Page 38 of His Forbidden Duchess
“I saw you come this way and?—”
“Leave me alone!”
Felix stopped and stood perfectly still, stunned by her inhospitable tone. He had expected her to respond as eagerly as he had approached.
“I-I am sorry, My Lady,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I thought perhaps?—”
“You thought incorrectly, Your Grace,” she hissed. “Once I find Lord Mortcombe, we shall require a little privacy.”
Felix’s entire body tensed at the thought of Eloise and Mortcombe together. He turned cold, a darkness descending on him.
“And what, pray tell, is it that you plan to do exactly?”
Eloise glared at him, her fists clenched at her sides. Even angry, she radiated beauty and sexuality, perhaps even more so. He suddenly realized he’d come to think of her as his. As if she had no right to be with any man but him.
The worst has come to pass. I have utterly lost my mind. Eloise has no interest in a rake like me.
“Well?” he demanded when she didn’t answer.
“How is that any of your concern?” she challenged. “That is none of your business.”
She turned and stalked away angrily, not giving him the opportunity to respond. Felix felt the veil of darkness descend upon him once more.
“Given our bet,” he said, jogging to catch up to her, “I would say it has rather a lot to do with me, would you not agree?”
They strode side-by-side through the quiet corridors, Eloise pretending to hurry, and Felix pretending he did not want to be there bickering with her. Eloise let out a quiet bark of laughter.
“You have already congratulated yourself on doing an excellent job of teaching me. Do you really need to be there when I do the deed as well?”
“Do thedeed?” Felix echoed, his eyebrows raised in shock. “You do not mean to give up your virtue so easily, do you?”
“Is that not what men like you enjoy?” She shot a fiery glance at him, and Felix shrugged.
She had him there, but he wanted her to give it tohim. Her cheeks were flushed like they might be after making love, the passion in her eyes so intense that they screamed desire.
And that gown. Goodness, she was stunning in the thing. With every movement she made, the fabric shifted to highlight another part of her remarkable body.
“Well… yes, I suppose, but… I mean,Mortcombe?” he stammered. “There are many better men with whom you could?—”
Me.
“So you keep telling me,” she snapped in return. “You know why I am doing this, Felix, and it is not out of love for Lord Mortcombe!”
Unable to resist any longer, Felix pushed her into a nearby alcove and pulled the curtain closed. He pressed her against the wall, pinning her there, his breath heavy as he felt his body molding into hers.
Eloise’s eyes were wide with shock, and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Felix could see the mound of her breast in his peripheral vision, but it was her eyes into which he stared. He could not pull his gaze away.
This woman, this irritating girl he had known his entire life, the sister of his best friend… she had performed some sort of magic on him, and now, he had no choice but to take what he wanted. What he needed. She had toyed with his desires, but he would bring her to heel.
“Felix, I…” She spoke in a soft, gentle tone, but Felix didn’t listen.
The time for words has now passed.
Eloise’s heart thundered in her ribs as he stared into her eyes. She wanted to say more, to protest, but she couldn’t. She was trapped by his body, certainly, but she wouldn’t have moved even if she could have. The scent of him filled her and desire growled hungrily in her belly.
Felix’s mouth crashed onto hers, the force of his kiss stealing the breath from her lungs. With one hand he gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, his fingers wrapping around them with a firm, unyielding hold.
Eloise gasped into his mouth, the sound muffled by his searching lips. His body heat seared through the thin fabric of her gown, and she knew then that she had chosen correctly when she’d selected it. It was unfortunate that it had attracted the wrong man.
