Page 23 of Seducing the Knave

The dark gray contained a disturbing depth beneath his furrowed brows as his attention slid with a languid and thorough perusal over every dip and curve of her form. From the lush bit of cleavage exposed over the fashionable cut of her bodice, to her tightly corseted waist, over the flare of her hips, and down to the floor.

The outer point of one dark eyebrow twitched as he smiled. Not a flashing grin, but a slow curving of his full lips that was bone-meltingly sensual. Yet, still undeniably rapacious.

His gaze lifted to meet hers. “’Ello, luv.”

The lowered tone of his voice combined with that look in his eye to make her insides flutter with wild abandon.

Elle had been told all her life that she was lovely. When she’d been quite young, people had often compared her features to those of a doll. And as she’d grown into maturity, everyone she met speculated that her beauty would likely earn her a fine match once she made her debut in London high society.

But she’d never felt more consciously aware of her appearance as she was under his brazen regard. And she certainly had never thought of herself as a creature who’d inspire the kind of lustful craving she saw gleaming in his eyes just then.

It had taken a significant amount of contemplation during the last hours of their drive, but she’d finally managed to convince herself that his kisses and the possessiveness of his embrace when he’d held her in his lap had all been part of a ruse to taunt her. He hadn’t truly desired her, he’d just been toying with her.

But now...as she looked into his eyes, she had to wonder...

Utterly uncertain how to react, she fell back on the only defense she had. Lofty disdain. She lifted her chin and narrowed her gaze. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he replied readily as he shrugged from his coat and tossed it onto the foot of the bed.

His height and the breadth of his shoulders had been apparent from her first glance of the man. And she’d felt his strength—rather intimately—but she hadn’t realized just how fit he was. With his every movement, she could see the muscles tense in his arms beneath the fine lawn of his shirt. His waistcoat fit him perfectly and displayed a trim torso and lean hips. Fitted breeches encased hard, sculpted thighs.

When he sat on the bed and leaned back against the pillows, stretching his long legs out atop the counterpane, she forced herself to shake off the haze of appreciation that had momentarily clouded her brain.

“What are you doing?”

“Just getting comfortable,” he replied as he stretched his arms up then stacked his hands behind his head. “It’s been a bloody long day.”

Turning to fix the man in the bed with a steady stare, she lifted her chin and set her hands on her hips. “We should discuss sleeping arrangements.”

“I’m not giving up the bed,” he noted.

Her entire body stiffened. “Well, I’m not sleeping on the floor and a chair would simply be impossible.”

He shrugged. “The bed’ll fit us both.”

“I am not sharing the bed with you.”

He gave a knowing sort of nod. “Worried ye’ll be tempted?”

Her eyes widened in understanding. “To beg?” she scoffed. “Absolutely not.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Elle narrowed her gaze.

He was doing it again. Taunting her. Challenging her. Prodding her to see how far she’d go. He was clearly one of those people who took pleasure in pushing people to their limits.

And damn if it wasn’t working.

But she was not about to give up the only bit of comfort being offered on this godforsaken night. And the blasted cad clearly wasn’t either.

“Fine,” she said with a toss of her head.

The flicker of surprise in his eyes triggered a brief flash of satisfaction. He hadn’t expected her to acquiesce. For some reason, it pleased her that she’d been able to throw him off, even if it was just a little bit and only for a second.

The moment was interrupted by a quick knock on the door. For a second, Elle thought it might be Jasper, and her entire body tensed for flight.

“Relax, princess,” Max said as he rose from the bed. “It’s just water fer the bath.”

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