Lady Star (30 page)

And then all at once as though he could wait
no longer, his mouth went once again to hers and parted her lips
with his own.

Sir Owen’s kisses were nothing like
these.

She felt the heat from her toes shoot
straight to her brain and fry all logic with one fell swoop.

His tongue gently danced with hers, teased
her response and seemed to move with intensity as though emboldened
by her return of his passion.

She was hungry for more of this, more of him.
More.

She thought of her friend Lucy telling her,
that she would know when she was really kissed. Lucy had been
right.

He tasted so good and her entire body was on
fire. She knew that this was probably what it meant to be a wanton
woman and did not care. His kiss was the kind that dreams were made
of.

Everything all around them vanished.

All she knew was that they were alone, in
each other’s arms. It was as though they were wrapped in a velvet
sky and shooting stars exploded all around. Even with her eyes
closed, she could see it all. There was only the two of them.

Her blood was bubbling in a way that made her
want more kissing, more, more, more.

Then all at once, as though she had done
something wrong, he set her away again and stepped back as though
she were a red hot poker.

He stared at her as though she was something
dangerous, something that had ensnared him, something he had to
escape and he nearly stumbled as he stepped backward and hit the
wall.

He put out a hand as though to ward her off
and said, “
Bloody hell
, I don’t know what just happened, but
I do beg your forgiveness. I have most certainly overstepped and…I
apologize.”

She was unable to respond. She was
embarrassed and hurt at his rejection. She turned away from him and
said quietly, “Indeed, I would appreciate it, if you would just
forget that this ever happened. I
know I
shall.”

His voice when it came sounded dry, stilted,
“I have matters in town that require my attention.” He moved to his
horse and set about tightening the girth.

She didn’t want him to go and felt a fool as
she asked, “Oh, but don’t you want to wait for Ned and
Chauncey?”

“I came only to bring you your horse,” he
said and inclined his head as he led his outside and kept his eyes
averted.

She stood at the makeshift barn door and
sighed sadly as she watched him mount, and shift in his saddle.

“When will I…
we
see you again?” she
asked trying to sound idle about it.

“Soon little one, soon,” he said and moved
off a few paces. He didn’t look back as he suddenly rode off, and
he rode off like the devil was after him.

She clasped her hands and told herself out
loud, “You are a fool, Amanda Sherborne.
A fool
! He is
sophisticated, he is experienced and has probably had the most
beautiful women in all of London…and look at
you
. Just look
at you, all dirty with hair and clothes a complete mess. Why would
he ever want
you
? Kissing you must have been just awful for
him to jump away like he did!” She gazed down at her brother’s
clothes covering her body and wanted to cry.

And
if you are looking for a paranormal regency, take a look at this
from

Netherby Halls

She saw herself naked and lying across dark, smooth
sheets …

TWO MEN STOOD at the curbing at the edge of the
avenue, but only one of them stood out. It was as though the
atmosphere around him glowed, and her heart actually skipped a beat
and then made up for the offense by beating faster.

His beaver-skin top hat was set saucily on his head
of black silky hair. His black cloak had been rakishly thrown back
over one shoulder, revealing not only the cream silk lining but the
breadth of his obviously muscular chest.

As Sassy’s gaze traveled up to his face,
unconsciously a small breath of air left her lungs, swished up her
throat, and escaped in an audible gasp.

He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, but
more than that, he was the man who had been making passionate love
to her in her dreams!

This was madness. This was … Before she could
complete the thought
, it
happened.
Only this time it
was different. This time he was right there. He was nearby—the man
of her dreams was standing only thirty feet away.

His blue eyes had suddenly locked with hers, and all
at once she felt herself transported to another place.

It was a bedroom—and she recognized the bedroom, for
she had been there many times in her dreams. It was as though she
were in a theater shamelessly watching herself, watching
him—watching, experiencing things she had no physical knowledge
of.

She was a virgin, and yet in her dream she had been
his intimately many times. Now, with him so near, she saw herself
naked and lying across dark, smooth sheets.

He was bending towards her, his blue eyes
glittering, his black, silky hair falling across and touching her
breasts as he licked her nipple and then suckled there with
expertise that sent her body into a convulsion of pleasure. His
fingers moved over her flesh, and she could feel herself clench
with desire as he touched—

What … ? No! No—this was just schoolgirls’
talk coming back to haunt her. This had to stop. She had to
stop.
She tried to break with the vision. How could she know
what it would feel like to have a man … how could she
know?

And then she saw something in his eyes across the
avenue that told her a fact she could not deny:
she wasn’t
having this illusion alone. He was as well. It was so real and not
only for her—but for him also!

When he took a step into the street towards her,
Sassy Winthrop ran as fast as her little walking boots could take
her and escaped around the corner.

About Claudy Conn

Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her
husband, Bob; their wolf, Cherokee; and Cherokee’s son, Rocky Man,
who weighs in presently at 190 pounds.

She loves horses and riding and raised her
ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born.
She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and
of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!

To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new
paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her
website:
http://www.claudyconn.com

To see pictures of Cherokee—and her shepherd-wolf
son!—have a look at her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Claudy-Conn-Paranormal-Romance-Author/135826686471445