Page 21 (1/2)

Lucy knew precisely why Sophia had suggested this amusement She wanted to find a dark, hidden corner of the house and then corner Toby Sophia wanted her moment of passion

But what did Toby want? More to the point,who roo more than once, and the look on his face holly unfamiliar Wholly unfaht the teo seek him out If he knew her at all, he would know she’d be here If he wanted to find her, he would And if he didn’t … he didn’t

She heard heavy footsteps approaching Slowing Stopping in front of the wardrobe

Both doors of the wardrobe swung open, scattering the darkness

"Lucy, come out of there" Jere the ebony fra her hand to her eyes and blinking against the flood of harsh light "Find your own hiding place There’s a lovely cupboard under the stairs where they keep the mops Go drip there"

"I knohat you’re up to, Lucy," he said, his voice a dark warning "I thought the tiames was over"

He caht Black hair hung over his brow in thick, da a stark contrast with the pale blue of his eyes He’d changed into a dry shirt--hastily, it would seem, and without the assistance of his valet The starched linen hung open at the collar, exposing wisps of dark hair curling around the notch at the base of his throat, and the hard ridge of his collarbone running toward either shoulder His cuffs were unfastened, upturned, and her gaze followed the corded muscles of his forearm nearly up to the elbow

Her eyes shot back up to his face "I didn’t suggest the game, now did I? That would be Marianne and Sophia’s idea Go harass one of theht as well have pushed against a boulder

But boulders weren’t warm And boulders didn’t smell like rain and leather and pine And boulders didn’t send jolts of electricity hu all the way down to the tips of her toes and even the spaces between

Lucy felt so in the pit of her belly Then the sound of voices down the corridor gave it a namePanicPanic it must have been, and no other earthly e desperation could have possessed her to do what she did next

Her hands, still flat against Jereathered into fists She pulled on his shirt, hauling hio with one hand to pull the ebony doors shut The temperature inside the space instantly increased

She backed hi his shirt in one hand With the other, she jabbed a finger in the center of his chest, just an inch below that indecent, gaping collar and the nest of dark curls it fraamesYou said I should tell Toby the truth about how I feel So here I a foreverything" Her hand balled into a fist, and she beat on his chest "You Are Ruining Everything"

She looked up at his face A shard of light pierced the latticework to illu," she repeated, beating on his chest with both fists this time He didn’t flinch He didn’t even blink, da eneral, and , and her head felt thick and heavy She couldn’t think Couldn’t havebeen thinking clearly at all, for she let her head fall against his chest, the crown of her head resting against that warm patch of skin and hair

Still he had no answer, spoken or otherwise They stood there in the wardrobe, cloaked in dark and quiet, for ed into , in the absence of speech, there was too --a slow, husky resonance that teased her ears as his chest rose and fell against her Her heart--thuainst her ribs so loudly she was sure he heard it, too The ceaseless huh her body

On another count, the silence becaly unbearable because of what Lucy didn’t hear Footsteps in the corridor Ebony doors creaking open Toby’s voice She shuddered to think of being found in this position, but she began to question whether she’d even be found at all

"How did you know I’d be hiding here?" Her voice was a whisper, but it echoed through the darkness they shared

She felt hi "You’ve always hidden here Whenever Henry was on a tear to thrash you When that ?"

"Sixpence"

"Oh"

Lucy felt soainst the top of her head His chin, she realized

"He didn’t remember," she whispered into his chest "Why didn’t he reht his hands to her shoulders, sending twin bolts of sensation straight to her center, squeezing out all the breath fro for you"

"You did"

She felt his body tense He hooked his thues of her cap sleeves and pulled her back to face him Her hands slid off his chest and fell to her sides, still clenched in fists "I ca foolish" His cool glare ignited Lucy’s pride

"Foolish? We’re playing a nursery ga"

"Such as being found in a wardrobe with a half-dressed man? Or discovered in an a yourself guardian of my reputation"

"Damn it, Lucy You pulled me in here You--"