Page 44 of The Lyon's Pretty Pugilist

He’d thought his heart would explode through his chest right then and there.

There was no way he could concentrate on titles and peerage lessons after Josie had mentioned kissing lessons last night. Whobloody cared about Lady Siddons’s ball or blasted Griffendale’s mill? All Nicolas cared about washer.Which he supposed meant he had to care about everything by default.

He pushed his way into the drawing room and stopped short. She wasn’t there.

He waited for what felt like forever, shifting about in his seat like a child who’d eaten too many sweetmeats. He was just about to give up and return to his chamber when Josie sashayed into the room, the hem of her pink dress swirling around her ankles.

He stood and then gaped like an utter imbecile. She had taken her hair down and tied it away from her face with a ribbon. Thick and lush, tendrils of it swirled over her collarbones to kiss the tops of those bountiful breasts and the way it cascaded over her shoulder like a silken cloak made him think of…oh, bloody hell. He would not, could not, think of Josie, in a bed, wearing nothing but that glorious hair.

She fluttered her lashes. “Am I late?” she asked flippantly.

Why was she acting like a simpering miss when she was anything but? Josephine Martin would be the death of him.

He refused to play whatever game this was. “Not at all,” he said, pretending not to care.

She flitted to him as if she were trying not to step on petals in a field of blooming flowers. With an exaggerated sigh, she lowered herself onto the settee next to him.

“Sit.” She tugged on his arm.

He plopped beside her.

“Shall we begin my lesson?” She boldly grasped his forearm and leaned close.

Heavens above, Jabbing Josie was flirting. His anger and frustration exited him with a woosh, leaving him drowning in overwhelming desire.

He faced her and met her gaze. His lust was mirrored in her pupils.

He should stop tormenting them both with his fretting and give into his desire. Shame washed over him for having instigated their physical connection, then running away like a coward. He’d told himself it was for her protection, and it was. But still, she was correct. Not only was he a massive mound of meddlesome, but he was also a milksop who needed to exhibit more self-control.

As unfortunate as his circumstances had been of late, he hadn’t allowed himself to feel forlorn or depressed. It was more that he hadn’t quite felt alive. Until her. She’d owned that raised ring above the crowd, her palpable vitality oozing so forcefully it had slammed him in the gut. He’d instantly known he had to save her, and despite their class differences, he had to know her.

He felt alive in her presence. Colors were brighter, and his blood danced through his veins. He wanted. He needed.

He snapped.

He lunged for her. She did not back away. Entwining his fingers in her silky hair, he pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and parted those sumptuous lips. He enthusiastically accepted the invitation.

After just one night of kissing practice, Josie skillfully met every nip and swirl of his tongue. Thought abandoned him, leaving his yearning in control. Even knowing someone might walk in on them did not curb his actions.

He crushed her against the back of the couch and trailed kisses along the neckline of her dress. He’d been obsessed with her breasts since he’d first seen her because, as tightly as they’d been bound, they still appeared bountiful and feminine.

Good God, he wanted to see them. Taste them. Inhale them. Bury himself in them.

Her breath tickled his jaw. He halted his ministrations to enjoy the sensation as she nipped his lobe. A tingle started at the base of his neck and traveled all the way to his cock. And then, the little minx blew in his ear, and he almost spent in his trousers.

No other woman had ever done anything that felt even a fraction as decadent as Josie attending to his ear.

“Where did you learn to do that?” he asked.

She blew again. “Does it feel good?”

Words? He needed words because all he could think to say was, “Yes.”

Her lips cupped his ear, and she whispered, “This was easier than I thought.”

If she was saying that seducing him had been easy, there was no point in denying it. He’d cracked like a raw egg in a tornado.

“You are so damn beautiful and powerful, Josie. I’ve never met anyone like you. I can barely breathe whenever you are around.”