Page 27 of Good Duke Gone Far

His eyes were steady on her. Kat could feel her heart marching again. She tugged the coverlet closer, but she couldn’t look away. The juncture between her thighs was heating up and her nipples were getting hungry. Hungry nipples? She would have never thought that was a thing. But then again, she had never imagined being alone with Quinn in a room with one bed was a thing, either.

Another fake yawn. Two hands reached gingerly behind his head between his shoulder blades, and then he did the sexiest thing she had ever seen. He tugged on his shirt. Slowly, oh so devilishly slowly, the man dragged his shirt overhead.

A gasp struggled out of her. She did not mean to release it. But oh, what a heavenly body she beheld. Veritably, heaven and hell couldn’t decide who got that body. Did perfection of that nature belong in the clouds above or the fiery pits below?

“Is it hot in here?” perfection asked.

She realized she was fanning herself. And from his gaze, she also noticed that the coverlet had loosened and was clinging to her breasts as though they were a silken shelf.

By his will, or hers, the coverlet sank down and pooled around her waist.

Holy God, how was she going to survive this night? She could not allow him to touch her and her quivering pebbles for nipples. They had no future. Not her nipples, Quinn and her. He was only in her future by default. He wasnother future.

Yes, that was the proper way to look at it. She thanked the divine for the reminder.

But then, oh, yes. He reached one arm up the bedpost and rested one hand on the foot of the bed. And it was as clear as hell is hot where that body came from.

The future, no. But could he be her present?

Chapter 10

QUINNWASPLAYINGTHEdevil, that was for sure. But even the devil needed to keep his pants on sometimes. This was one of those times. She was still an innocent, after all. He would challenge her and stand his ground, but he didn’t want to terrify her.

So for one of a handful of times in his life, he wore to bed the same breeches he had been wearing all day.

As he climbed up on the mattress, he was drawn slowly to the middle of the bed. And not because Kat was sprawled out there and he wanted to cover her body with his. That would be reason enough, but fate was giving him reasons overflowing to sink to the middle.

“Looks like we got a good one here,” he said, trying to support his upper body on a propped up elbow, but sliding to the center anyway.

“Blame the mattress, sure. But you’re not touching me tonight.” He was sure Kat would have crossed her arms with that statement, but she too was fighting off the magnetism of the middle of the bed.

“What is it about this mattress? It’s like a vortex. A whirlpool in the ocean forcing us to the center.”

His legs slid closer to the invisible line he knew she had drawn, but her legs weren’t respecting the boundaries either. Feeling her cold toes against his shot what should have been ice pangs, but instead were balls of fire, up his legs. He wanted to warm those ice blocks with his hands. After acknowledging how cold her feet were, curiosity manifested and he needed to know how cold the rest of her was.

“Come here. We can’t fight the vortex. It’s been formed over time.”

“You’re not touching–”

“I know. I know. I won’t. But just come here.” He tucked her into the crest of his body so that her bum was resting on his groin. Good choice or bad choice? That was yet to be seen.

“I won’t touch you. I’ll just hold you in the vortex so we don’t have to fight it. Or each other. Breathe in. Breathe out. Accept the vortex. Accept what fate has handed us.”

“Mmm,” was the only sound he received in reply.

“I promise I won’t ravish you.”

“Mm,” came the shorter reply. Was that disappointment he interpreted in the non-committal hum?

With her curled up against him, he didn’t see himself falling asleep anytime soon. But with her staccato hums for replies, he recognized that if conversation was to be had, he would be the one to carry it.

“Tell me why you’re so feisty.”

“Given the current predicament, I would think it’s obvious.”

“I don’t mean right now, although I am wondering that. I mean, always.”

“Hmph.”

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