Page 24 of His Forbidden Duchess
The woman’s eyes burned bright as she stared right at him. “Perhaps I could help you find some… release?”
Without asking again, the woman took him by the hand, and he followed her blindly. He still held onto some weak hope that he could go through with this.
To hell with the bet. Eloise will not find out. How could she?
He walked down a narrow corridor lit by low-burning sconces, the murmur and voices of the gaming floor slowly fading behind him. Only then did he realize that the woman’s friend was doing the same with Percy.
His own footsteps were heavy, each step more reluctant than the last as they approached the doors leading to separate private rooms. Percy, still riding the high of the evening, clapped Felix on the back.
“Do not look so grim, old friend,” Percy said, his words slightly slurred from the brandy. “You need this. Clear your head; enjoy yourself.”
Felix forced a tight smile though the unease gnawing at his chest only deepened. His body craved release—desperately, maddeningly—but his mind remained tangled with thoughts of Eloise.
No matter how much he wanted to escape her pull, she was everywhere. She had been ever since that incredible moment in the sweet shop. His mind played it over and over like a penance.
Percy disappeared into his room with a boisterous laugh, the door clicking shut behind him while Felix hesitated outside his own door. The woman from the gaming floor stood beside him, her eyes dark with promise. She smiled softly, pulling him inside.
Once the door was closed, the room felt even more oppressive. The thick velvet drapes, the heavy scent of perfume in the air—it was all wrong.
Felix watched as the woman began to undress, her movements slow and deliberate, meant to entice. She approached him, placing her hands upon his chest, but all he could see was Eloise. Her fingers, her smile, the way her eyes had sparkled when their gazes had locked across the room earlier that day.
The woman pressed herself to him, her lips grazing his neck as she whispered something he barely heard. His hands moved on instinct, grasping her waist, pulling her nearer—but there was no fire, no desire that matched the urgency in his blood. It was as though his body knew, as though it refused to give in to anything that wasn’t her.
Eloise.
Her name echoed in his mind like a constant refrain, drowning out everything else. Felix swallowed hard, feeling his pulse quicken, but not for the woman in front of him. His hands stilled, his breathing uneven as frustration coursed through him.
She kissed him, her lips soft against his, but he didn’t kiss her back. He could not. What had once been so right now felt sordid. The only way he could perform, he realized, would be with Eloise herself.
It was that stupid bet. It had to be that. He wanted to win the fair way. He frowned at the thought. He pulled away, his brow furrowing as he turned his head, his eyes fixed on some distant point in the room.
“Is something wrong?” the woman asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and concern.
Yes, it was. Withhim.
Felix closed his eyes, jaw clenched. It wasn’t her fault. She had done nothing wrong, yet he could not bring himself to continue. He released her gently, stepping back, his heart racing for reasons he could not quite explain.
“I—” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration mounting. “I cannot do this.”
The woman’s expression softened, her hands lowering. She didn’t press him, just nodded slightly, though the rejection was clear. Felix could not look her in the eye as he moved away, the weight of his own thoughts heavier than ever.
He collapsed onto the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. How had it come to this? Every touch, every thought,every desire was consumed by the image of Eloise. No matter how much he tried to shake it, she haunted him. The memory of her laughter, the way she looked at him. She was the only woman he wanted.
And yet, she is the only woman I cannot have.
The dark-haired woman quietly gathered her things, understanding in her silence, and left the room without another word. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Felix alone in the dim light. He exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping forward.
The need for release was still there, a raw ache inside him, but it was not something any woman there could satisfy.
All right, Eloise. You can do this.
Those were the words Eloise kept repeating inside her own mind as she moved gracefully through the gathering, her pale green gown fluttering around her as she pretended to take interest in the scattered conversations.
It was a garden party that she had not been particularly keen on attending, but she knew hewould be there.
Only, she wasn’t certain whohewas. Mortcombe, certainly. Or was it?
She wandered toward the refreshments table where delicate cakes and sweets were artfully arranged next to glasses of champagne. A few of her friends stood nearby, laughing and gossiping, but Eloise lingered at the edge of the group, her eyes discreetly scanning the crowd.
