Page 53 of A Duchess to Reclaim

“Well, Your Grace,” Amelia asked haughtily. “Does my deal suit you?”

“It does,” he said, rising to his feet. “But I warn you, my expectations of your dancing are quite high. I doubt you’ll be able to prove that you don’t need my direction.”

Annoyance and challenge filled Amelia’s gaze as she rose to her feet as well; the smile on her face both cocky and wickedly sensual.

“We shall see about that, Your Grace,” she answered sweetly.

* * *

“What did I tell you?” Amelia asked him grinning from ear to ear.

In the privacy of their Ellsworth home she felt no tension; no fear of wary eyes, and she had danced beautifully. Her steps had been precise, her movements smooth; despite the little tendrils of excitement she felt every time Dominic gripped her or pulled her close. She had proven him wrong, and that was all she cared about.

“You do fine on the practiced steps,” Dominic admitted, walking toward the small ensemble of musicians. “But let us see how you do when the dance has not been memorized.”

Amelia’s brows dipped.

“What does that mean?” She asked as the violinist drew his bow and strings into a sweet tone.

The alluring sound made the hair on her arms raise; sent an enticing shiver down her spine. The piano came next, adding a layer to the sensual sounds of the violin. It was followed by a trombone, which laid a bass undertone softly between soprano-esque instruments.

“The question is,” Dominic replied, rolling up his sleeves with a smirk, “Can you follow my lead without already knowing where I am going to take you?”

Amelia raised a brow; instantly enjoying the way Dominic’s bare, muscled forearms looked as he rolled first one sleeve, then the other.

“We won’t be performing any such dance in London,” she retorted, “So why bother practicing it?”

Dominic’s grin was both cocky and handsome; sending that familiar combination of annoyance and desire through her veins.

“What’s the matter?” He teased, stretching out a hand to her. “Afraid you can’t keep up?”

Something competitive sparked within Amelia, and with a determined look, she took his hand. She gasped as he twirled her into him with a quickness, pushing her back against his chest; the force of the embrace making her stumble.

“Careful,” he teased in her ear as he took her other hand, “Looks as if you’re already going to fall.”

“You wish I would fall, don’t you?” She hissed, “If only to prove yourself right.”

Dominic only chuckled as his hand gripped hers harder and made his next move. This time though, she was intent on not being caught off guard. She felt his muscled forearms ripple before he turned her out of his chest. She let his subtle yet powerful movements guide her this time and she didn’t stumble.

Concentrating on his movements more than her own, she began to move with him. Giving up her control, she allowed him to sway her left, right. Another turn; a dip. Her body began to relax further as a trust for him started to form, and despite herself, she was smiling again.

“That’s it,” he coaxed, his deep voice gentle, “Let your body feel it out.”

He spun her back into him again, hand laced tight in her own as he pressed into her abdomen. Hypnotized by the moves he was leading her into, Amelia laid the back of her head on his shoulder, and let her hips sway with his.

“You actuallycantake direction,” he whispered devilishly into her ear, “I amsosurprised.”

For a moment Amelia went rigid as she was ready to turn around and quip back. But then Dominic’s free hand traced down the arm of her free hand; sending delicious sparks into her flesh, and she melted into him again. His slow, tracing touch traveled from the top of her shoulder down to fingertips, where he then laced his fingers through hers.

She felt like warm liquid as he guided her arm to up and to the back of his neck. Amelia let out a breathy whimper as he pressed her palm to the warm, naked flesh nestled behind his thick, black hair, and as he released her fingers, she couldn’t help but tighten her own into those silky tendrils.

She heard Dominic’s husky rumble in his chest just as she felt the vibrations of it into her back, and her smile turned sensual. Feeling the power begin to shift a little, she moved her hips in a slow circle, and was rewarded with a sudden hard object pressed into her backside.

Dominic let out a dark chuckle; as if knowing immediately what she was trying to do.

“Vixen,” he rasped.

He trailed his free hand back up her arm, pulling her fingers from his hair and with a sudden push, Amelia was spinning out of his embrace. He then twirled her again, even using her skirts to keep her in motion, and then dipped her. For a moment her body rebelled at the sudden shift in movement, but knowing that’s what Dominic wanted, she closed her eyes and calmed herself, letting her body bend like melted sugar back into the hand holding her lower back so far that the ends of her curls brushed the floor.

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