Page 70 of Project Duchess
“Upstairs.”
He groaned. “Of course it is.”
Rising from the floor, he reached behind her to swig some claret from the glass she’d set down. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her through to the entranceway. As he climbed the staircase, she grabbed his neck to keep from falling. Not that he seemed likely to drop her. Dear Lord, he must be very strong to be managing this.
“I’m quite capable of walking, you know,” she said, though something about being carried up by him sent a thrill through her.
As he reached the top and saw the three open doorways, he growled, “Which one?”
All she could do was point, still drowning in the amazing aftermath of his carnal caresses. He hurried through the doorway she’d indicated, then set her down on her bed so he could pull off his cravat and unfasten the fall of his trousers.
As she knelt on the bed, she noticed his member swelling in his drawers through the open fall. It should have frightened her. After this afternoon, it did not. She’d never imagined being able to arouse such a man, who could have any woman he pleased.
Uncle Armie had been aroused by anything in skirts, but she’d watched Grey with the maids, and even the pretty ones hadn’t drawn his gaze. She began to think he might reallypreferher. Well, at least he preferred her to the maids.
His heated gaze seared her as he kicked off his shoes. “Take off your nightdress, sweetheart. I want to see you naked.”
Uh-oh. It was one thing to let him see parts of her at a time, but to allow him to see her plump bottom and freckled back and small bosom altogether . . .
“Heavens, but you’re bossy.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I haven’t even seenyounaked yet.”
“You want me to go first?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Very well.”
He shucked off his trousers, which left him in only his stockings, his prominently bulging drawers, and his shirt, which he dragged off over his head and tossed aside, too.
Her breath got stuck in her throat. For a duke with leisure time to spare, he certainly had a magnificent chest, with firmly defined muscles and a patch of black, curly hair spreading between them before narrowing to a thin line that led down to a lean stomach so perfect she wanted to bite it.
Bite it? Had she really had such a thought?
“Like what you see?” he asked in a low rumble, reminding her of their first kiss.
She nodded, incapable of forming words at the moment.
A smug smile flashed over his face. “Want to see more?”
“Yes, please,” she choked out.
“Then take off your nightdress, sweetheart.”
“But—”
“Let me guess—you’re balking because you have warts on your belly.”
She eyed him askance. “Don’t be silly—no one gets warts there.”
His eyes twinkled as he pulled off his stockings. “You have the pox then?”
“Ofcoursenot!” She huffed out a breath. “I only . . . it’s merely that . . . well . . . I’m no more a beauty naked than I am clothed.”
Just like that, his amusement vanished. “Who the hell told you that you weren’t a beauty?” When she chewed on her lower lip, his face darkened. “Ah, right. Your arse of an uncle, I suppose.” Walking up to where she stood by the bed, he caught her chin in his hand. “Let’s get this straight once and for all. You are not merely a beauty—you’re thequeenof beauties.”
She glared at him, her throat aching at the blatant untruth. “There’s no need to lie, Grey. You’re already in my bedchamber. It’s not as if I’m going to kick you out.”
“I’m not lying.” He scowled. “Didn’t we agree to always speak the truth to each other?”
“We did.”
“And haven’t I done so?”
