Page 69 of Duke's Daring Bookworm
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate to answer. Whatever Lily wanted, I would give it to her.
She moved away from me and reached under her skirt.
“You’re not even going to try to seduce me?” I asked, raising one eyebrow as I tried to hide my smile. “Just take your panties off and assume I’ll give you whatever you want?”
She stopped and cocked her head at me.
“Of course, you’re a man. You’re easy.” She reached under her skirts again and I grabbed her hand.
“I have conditions.” I used my other hand to loosen my silk tie. If she wanted to be tied up, we were going to do it right.
“What?” She didn’t pull away but sat there watching my every move as I undid my tie and pulled it free.
“I tie your hands with your panties and cover your eyes with this.” I held it up for her inspection. Her eyes widened, whether in fear or excitement, I didn’t know, as she eyed first the tie and then me.
I held still, my tie raised between us, while I waited for her answer. She didn’t answer right away, and I almost dropped the tie and accepted the silent no.
“Yes.” She licked her lips and eyed the tie again. “We can try that.”
“Get your dress off,” I ordered as I slipped out of my jacket and unbuttoned my shirt.
“No, not in here. What if something happens?” She tried to hike her skirts up around her,but there was so much fabric she became lost in it.
“Nothing will happen. Jenkins is an excellent driver.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. What if someone else is a bad driver? What if we are all wrapped up in what we are doing when he gets to your place, and he opens the door and sees all my bits? What if there’s some kind of medical emergency? What if—” She stopped when I held my hand up.
“Do I need to stuff your panties in your mouth and tie you up with something else?”
Her eyes widened at this.
“You would, wouldn’t you?”
I leaned over her and we were a hair’s breadth away from each other, occupying the same space, breathing the same air.
“You would like it.”
Her gaze dropped to my lips, but I held back, waiting for her answer. Part of me hoped she would say no. I needed to hear her scream my name. I needed to know that she was mine, even just for now. Pain lanced through me, and I shoved it aside. I could think about that later.
“Yeah, I would. But not tonight.” She ran her hand up my chest to cup my face. “Another time.”
I closed my eyes. We both knew there weren’t many more times left.
She kissed me softly. I followed her when she pulled back, unwilling to let her go just yet. I put everything I couldn’t say into this kiss, hoping that she felt it, that somehow, she knew I would follow her to the end of the world if she let me.
Her hand fisted my hair, and when we broke apart, her lips were shiny and pink. I ran my hand along her skirt, considering how to make her every dream come truewithin the boundaries she set when I came to a tear in the layers of fabric.
I grasped that bit of fabric and pulled, tearing through it easily.
“Duke!” she gasped. “Do you know how expensive this dress is? You can’t just rip it.” Her hands fluttered around the torn edge like it was a wound.
“I can.” I took hold of another piece and pulled, ripping away another layer. “It’s already torn. Should I stop, or would you like to keep going?”
My hand hovered over a piece that hadn’t been torn waiting for the go ahead. She smiled in a way that I knew well—whatever came out of her mouth next would be ridiculous.
“Yeah, I guess you can keep destroying my dress to get to my genitalia, if you’re so desperate for it.” She could barely make it to the end of her sentence before she collapsed into laughter. I couldn’t help but laugh along. God, this woman. She was… perfect.
“Thank God,” I said through our laughter, and tore at her dress until only one layer remained. “Now, where are my tools?”
