Page 58 of Duke of Seduction

“Where are we going now?” she asked after a few moments.

“We are going swimming,” he replied, forcing a small smile onto his face as he turned to look at her. “I recall you mentioning the desire to swim nude beneath the stars?”

He almost immediately had to look away, unable to handle the explosive feelings that rocketed in his chest just from looking at her.

“Swimming?” Helena echoed, sounding alarmed. “We cannot go swimming now! It is nearly winter. We will freeze to death!”

Unable to help himself, Morgan chuckled as he looked out the window.

“Come now, do you truly think I would allow that to happen to you?” he asked.

A heartbeat of silence passed between them before Helena replied softly, “No. I do not believe you would allow anything bad to happen to me.”

Morgan felt his stomach tighten and his throat close as he forced his eyes to meet hers, his small attempt at humor withering as his longing consumed his thoughts. Though he knew it would only torture him further, he found himself sliding into the open seat next to hers and pulling her into his arms.

“Never,” he whispered, finally allowing himself to wrap his body around hers.

His soul sang with pleasure as Helena slid into his lap and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. When she sighed in contentment, he felt his manhood pulse beneath her buttocks, and his grip on her tightened. He nearly lost his mind when her soft lips began tracing delicate, teasing kisses along his throat, persuadinghim to allow her to continue. He was only saved from his desires by the knock on the carriage ceiling, signaling that they had arrived.

“Come,” he coaxed, gently pulling her away.

“Morgan,” she breathed, her eyes filled with yearning as she clung to his neck.

Kiss me.He could see the plea in her eyes as plainly as he felt his own need for it.

“Time is of the essence,” he forced himself to say.

His body roared in protest as he opened the carriage door and put more space between them, but he ignored it and waited for Helena to follow him out of the carriage. The chilly air was a blessing to his overheated body, and he pulled in several deep breaths through his nostrils as Helena reluctantly climbed out of the carriage.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around at the unfamiliar street.

She looked up and down the empty roadway, then turned to the lone, expansive cottage with a water wheel that sat to the right of the roadway. From the windows, as he had requested, he could see the many candles and fireplace lit inside.

“Just outside of London,” he explained, guiding her along the path to the cottage. “This is one of my properties.”

“Yours?” Helena asked, surprised. “But why would you have this place? Your estate in the countryside is far more impressive and secluded.”

“True,” he agreed, smirking as he drew close to revealing his secret, “But this particular piece of land holds a very interesting geological gift.”

He unlocked the cottage door with his key as Helena observed him with burning curiosity, but when she turned away from him to look into the house, she gasped and smiled widely.

“I…what? How is this possible?!” She laughed in surprise.

Seemingly forgetting their interrupted kiss, Helena stepped forward into the open-concept floor plan of the cottage and absorbed her surroundings. The walls and ceiling were standard, as was the large rock fireplace that stood against the far-right wall. The couches and other furniture were also standard, but what was not was the slow, steaming river that moved through the house. The floor was strategically positioned right above it so that someone could simply step into the water. It was approximately as wide as Morgan’s arm span, and deep enough to come up to his waist.

“Hot springs are not commonly found so close to London,” he explained matter-of-factly, guiding her carefully away from the edge of the stream and towards a couch. “This one was discovered only a decade ago. Erosion had forced it to break to the surface. I have always been drawn to the miracles of nature, so I moved to purchase the property. Further down the way, the spring is used to power a lumber mill I own. But here, the water is pure, warm, and perfectly safe to swim in.”

With awestruck eyes, Helena turned back to the stream and knelt down beside it. She tentatively lowered her hand into the slow-moving water and laughed.

“It is so warm!” She laughed, her face lighting up.

Morgan could not help but smile adoringly at her delight, pleased that she was so happy with it.

“I told you,” he chuckled.

Helena smiled warmly as she turned her eyes up to him. In an instant she had risen to her feet and stood beside him, her arms wrapped around his waist in gratitude. Morgan’s body sang at the contact, but he only allowed himself to place a hand on her lower back as she whispered, “thank you.”

“A deal is a deal,” he forced out, now hating the emotion that thickened his voice.

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