Page 11 of A Virgin for the Ruthless Duke

For a man rumored to be stoic and unfeeling, he seemed to smile a lot more than was comfortable for her.

“While I am grateful, Your Grace, I have to ask why you are so sure of such a notion. How exactly have you become an authority in women’s fashion? Do you not think I might be better served by receiving advice from a woman, most likely a modiste? They are, after all, experts on the subject.”

For some time, his expression remained the same, his eyes dancing with merriment that indicated that he was thoroughly enjoying their exchange. Slowly, his smile turned wicked—a dangerous edge to it.

In just a moment, he had turned from a jovial duke to a predatory one that could gobble her up in one bite.

Selina became ever more sure of that assessment when he took a step forward, causing her to take a cautionary step back in a bid to widen the space between them. But he did not seem interested in that idea because he kept moving forward until her back was flush with the wall. With no place to run, she had no choice but to stare up into his eyes with slight panic and no small amount of excitement.

“Ah, Selina,” he said, bending his dark head so she could feel the heat of his breath on her sensitive earlobe. “I might even be more knowledgeable than the modiste on this subject.”

He purred in a way that left her in no doubt about the sort of knowledge he meant. If she had any sense of self-preservation, she would have left it at that, but her senses must have been faulty because she felt the bold, curious part of her stirring.

“Could I ask how that came to be?” she asked, still staring at him wide-eyed.

His gaze darkened further, his eyes fixed on her lips, and her body flushed until her clothes irritated her skin.

“My Lady, I might have agreed to help you, but I am not going to be responsible for destroying your delicate sensibilities. Trust me, you do not want to know how I have acquired the skills you speak of and how easily I could wield them.”

He stepped back, and she finally could breathe without inhaling puffs of his scent. It had been playing havoc with her senses in the few minutes she had been in his company.

“I still find it hard to take your advice, consideringyou’reunmatched.”

“If I wanted to be shackled,” he stated in a bored tone, “I would be. Do not forget that I was engaged once.”

“And that only proves that you have terrible taste in women,” Selina snorted, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

He let out a deep, loud chuckle that drew more looks their way.

Martha looked positively joyous from across the garden, and considering that she hadn’t come to interrupt, she obviously approved of Selina conversing with the Duke.

“You really must stop drawing attention to us, Your Grace,” Selina warned, uncomfortable at the amount of jealous looks she was getting from Society mamas and their daughters.

“Why? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” he asked. “We will be seeing each other quite a lot for the duration of our arrangement. You’d better get used to it.”

“I haven’t agreed to anything.”

“Yet,” he added.

“But do you have to make it so…”

“Use your words, Lady Selina.”

“Never mind,” she sighed.

She still hadn’t recovered from how his laugh had rattled her. She realized that she wanted to hear it again, much to her dismay.

“You will have to be much bolder if you want to keep a man’s attention onyou,” he stated.

“How?”

“Like so.” He stepped closer. “Do not look away. Look at me.”

It was hard, but she managed to keep her eyes on him.

He seemed to be enjoying making her uncomfortable. Well, two could play that game.

She stepped even closer to him, smiling when the amused look in his eye faltered. She lifted her chin, feeling empowered by the look in his eyes. When he smirked and took a step back, she felt as though she had won an unspoken game.

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