Page 3 of A Virgin for the Duke of Ash

“Oh dear, you look as if you have not slept a wink!” her grandmother chided. “Were your accommodations not to yourliking? I was under the impression that we were assigned the very best rooms in Ashton Hall.”

“It was much too bright last night,” Evie grumbled.

It was hardly a lie, though. Ithadbeen too bright.

But then again, she had also most aggravatingly been pulled out of her slumber far earlier than she would have preferred. When she recalled how his hard body had rolled on top of hers, his hands pinning her wrists over her head, Evie felt a strange warmth pooling low in her belly.

Strange.I have never felt this way before.

She had also never been in such close contact with a rogue before, so perhaps these things were to be expected.

“You poor child,” she heard her grandmother carry on. “You are even looking a little flushed. Are you sure you are all right, my dear?”

Evie felt her face heat up a little more. “I-I’m fine, Grandmama. I am just not used to everything here, I suppose.”

“Yes, perhaps I should have a word with His Grace about that.” Lady Wellington frowned slightly. She affectionately patted Evie’s cheek. “Even if he is the one your brother trusted to keep you safe, that does not mean he can neglect your comfort.”

Evie simply smiled and murmured some words of agreement as she allowed Jane to assist her in dressing and doing her hair.

Later, she would have to ask the maids if there might be another room that was not as well-lit as the one she had been assigned. Preferably, they would not insist on setting her up into one with a fireplace.

The thought of the logs crackling in the hearth alone was already enough to make her shudder. The heat and light combined would be nigh on intolerable.

Also, it would be much better if they could give her a room as far from Daniel’s room as possible. When she recalled how she had shamelessly draped herself over his muscular form, she felt as if she might die of embarrassment.

Even if she found it strangely thrilling—which she should not, by the way.

CHAPTER 2

Damn that outrageous woman! And damn Colin for saddling me with this impossible task!

Daniel inwardly cursed as he stomped towards the exclusive gentlemen’s club. The poor man who had been tasked with opening the doors for its elite clientèle wisely kept his head down as he led him to his usual seat—one that afforded him a greater view of the rest of the room while keeping him mostly out of sight of the other patrons.

“Will you be having your usual, Your Grace?”

His response was only a slight nod, but it was already enough to send the waiter scurrying to get his order posthaste. As soon as the man left, he assumed a more relaxed position, his body settling into his seat, while his senses remained on high alert.

Evie was proving to be so much more trouble than he initially thought. The mere recollection of her hand sleepily trailingdown his body to lightly rest on his manhood was enough to make him hard again and bring to mind images he had absolutely no business visualizing.

Images of her luscious body bent over the sofa as he pounded into her from behind.

Or her sweet lips wrapped around his rigid length.

Fortunately, the waiter chose that time to bring him a bottle of his favorite whiskey. Daniel wasted no time in pouring himself a full glass and tossing it back, relishing the burn the alcohol left on its way down his throat—a far better, saner alternative to the near-perpetual state of arousal that plagued him ever since he woke up to find Evie in his bed.

He frowned darkly at that. He had always prided himself on his self-control, and it absolutely boggled the mind how an innocent young lady threatened to unravel all of that with just a few light touches.

I must be losing my mind.This is Colin’s sister I am fantasizing about. A more troublesome woman could not be found on this earth.

An entanglement with Evie—no matter how tempting it sounded at the moment—would only bring more trouble than he cared for.

A sudden burst of raucous laughter finally managed to pierce through the dark thoughts swirling in his head. His eyebrows snapped together as his keen hearing began picking up the conversation of some of the club’s more disreputable members.

“I heard Miss Wilmington will be bringing in the rubies from Lord Wilmington’s mines!” a nasal voice declared. “I daresay that none of you fools can top that!”

The small gathering let out a collective gasp of astonishment, and Daniel could not help the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips.

The pompous nobleman who had made such an announcement was none other than The Honorable Humphrey Clifton, the second son of Baron Clifton and a known profligate with nary the resources to sustain his ambitious extravagance. Indeed, it would have been far more astonishing if Lord Wilmingtonactuallyconsented to a match between him and his daughter.

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