Page 34 of A Duke But No Gentleman
“I trust you, Tristan,” she said coyly.
He groaned in exaggerated despair, as he captured her hand and led her back to the blanket.“What am I to do with you, Imogene?Such blind faith makes me long to prove to you that I am deserving of your high regard.”
“You are an honorable gentleman,” Imogene said, her voice ringing with conviction.“You cannot convince me otherwise.”
It had been Norgrave who had lied to her about the redhead.
“No, I am not,” he countered, dragging her closer.“If you could read my thoughts, you would be demanding that we return to town immediately.”
“If you wish to kiss me again, you have my permission to do so,” she invited, though she refrained from admitting that she was eager for more of his kisses.
“Little innocent,” he said, shaking his head, his expression tender with amusement and affection.“And what if I demanded more?”
He had told her that she had a choice, so she was uncertain of what his current demands would entail.Imogene had not been lying when she had revealed that she trusted him.In spite of his arrogant boast that they would eventually become lovers, Blackbern appeared to be in control of his appetites.He would not press her for more than she would not offer him willingly.
“I fear you might think me wanton if I answer your question truthfully.”
***
Her innocence would be the death of him.If he had any sense, he would escort Imogene back to the carriage and return her to the safety of her family.She stared up at him, a decadent confection of sweetness and light, and it was all he could do not to drag her to the ground and give her a taste of the pleasure he had promised.He no longer gave a damn about Norgrave or their foolish wager.He simply wanted the lady in his arms.
Though Norgrave intended to have her, too.Otherwise he would not have lied about the redhead.
Even if Tristan sent her away, his friend would laugh at his sentimentality.Nor would it end his pursuit of Imogene.The only way to stop his friend was to claim the lady himself.
Selfishness cloaked in nobility.
Tristan almost snorted at his cleverness.Leave it to him to rationalize that he was more deserving of Imogene than Norgrave—that by winning the wager, he was sparing her the marquess’s fickle and not-quite-so-gentle affections.
He cupped the left side of Imogene’s face with his hand.“You can be as wanton as you like.Nothing is forbidden.”
“Nothing at all?”she echoed, her expression as transparent as glass as she contemplated such freedoms.In her cherished and protected world, she had no concept of the possibilities or the risks.
“Allow me to show you,” Tristan said, his voice deepening with desire.He bent his head and kissed her, a small test of her commitment.
His initial plan when he had lured her away from her friends was no longer relevant now.The attraction crackling between them like invisible lightning was mutual.As far as he was concerned, he and Imogene were equals as curiosity manifested into something tangible, as intimacy and friendship entwined to create something new for both of them.
Imogene’s eyelashes brushed her cheeks as she tentatively parted her lips, another invitation for him to deepen the kiss.When it came to the woman in his arms, he needed little encouragement.His tongue pushed against hers, even while he tugged her close so he could feel her body rub against his.The connection was giving him all kinds of naughty ideas, but her inexperience had him mentally tethering his lust.He desired her, but he had no intention of pouncing on her like a mindless beast.
“More,” she murmured breathlessly against his mouth.
He groaned and pressed his forehead lightly against hers as he prayed for strength.“I am not a saint, Imogene.Push me away or tell me to go to the devil.”
She offered him that shy half-smile that always made his testicles tighten within their sac and his cock harden.If she had more experience, he would have thought she teased him deliberately.“I thought you said that nothing is forbidden.”
Tristan silently bid his good intentions adieu as he used his weight to draw her down with him.“You are truly a very wicked lady,” he said, meaning it as a compliment, as he guided her onto her back.“What am I to do with you?”
Imogene gazed up at him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright with anticipation.“Kiss me again, Your Grace.”
She was a delightful imp, he thought, happily rewarding her with another enthusiastic kiss.As he lay stretched out beside her, the hand he had placed on her abdomen slowly moved up her body until he felt the comforting weight of one of her breasts.As Tristan lightly squeezed, he had a liberal glimpse of the soft flesh peeking above her bodice.
“And what do we have here?”he asked, his right brow angling upward.
“What are you—” She gasped as he caressed her breast with his mouth.“Oh my!”
Tristan tasted the soft swell with his tongue.“Mmm… just as I suspected—you taste as good as you look.”His fingers slipped beneath her bodice, peeling back the layers of fabric to reveal more of her flesh.
A rosy nipple, plump and inviting as a berry, popped free.
