Page 11 of His Forbidden Duchess
“My brother is not here, and I am serious!” she insisted, stepping closer, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “You have done this countless of times. You could teach me if you wanted.”
Felix, still shaking his head, leaned back against the balcony rail, folding his arms. “Your brother would have my head. There is no way I will do what you ask.”
Lady Eloise, knowing exactly how to provoke him, lifted her chin defiantly. “Then let us bet on it.”
Felix arched a brow. “A bet, you say?”
“Yes. You show me how to seduce Mortcombe, and I have one month to succeed,” she declared, her eyes gleaming with the challenge. “If I win, I will have secured my family’s future. If I lose…”
“If you lose?” he echoed. He could not resist the draw of a bet. He hadn’t realized that his best friend’s little sister had become so feisty, but he rather liked it.
“If I lose…” She paused, then said, “To make it more interesting, you must abstain from laying with anyone else for the duration of that month.”
Felix’s smile faltered, replaced by genuine shock. “Now Iknowyou have lost your mind.”
Lady Eloise crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow. “Are you afraid that you cannot do it, Your Grace? Or perhaps you just do not think you have anything of value to teach me?”
Felix’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as sparks of competition flickered in them. “I could teach a woman that in my sleep, My Lady,” he said, his tone low and daring. “But not you. Not the sister of my best friend.”
“I am not only my brother’s sister,” she said defiantly. “I am my own person with my own decisions and thoughts. I am a woman now.”
And what a woman you are.
“I know,” he frowned. “You know that is not what I meant.”
Lady Eloise stepped even closer, the night air swirling around them as she continued to pressure him. “So youareafraid!”
He exhaled slowly and let out a growling breath.
Can I really do this? Can I play this game with Jeremy’s sister?
His eyes swept over her body. She looked demure, as she should, but he could easily imagine her draped in silk and swaying her hips. He could imagine her leaning forward and whispering into his ear, her lips stained as red as the widow’s had been.
“You should know that I am afraid of nothing,” he replied, his voice husky.
“Not even of me?” she asked, taking a bold step closer to him. “Not even of abstaining for a whole month?”
Felix cleared his throat. Her heat and her scent, that of a fresh spring morning, enveloped him. He had to admit that it would indeed be a struggle to abstain for an entire month. After all, a man had needs. But he was not one to be beaten and certainly not by a woman such as Eloise.
“Of course not,” he replied, licking his lips as he looked down at her. “One month. You have one month to seduce Mortcombe, and I will not touch anyone for the same period.”
The challenge hung heavily between them, their faces mere inches apart. Felix’s eyes flashed down to her lips for the briefest moment as a thick and undeniable wave of heat passed between them. Gone was their playful banter, replaced with something far more dangerous.
Felix took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his voice low as he added, “Do not for one second think that I will make this easy for you.”
His breath caught, the tension sizzling between them like a fuse waiting to ignite. For a fleeting moment, Felix wondered what it would feel like if their lips touched. The image roused a fire inside of him that he never knew he possessed for her.
Eloise tore her gaze away before anything further could happen, breaking the spell. “I must return to the ball,” she said, her voice tight with restraint.
Felix, his hand reaching out almost instinctively, caught her by the wrist before she could leave. “Wait.”
His voice softened as he pulled her to him gently, reached into his coat pocket, and produced a handkerchief. Her chest heaved, her porcelain skin tantalizing him and stirring his desires.
He dabbed at the small cut on her cheek, his touch tender and caring. How desperately he wanted to grab her, to push her against the wall and take her. Eloise’s gentle whimpers as he dabbed at the cut did not help. A fire now burned brightly within him, but their wager prevented Felix from addressing it. He gritted his teeth in an effort to rein in his urges.
Felix lingered a second longer before stepping back, his hand falling to his side. “There,” he murmured, his voice rougher than before. “All better.”
Eloise swallowed hard in an obvious effort to pull herself out of her daze. “Thank you,” she whispered, stepping back.
