Page 49 of The Duke's Virgin

Taut seconds passed as he looked at me with a burning intensity that brought color to my cheeks. Finally, he looked away and started to walk. Unsettled by the way he watched me, I pressed my face to his chest and clung tighter.

In my room, he put me down by the bed, but he didn’t finish the job he’d started. Instead, he sat on the edge of the mattress and leaned back, watching me from under heavy-lidded eyes. “Will you undress for me?”

“Will I…oh.” I licked my lips, mouth suddenly gone dry.

“You don’t have to.”

“But you want me to.” Although my face burned, I met his eyes, half expecting that charming smile to curl his lips.

It didn’t.

A dark flush settled on his cheekbones, and his eyes deepened. When he answered, his voice was a low, hungry rasp. “Yes.”

The sheer want in his voice gave me the confidence to take the first step, reaching up to push my blouse off my shoulders.

A hard breath escaped him, and his hands tightened in the fat, fluffy silver duvet beneath him, the bones under his skin showing white he gripped so hard. I started to reach for the waistband of my skirt but paused. “Will you take your shirt off?”

“Tit for tat?”

Instinctively, I glanced down, and he chuckled. I looked at him, almost grateful for the sudden lightening of the mood. “Maybe. Or maybe I just like looking at you too.”

Luka sat straighter and pulled his polo off, draping it over the foot of the bed. “Good?”

I smiled and pushed my skirt down, focusing on the play of muscle and skin instead of the fact that I was stripping for this guy I barely knew. Straightening, I stepped out of the puddle of fabric and met Luka’s eyes, but he was looking at my chest.

“Fuck…your hair. Take off your bra but keep your hair like that. I want to see your nipples peeking at me through those curls, darling.”

A rush of heat gathered between my thighs, and my knees trembled, leaving me momentarily frozen, wracked by need. But finally, I pushed my body into motion and reached back to do as he’d asked.

His chest rose and fell on a rough breath, and the sight of his muscles bunching as he stared at me had the opposite effect on me—my thighs quivered, and my knees threatened to buckle. I peeled the lacy cups away, holding them in place a few seconds longer than necessary.

“Drop it,” Luka said gutturally.

In the span of seconds, my nervousness was gone, and I found myself giving him the kind of smile I’d seenotherwomen use—flirtatious and teasing. The kind of smile I never would have thought I’d have the courage to use, but there I was, easing the bra down bit by bit as I smiled.

How badly do you want me to drop it, Luka?

He made a low noise in his throat and sagged farther back on the mattress, using one hand to brace his weight. As I watched, he slid a hand over the ridge straining the front of his trousers.

I whimpered.

“Two can play the teasing game, Stacia,” he said, dragging his eyes up to meet mine. “Drop the bra.”

I did, still watching him.

The second the fabric hit the floor, I nodded at him. “Unzip your pants. I want to see…”

The confidence dried up.

“See what?” He tugged his belt open but went back to palming himself through his khakis, eyes bold.

“You. I want to watch…” Licking my lips, I started to cross my arms over my chest.

“Don’t cover yourself, love. I want to see those beautiful tits. Look at yourself, Stacia.”

Instinctively, I glanced down.

“No. Turn around. Look in the mirror. See what I see.”

---