Harry shut his eyes, a prayer escaping his lips.
Kitty pursed her lips in a pout. She didn’t like his sea green eyes shut. She had to make him open them. “Oh, she is. Yes. She’s in my room.” That must be what he wanted to hear, for he opened his eyes. She frowned. “Why do you want my maid?”
“I don’t want your maid, Kit. I want to make sure someone will take care of you, and I can’t do it.”
“You followed me,” she said.
“Someone had to see you reached your room in a vertical state. My fool brothers never take responsibility for what they do. They went off for a smoke.”
“So you followed me up the steps?”
“I did.”
Kitty blushed. “I’m sure I looked, perhaps, as if I’ve over imbibed.” She squared her shoulders. “I have not.”
Harry smiled, a rare occurrence. “You have.”
Kitty trailed her fingertips over his mouth. “Such a handsome smile.”
Harry stilled. She dropped her hand to his chest. So warm.
“You shouldn’t do that, Kit.”
“Do what?”
He closed his eyes again. “Put your hands on me.”
“Oh Harry, don’t be silly.”
“Or call me Harry.” His voice was low, nearly a growl. “You shouldn’t call me by my Christian name. It isn’t proper.”
“You call me Kit.”
“So I do.” His eyes opened again, deep green like the sea after a storm. “How can someone with the face of an angel be so devilishly tempting?”
A new wave of dizziness swept through her. “Are you going to kiss me?” she whispered.
“That would be wrong.” His gaze wandered over her.
Kitty sighed. “But I want to know what it’s like.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’ve never been kissed?”
She shook her head, her face heating.
“What about last summer?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think he wanted to kiss me.”
“He’s a fool.”
“Certainly. He tried to kill his own brother, and got banished. That’s foolish.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh.” What did he mean? “I was almost kissed once, in your garden, but Annabel showed up with Caesar and he ran away. The gentleman, not Caesar.”
“In my family’s garden?” Harry was growling again. “One of our guests? Who?”
Kitty didn’t think it would be good to tell. “It was three years ago. It was nothing.”
“You were but sixteen.”
She’d made it worse. He was very angry now. She had to make him forget. “You owe me a kiss, Harry. If Caesar hadn’t been there, I would know what it’s like to be kissed.”
He stared at her for a long moment. The world spun slowly. Kitty bit her lip. She’d gone too far.
Harry removed his hand from the wall. His thumb traced her lower lip, teasing it from between her teeth. “You shouldn’t bite your lip, Kit.”
Her breath quickened. His finger was so warm on her mouth. Was he going to kiss her? Harry, of all people? It was surprising, yet seemed right. Someone she trusted. Someone she relied on, who watched out for her. Someone she looked up to. Harry was so tall, nearly everyone looked up to him. Kitty giggled.
Harry dropped his hand. The absence made her gasp. He leaned down. Kitty closed her eyes.
His mouth pressed her ear. “Kit, go to your room. Now.” His ragged whisper sent warm breath across her lobe.
She leaned into him.
Kitty stumbled, her eyes flying open. Harry strode down the hall, his shoulders impossibly broad in his jacket. Like a startled mouse, she fled into her room.
Now Available for Preorder
Other books in the Ladies Always Shoot First series
To Save a Lord
Book Two
One Shot for a Gentleman
Book Three
Anything for a Lord
Book Four
About the Author
Beginning in 2014, Summer Hanford was offered the privilege of partnering with fan fiction author Renata McMann on her well-loved Pride and Prejudice variations. To date, they have over twenty popular Pride & Prejudice Fan Fiction stories available, four of which are Amazon Best Sellers. In addition to her work with McMann, Summer is branching out into writing Regency works of her own, with a novel and several short story series upcoming from Scarsdale Publishing.
Born on a dairy farm in Upstate New York, Summer attended university for psychology and art, then went on to do two years each of graduate and doctoral work in Behavioral Neurology. She now lives and writes in Michigan, with her wonderful husband and three obligatory, deliberately spoiled, cats. For more about Summer, visit www.summerhanford.com.
Captured by a Duke (Ladies Always Shoot First Book 1) Page 3