Page 15 of Good Duke Gone Far

“What are you talking about?”

“If I wanted to marry a woman, I’d do it. Since I’m not married to her, I don’t want to do it.”

“Well, Charlotte might–”

“Charlotte’s interested in someone else. And that someone else is interested in her.”

“Jack, please. What are you talking about? You’re speaking nonsense now.”

“Alright. I’m full of nonsense. If I’m wrong, I give you leave to call me Jack for the rest of my life.”

“I’m already calling you that. I have nothing to win here.”

“You have nothing to win or lose here. Not every discussion needs to be won or lost.”

“Are you quite sure about that? I don’t think so. Surely, everyone would agree that the point in a debate is to win.”

“Surely, they would.” He kept walking, as if to end the discussion. Then he stopped, whirled around, and opened those dangerous lips. “But here’s the thing, Kat. Not everyone thinks like you. It might serve you better to stop expecting everyone to think and act like you.”

Well, now, those lips were dangerous. Leaking universal truths all willy-nilly like that? It was debatable, but Kat wasn’t quite sure that she didn’t like those lips better when they weren’t so open.

Chapter 6

YES,THOSELIPSWEREextremely dangerous. Kat stole a side glance of the Colonel’s thick lips. Even pulled tight, his top lip formed a relaxed wave in the shape of an M. Everything about that mouth made promises. Promises of seduction. Passion. Wildness. And that was everything he was not, at least, it was nothing that he had ever shown Kat. Except in that one kiss.

That kiss needed a lot more attention, such as answering the questions of why she did it and would she do it again. But there would be no time to dig into those questions. In a matter of seconds, Kat’s world thundered, clang, and hissed around her.

First came the thundering. Of course, it had to be horses, but Kat had no other premonition toward the sound. Unlike the Colonel.

“Quick!” He shouted the whisper in her ear, and tumbled her into the long grass on the side of the road. Her head clanged from being knocked about and wrestled to the ground.

A hissed, “Quiet!” filled her ear, followed by, “Highwaymen.” Somehow he knew the horses were transporting dangerous criminals. Perhaps he had heard something she had missed while being displaced by her thoughts. Her head was cradled in one of his hands. The other large, warm hand covered her mouth right up to her nostrils. Inhales rattled into her and exhales suffered to escape. A panic threatened to settle in, and her legs wanted to kick the heavy lout off of her body. Luckily, her brain kicked in instead, to remind her that the heavy lout was a safe lout. And in fact, a comforting, if not protective lout.

His weight was more than anything she had ever felt before. His body covered hers and pressed into every soft, plump, and presently hardening tips she owned. One of his thighs rested between her legs, and something in her core began to throb. Like she wanted to rub up into him. Like she wanted him to lean in to continue that kiss from before.

At least she had an answer to one unasked question. She would most certainly kiss him again if the opportunity presented itself. Only if it was presented to her. She wouldn’t make it happen. No, she would definitely not stoop to that level.

The stampeding hooves grew faint, and the Colonel lifted his head. Inches. He was still close enough that she could feel the brush of his stubble against her jaw.

She wanted to say, “I think they’re gone.” But all that came through the solid mass still covering her lips was a mash of reverberations that tickled her lips.

The tickling ceased to be an issue when he dragged his eyes up to hers. His eyes perfectly matched his hair, which made perfect sense. He would have accepted no less than a perfect match. But the way he was drawing her into his gaze went beyond superficial matters. Or maybe that’s all it was. Superficial. He was attracted to her. That was irrefutable at this point. But the fact that he was staring at her as if he was about to kiss her again might only be about a kiss. Just lips upon lips. Swapping passions. Exchanging desires.

His eyes dropped to where his hand was, as if staring at his hand was the only way to keep it in place.

But Kat did not want it in place even a second longer. The horses were gone. She wanted to breathe again.

She made another attempt at speaking, hoping he would get the hint. He did not. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Her tongue darted out to lick his hand. Instantly he withdrew his fingers.

“I wasn’t sure that would work,” Kat said. “You being in the military and all. I thought it might take a bit more than that.”

His stare didn’t budge from her lips. She suspected she must have dirt all over her face from the tussle.

“I don’t know why it did…” he lugged his fixation away from her lips. For a moment she thought he was going to get up. But he did the most unexpected thing instead.

He dropped his forehead right between her breasts. In so doing, though he would deny it to his dying day, she would swear for all time that she heard him say, “I don’t know anything anymore.”

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