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how beautiful it must be?
Westcliff shook his head slightly, staring at her.
She wandered to one of the lavender stalks and touched the tiny violet-blue blossoms, and brought her
scented fingertips to her throat. They extract the essential oil by forcing steam through the plants and
drawing off the liquid. It takes something like five hundred pounds of lavender plants to produce just a
few precious ounces of oil.
You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.
Lillian s lips quirked. I have a great interest in scents. In fact, I could help my father a great deal with his
company, were he to allow it. But I m a woman, and therefore my only purpose in life is to marry well.
She wandered to the edge of the radiant wildflower bed.
Westcliff followed, coming to stand just behind her. That puts me in mind of an issue that needs to be
discussed.
Oh?
You ve been keeping company with St. Vincent of late.
So I have.
He is not a suitable companion for you.
He is your friend, is he not?
Yes which is why I know what he is capable of.
Are you warning me to stay away from him?
As that would obviously be the supreme inducement for you to do otherwise& no. I am merely
advising you not to be naive.
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I can manage St. Vincent.
I m sure you believe so. A thread of annoying condescension had entered his tone. However, it is
clear that you have neither the experience nor the maturity to defend yourself against his advances.
So faryou have been the only one I ve needed to defend myself against, Lillian retorted, turning to face
him. She observed with satisfaction that the shot had hit its mark, causing a faint wash of color to edge his
cheeks and the well-defined bridge of his nose.
If St. Vincent has not yet taken advantage of you, he replied with dangerous gentleness, it is only
because he is waiting for an opportune moment. And in spite of your inflated opinion of your own
abilities or perhaps because of it you are an easy mark for seduction.
Inflated? Lillian repeated in outrage. I ll have you know that I am far too experienced to be caught
unaware by any man, including St. Vincent. To Lillian s vexation, Westcliff seemed to recognize the
exaggeration for what it was, a smile gleaming in his sable eyes.
I was mistaken, then. From the way you kiss, I assumed& He deliberately left the sentence unfinished,
laying out bait that she was powerless to resist.
What do you mean, from the way I kiss ? Are you implying that there is something wrong? Something
you don t like? Something I shouldn t
No& His fingertips brushed her mouth, silencing her. Your kisses were very& He hesitated as if the
right word eluded him, and then his attention seemed to focus on the plush surface of her lips. Sweet,
he whispered after a long time, his fingers sliding across the underside of her chin. Light as the touch was,
he had to feel the exquisite tension of her throat muscles. But your response was not what I would have
expected of an experienced woman.
His thumb rubbed across her lower lip, teasing it apart from the top one. Lillian felt bemused and
combative, like a sleepy kitten who had just been awakened with a tickling feather. She stiffened as she
felt him slide a supportive arm behind her back. What& what more was I supposed to do? What could
you have expected that I didn t She stopped with a swift inhalation as his fingers followed the angle of
her jaw, cupping the side of her face.
Shall I show you?
Reflexively she pushed at his chest in an attempt to loosen his hold. She might as well have tried to move
an ironstone wall. Westcliff
You clearly have need of a qualified tutor. His warm breath touched her lips as he spoke. Hold still.
Realizing that she was being mocked, Lillian pushed much harder, and found her wrists being twisted
behind her back with astonishing ease, until the gentle weight of her breasts was thrust forward against his
chest. Sputtering in protest, she felt his mouth cover hers, and she was instantly paralyzed by a flare of
sensation that whipped through every muscle in her body until she was drawn up like a child s wooden
puppet with knotted strings.
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