Page 74 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
“I could have, but I didn’t wish to write it down.”
She appreciated that.
They looked at each other without speaking. He seemed to be trying to determine what to say. Lucy, meanwhile, was trying not to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him.
At last he said, “I didn’t like how our conversation ended yesterday.”
Her breath stuttered in her chest. “How was that?”
“It was very…formal. Businesslike. And final.”
Yes, it had been all those things—on purpose. “Should it have been something else?”
He edged closer. “Perhaps. Lucy… Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She’d enjoyed every moment of their encounter at Darent Hall. She realized, stupidly, that he didn’t mean it like that. He wanted to know if she was upset about the dissolution of their association. “We had a temporary arrangement. Things…progressed beyond what we would have imagined.” She lifted her chin. “On the contrary, I’m grateful to you for the experiences we shared. Particularly since I doubt I’ll be able to repeat them in the future.”
“Lucy. I don’t like thinking about you…alone. Never…” He didn’t finish his statement, but she knew what he meant. She’d die a virgin, never knowing what it was like to truly lie with a man. The notion hadn’t plagued her before, but now that she’d tasted pleasure with Andrew, she had to admit she didn’t like thinking of that—being alone forever—either.
“Andrew, what are you doing here? Did you come to seduce me?” She prayed he didn’t hear the hope in her voice. God help her, she wanted him, even if it was just for one night. One night that would provide the fodder for a lifetime of dreams.
He stroked the side of her face and gently tugged a lock of her hair as he stroked it between his fingertips. “I didn’t. But now that I am here, I am utterly captivated. I thought that maybe things had changed. Your friend Ivy, she approached me at the ball and told me to leave you alone.”
Lucy thrilled to his touch, even if it was just her hair, and longed for him to cup the side of her face or pull her against him. Delicious anticipation stretched and grew between them.
“Ivy doesn’t like men. I told her what happened, and she was horrified. She doesn’t speak for me.”
“I see.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “In that case, Icouldseduce you. Even though I shouldn’t.”
Emboldened by his response, she laid her palm against his waistcoat over his heart. “Mayhap I’ll seduce you.”
His lips curved into a toe-curling smile. “I would expect nothing less from you, Lucy. You’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met.”
His words heated every part of her. She pulled her gloves off in quick succession, never breaking eye contact. When her hands were bare, she curled them around his neck. “No one will bother us. You did tell my maid that you were here at my request?”
“I think I told her that her mistress said I should call on her at any time of day if I had something important to share.”
Lucy stood on her toes and pulled his head down to hers. “This is very, very important.”
“Very.” His lips captured hers in a searing kiss, and his arms came around her, pulling her tight against his chest.
He felt like heat and man. He felt like home. She kissed him with abandon, thrusting away all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this. Rules, she decided, weren’t for her. She didn’t need to preserve her reputation, not when she had no intention of marrying Edgecombe or anyone else. If she couldn’t have Andrew, she didn’t want anyone. But right now, Andrew was hers. And she meant to hold on to every moment that he was.
Lucy tugged at his cravat, loosening the knot until it gave way. She wound her hands in the ends of the silk, holding his neck down while he kissed her. His hands moved down her back and cupped her behind through her garments. He pulled her up against his groin. His cock pressed between her thighs, sending pulses of desire outward from her core.
She tossed his cravat away and unbuttoned his waistcoat, eager to feel his bare skin. Once she had the buttons free, she pushed the garment over his shoulders. A moment later, she felt his fingers along her back, plucking at the fastening of her gown.
He drew away from her with a groan. “Lucy. Are you certain?”
She nodded. “Never more.”
She went to lock the door and when she returned his gaze raked her from her feet to the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re dressed as a woman. As much as I enjoyed disrobing you the other day—I’ll admit there was something rather erotic about it—your feminine beauty takes my breath away.”
His words enflamed her. She reached out and pulled his shirt from his waistband.
“You’re so far ahead of me. It isn’t fair.” He picked her up and bore her to the bed, where he laid her carefully on the coverlet where he’d reclined earlier. Removing first one shoe and then the other, he tossed them to the floor. “I think I did that wrong,” he said, frowning. “Stand up again.” He helped her up, her stocking feet hitting the carpet beneath her bed.
“How do I take your dress off?”
