Forbidden Love

From the Publisher "Ms. Robards has the marvelous talent to zero in on the heart of erotic fantasy. She seems to know instinctively our most secret thoughts." --Romantic Times "Splendid! Among the best!" --Affaire de Coeur "Heavenly! Ms. Robards writes with a graceful flair." --The Literary Times From the Inside Flap sires...He was her guardian, absentee landlord of her neglected life--until Megan Kinkead returned to Maam's Cross Court, determined to make Justin Brant notice her.xa0xa0She finally commanded the attention of the sixth Earl of Weston when she burst into his room and caught him stark naked in the tub.xa0xa0Suddenly she knew a woman's hunger--and a woman's needs....Forbidden Kisses...When had the scrawny brat from hell become a fiery, raven-haired, violet-eyed temptress?xa0xa0Justin told himself she was still a child as she offered him a seductive yet innocent kiss.xa0xa0He tried to remind himself that he was her guardian, her protector.xa0xa0But the flashfire desire that blazed between them ignited a love neither had ever known before.xa0xa0Then he told her he was married....Forbidden Secrets...Bestselling, award-winning author Karen Robards sweeps us into Ireland's lush landscape in this spellbin Karen Robards is the author of twenty-onexa0xa0other novels.xa0xa0She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, their three sons, and a sizable menagerie. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. "I've decided not to send you back to school, so you see, you really have no reason to get rid of me."xa0xa0 Justin grinned broadly as he watched her eyes widen with incredulous delight. "Oh, Justin!"xa0xa0she cried.xa0xa0Before Justin could ponder the wisdom of permitting this familiar form of address, she effectively distracted his attention by flinging herself at him in an excess of joy.xa0xa0Her skirts brushed the splinted leg, which was thrust out stiffly before him, and then her arms closed about his neck in an impassioned embrace. "Careful," he warned, still laughing as his hands came up to her waist.xa0xa0And the laughter died in his throat and he felt her soft lips brush his cheek.xa0xa0With a stunning rush of desire, he realized that he would only have to move his head a fraction to touch her lips with his. Justin's jaw felt bristly against her lips; although he had shaved that morning, his beard grew fast, and it was now late afternoon.xa0xa0Megan tasted the rough saltiness of his skin with lips that were slightly parted.xa0xa0The now familiar smell of him--a combination of good cigars, soap, and sweat--enveloped her as she kissed his cheek with impulsive fervor.xa0xa0Her arms were wrapped around the strong column of his throat, squeezing tightly in an effort to communicate her joy; her fingers touched the thick hair at the nape of his neck, vaguely registering the alien texture.xa0xa0Her kiss was as innocent as a young child's, and when her lips brushed his, she did not even consider drawing away. Megan felt his hands go hard on her waist, digging into her flesh with a force that should have hurt but didn't.xa0xa0Then he kissed her mouth, very gently; a soft, butterfly kiss.xa0xa0At first Megan was a little surprised at his action; she was not used to being touched, much less kissed, having never been around anyone who cared enough about her to physically demonstrate their affection.xa0xa0Her eyes opened instinctively, and she found him looking at her with a strange hot gleam in his golden eyes that she had never seen there before.xa0xa0Hesitantly, she smiled at him, deciding that she liked his kiss very much.xa0xa0The gleam intensified so that it seemed as if it would burn her, and he made a sound that was midway between a laugh and a groan.xa0xa0Then he was pulling her down so that she was sitting on his good leg, nestled against his shoulder; his arms slid all the way around her waist.xa0xa0Her head was tilted back across the hard muscles of his upper arm; against her ear she could hear the heavy thud of his heart.xa0xa0Her smile quivered and died as she stared up at him, mesmerized by that unreadable something in his dark face. "Am I frightening you?"xa0xa0he asked with a husky note in his voice that made it sound as if he was having trouble speaking at all.xa0xa0Megan's eyes widened as she looked at him, then she slowly shook her head.xa0xa0Whatever this feeling that he was arousing in her was, it certainly wasn't fear. "I won't hurt you," he promised as he bent over her.xa0xa0Megan believed him.xa0xa0Her fingers curled trustingly against the soft brocade covering his chest as he kissed her lightly.xa0xa0He dropped soft little kisses on her cheeks, temples, forehead, nose, and chin.xa0xa0She lay quietly in his arms, perfectly still except for her hands, which curled and uncurled against his chest, feeling a delicate warm glow start in the pit of her stomach and then pulse outward along her veins.xa0xa0His hands moved to stroke the loosened tendrils of her hair.xa0xa0She looked at him gravely, her eyes deep purple pools in the pale oval of her face.xa0xa0Justin smiled the ghost of a smile as he looked down at her; his golden eyes still held that hot, excited glow, but the curve of his long mouth was tender. "Close your eyes, darling," he instructed softly, touching her eyelids with a gentle forefinger.xa0xa0Megan obeyed without question, feeling a tremulous excitement begin to spiral inside her as he laid his mouth against hers again. His mouth was hard and warm as he brushed it back and forth across hers; he stroked her lips with his in a whisper-like caress, careful not to hurt or alarm her.xa0xa0When he felt her mouth quiver beneath his, he touched her lower lip with the tip of his tongue, tracing the outline of her lips before sliding between them to probe the smooth surface of her teeth.xa0xa0At the intimate touch, Megan felt an odd melting sensation. "Justin," she whispered shakily, her hands moving with blind sureness to clutch the back of his neck.xa0xa0As she murmured his name, Justin took advantage of her parted lips to slide his tongue between her teeth.xa0xa0The bold invasion made Megan gasp, and she stiffened instinctively as his tongue began to explore the hot, sweet recesses of her mouth.xa0xa0Justin felt her uncertainty and slowly withdrew his tongue.xa0xa0He kissed her lips again, briefly, gently.xa0xa0With a sense of wonderment, Megan felt the tremors that racked the long muscles of his arms as they enclosed her.xa0xa0His body heat seemed to be drugging her; she could feel it wrapping about her like a warm, protective cocoon. She was very conscious of the hardness of his chest against her breasts.xa0xa0Beneath her she could feel the steely muscles of his thigh as she half-lay across it. For the first time in her life, Megan was made intensely aware of the differences between a man and a woman.xa0xa0He was so hard, she so soft; he was strong, she was weak; he needed, and it was her lot to give. His kisses intoxicated her, enchanted her, made her quake with delight.xa0xa0From the answering shudders that rippled his arms as he held her, from the dark rush of blood to his high cheekbones, from the piercing heat of his eyes as they moved over her, she knew that he was as enthralled by the touch of her mouth as she was by his.xa0xa0All question of right and wrong fled from her consciousness as she looked dazedly into his lean, handsome face.xa0xa0Her body had come awake at last, and it yearned for him fiercely, with an instinctive knowledge that transcended the innocence of her mind.xa0xa0He was as entrapped by passion as she was herself, and yet she knew that she had only to utter the slightest sound of protest to secure her instant release.xa0xa0The knowledge only increased her longing to be sheltered in his arms forever. "Justin," she said.xa0xa0He gave a long, moaning sigh, and then his mouth was on hers, hot and shaking, kissing her with a hard passion that would have terrified her had anyone else been doing it; but from him, it excited her almost past bearing. Read more