Page 29 of Good Duke Gone Far

“I can see that.” Quinn chuckled into her hair. He claimed her fingers in his hands. “Where are we at with that horrid no touching rule you spoke of before?”

“Mmm…that’s a good question. Perhaps I can have some touching.” She wiggled her fingers trying to escape his grasp, but he wouldn’t release her. “I was enjoying this.” She pulled their clasped sets of hands to his chest, and despite being restricted, she twirled a few pieces of his hair.

He had never had a woman so engrossed in his chest hair before. It wasn’t as though he were covered in it. It had never turned on or turned away a woman. It was just part of him. But somehow, it had turned into a keen interest of Kat’s.

“Alright. I give up. I can see the rules are in your favor.”

“They’re in your favor too, no?”

“We’ll see.” He rolled onto his back. The movement did nothing to put any distance between them, it only changed which parts of her body were sidled up to his now.

He had the perfect–heated–indentation of her mons against his hip, which alone was driving him wild. Her breasts hung loosely in her shift were rubbing against his chest. Silently she continued her perusal of his chest.

If only she had limited it to that area, perhaps he could have maintained his self-discipline. But this was Kat, in for a pence, in for a pound. Her leg squirmed in apparent indecision until she draped it over his thigh. Thank God he had kept his breeches on.

But her leg, specifically the juncture between the two, was an inferno. He knew without a doubt that she was burning a hole in the fabric where their bodies met. Her fingers trailed across his chest, danced over his nipples, back and forth between them. It was not enough exploration for her because soon her index finger pad flattened against his diaphragm and started down the treasure trail. She had no idea what kind of gold would spill out if she continued her hunt.

Chapter 11

“IDON’TKNOWWHYI shared all of that.” Kat felt her naked heart more starkly than she felt her exposed skin.

“You wanted to.”

“I suppose.” Her fingers swept down Quinn’s abdomen. She could see him flutter at the contact. She wanted him to feel vulnerable now. After how many secrets she had divulged, it was almost as if she needed to equal the playing field.

“I think it’s your turn to share something now.”

A low hum reverberated through his throat as he contemplated her request. “I always eat the same breakfast. Porridge with honey and milk.”

Kat swatted at his chest. “That’s not what I mean.”

“What?” He turned a playful smile toward her.

“I mean, I shared some things that I’ve never told anyone before. What you eat for breakfast does not compare.”

He stilled her migrating hand. “You’re right. It doesn’t really. And although I said it in levity, the truth is, you’re one of only a few people who know this fact now.”

“Hmmm…I suppose I can see your point.”

“What? Really? No fight?”

“No. Not everything is a fight. Just the important things.”

“Which are most things?”

“Exactly.” Kat was sure that Quinn could feel her heart pounding against his ribs, almost as if it were knocking, asking to be let in. She shuffled her feet. Her body felt warmer, expecting to prepare or defend itself. Being next to him felt good. More than good. It felt right. Somehow he was coming not just to know her, but to understand her. She had never faced a greater fear.

“Alright, I owe you something more than just a pithy description of my breakfast.” His hand rose to his ear and tugged down gently. How she knew that this was his outward display of thinking shocked her.

“Here it is.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and she knew that what he was about to share would change their relationship forever.

“I had a brother. He was the fun one. Carefree with a devil may care attitude. A hunger for life.” Quinn raked a hand through his hair. “We were close. We did everything together, and always looked out for each other. And then…” His hand fell to his chest. “We were at a ball one night. The whole family together. It was nothing extraordinary. But they were all going to head home, and I decided–of all the bloody nights–that was the night I would be the carefree one. They headed home. I went to the nearest gaming hell.” Quinn’s hand rattled where it rested, and he tried to cover it by patting his chest a few times. “I never saw them again.”

He rubbed a circle from the top of his chest down to his belly and then back up. “And that’s what’s made me who I am.”

Kat steadied herself on an elbow and warmed his hand with hers. A sheen coated his coffee colored eyes, but not one tear fell.

He had lost his entire family in one night and blamed himself. Lost everything. And here she was, still being childish, and not appreciating the family she had around her. Supporting her. Loving her in their own way.

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