he said, sounding very pleased, and very wicked. He kissed her jaw andnudged her chin up with his nose so he could kiss her neck. When he licked right behind her ear,