After a short while, and after her thighs ached from the tiresome saddling, Simon helped her back to her feet. He helped the stallion back to its lair as well, permitting it to rest.
“Thank you,” she said warmly.
“They may not be my favorite animal, you know,” he started, “but I’m still fond of them. Perhaps it sounds foolish, but you learn to like them after you’re forced to see them every day.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Eloise obliged, “But if you truly desired your own business, then aren’t there many other ways you could have gone about it. A wool business, estate selling…a gambling den even.”
He crackled a laugh. “Would it be fit for a Duke to own a gambling den?”
“You hardly care about that. You frequent them, after all.”
“I’m not quite that interested in them anymore.” His brown eyes turned dark as he turned to look at her with a stoic-like expression.
“And why is that?”
“There are other things on my mind now Ellie; I’m unsure if promiscuous endeavors could ever satisfy these…new desires.”
Eloise didn’t respond. There was a lot to doubt in his words; Simon, the famous rakehell of Sussex, a man who frequented gambling dens and brothels on the daily, was saying he wasn’t interested in them? He was, of course, trying to humor her.
Yet, as her eyes captured his, something inside of her stirred. It was more than fondness, it was something between desire and warm-blooded passion. She could see it, taste it, feel it. The silence between them was so profound, the pounding of her heart echoed throughout and caused her to stammer back in worry he could hear it too.
Her lips parted as if to speak, but she never had the opportunity. Simon’s lips crashed to her own, silencing her momentarily. The kisses were sweet and soft, only caressing her skin and tormenting her, but they soon turned desperate and pleading, as if they begged for something more.
She had heard all the rumors about him; about his devilish touch, his addictive kisses, and his charming nature. And she never once thought she could fall prey to it, but in this moment, she was a slave to his lips.
His hands trailed to her buttocks, caressing gently and grasping her with so much care and passion, she was left speechless. Her mouth opened wide, and he snatched at the opportunity, pushing his tongue inside and exploring in soft caresses. And when she felt she was going to lose her breath, he stopped pushing away.
She took deep breaths, as her lips felt swollen and sore from the roughness of his kisses, but she knew she needed more, wanted more.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he whispered. “Or I won’t be able to stop myself.”
“Maybe…Maybe I don’t want you to.”