Read Online Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas - Free Book Online Page A

taking her hand to guide her over a rough place on the path. As familiar as she was with the woods of Stony Cross Park, Lottie had no need of his assistance. But she accepted the help with demur. And she did not protest when he paused again, his lips finding hers easily in the darkness. His mouth was hot and sweet as he kissed her compulsively…swift kisses, languid ones, kisses that ranged from intense need to wicked flirtation. Drugged with pleasure, Lottie let her hands wander to the thick dishevelment of his hair, the iron-hard nape of his neck. When the blistering heat rose to an untenable degree, Lord Sydney groaned softly.
    “Charlotte…”
    “Lottie,” she told him breathlessly.
    He pressed his lips to her temple and cuddled her against his powerful body as if she were infinitely fragile. “I never thought I would find someone like you,” he whispered. “I’ve looked for you so long…needed you…”
    Lottie shivered and dropped her head to his shoulder. “This isn’t real,” she said faintly.
    His lips touched her neck, finding a place that made her arch involuntarily. “What’s real, then?”
    She gestured to the yew hedge that bordered the estate garden. “Everything back there.”
    His arms tightened, and he spoke in a muffled voice. “Let me come to your room. Just for a little while.”
    Lottie responded with a trembling laugh, knowingexactly what would happen if she allowed that. “Absolutely not.”
    Soft, hot kisses drifted over her skin. “You’re safe with me. I would never ask for more than you were willing to give.”
    Lottie closed her eyes, her head spinning. “The problem is,” she said ruefully, “I am willing to give you entirely too much.”
    She felt the curve of his smile against her cheek. “Is that a problem?”
    “Oh, yes.” Pulling away from him, Lottie held her hands to her hot face and sighed unsteadily. “We must stop this. I don’t trust myself with you.”
    “You shouldn’t,” he agreed hoarsely.
    The sounds of their breathing mingled in the darkness. He was so warm and strong that Lottie could barely keep from flinging herself at him. Instead she forced herself to think rationally. Lord Sydney would be gone soon, and the memory of this night would fade in time. She was not so weak-willed, or foolish, that she could be so easily seduced.
    “At least let me walk with you to the house,” Lord Sydney urged. “If we are seen together, you can explain it as a chance meeting.”
    Lottie hesitated, then nodded. “And we’ll part company at the back terrace?”
    “Yes.” Offering her his arm, Lord Sydney accompanied her to the double-sided stone staircase at the back of the manor. They were both silent as they ascended to the terrace that overlooked the main gardens.Abundant light from the great hall shone through the glittering multipaned windows and French doors. The terrace, often the location for guests to smoke and drink port, was unoccupied, as nearly everyone was either in the village or playing cards and billiards inside.
    A lone figure relaxed in a chair by the railing. He drew lazily on a cigar, exhaling a thin stream of smoke that drifted in the air like a vanishing wraith. The scent of expensive tobacco tickled Lottie’s nostrils as she reached the top step.
    Her stomach flipped uneasily as she realized who the man was.
    “Lord Westcliff,” she murmured, curtsying automatically. Uneasily she wondered what he would make of the fact that she was accompanied by Lord Sydney.
    The earl remained seated as he surveyed the two of them. The refracted light from the windows gleamed on his coal black hair and cast angular shadows across his blunt, strong features. “Miss Miller,” he said in his gravelly voice, and nodded coolly to her companion. “Sydney. What convenient timing. There is a matter that I wish to take up with you.”
    Certain that her employer was displeased with her, Lottie lowered her gaze to the stone flagging of the terrace. “My