Page 18 of Her Duke to Seduce
Felicity brightened. How had he known she would wish for that? She could have kissed him for his thoughtfulness.
“I shall have it brought up straightaway,” the innkeeper assured him.
Aiden merely grunted in response, as if he could not be bothered to reply.
The innkeeper motioned to a young serving girl, who hurried away to see to their requests. “If ye will follow me, I shall show ye tae yer room.”
They ascended the narrow staircase, Aiden trailing behind as Felicity followed the innkeeper. When they reached the chamber, the innkeeper opened the door, allowing them to step inside first. The room was small but tidy, with a sturdy four-poster bed, a basin for washing, and a modest hearth. The fire had already been lit, warming the space.
Felicity turned, her lips parting to say something to Aiden, but the intensity in his gaze made her falter. He stood in thedoorway, one hand braced against the frame, as if battling some internal war.
“I will return later. After you have had time to bathe,” he said at last, his voice low, roughened by something she could not name.
She inclined her head. “Thank you, Aiden.”
He nodded once, then stepped back, pulling the door closed behind him. Felicity let out a slow breath, pressing a hand to her chest. This was madness. Absolute madness. And yet she had never felt so alive.
A knock at the door made her jump, but it was only the serving girl with the promised hot water. Felicity busied herself with preparing for her bath, but her thoughts were elsewhere—on the man who would return later, in this very room, undoubtedly wrestling with the same restless thoughts that now plagued her.
What would he do if she remained wrapped in nothing but a drying cloth? Would it be that easy to seduce him?
She nibbled on her bottom lip and considered her plan. Naked would be too bold, but perhaps she was not so far off the mark with that thought. A thin covering… just enough to entice him, to make him forget all propriety.
Yes, that was what she would do.
A slow smile curved her lips as she sank into the warm water. First, she would bathe. And then… then, she would see if Aiden could resist temptation.
Aiden blewout a breath and sighed. He knew he should not return to that room. It was a terrible idea to share a chamber with Felicity. She was already teetering on the edge of ruinationsimply by traveling with him, and if it was discovered they had shared a room at an inn—her reputation would never recover. He wanted her almost desperately, but he knew he could not have what he desired. That did not stop him from the wanting.
The need to return to her was a force he could not seem to battle. He had spent the past hour nursing an ale in the common room, attempting to quiet the tempest in his mind, but it was a futile effort. His thoughts strayed endlessly to her, to what she might be doing at that very moment. Was she still in her bath, her skin damp and warm from the water? Was she already curled beneath the blankets, her golden hair fanned over the pillows in careless disarray?
Damnation.
Aiden raked a hand through his hair and stood abruptly, startling a nearby patron. He muttered a curse under his breath and strode toward the stairs, each step taking him closer to the very temptation he had sworn to resist.
He reached the chamber door, hesitating for only a fraction of a second before turning the handle. The room was dimly lit by the flickering glow of the hearth, the scent of lavender and soap still lingering in the air. And there, standing in the center of the room, was Felicity.
Aiden’s breath lodged in his throat. She had wrapped herself in nothing but a thin drying cloth, the fabric clinging to her damp skin in a way that left little to the imagination. Her golden hair cascaded over one shoulder in loose waves, and her eyes—those stormy gray eyes—watched him with something akin to a challenge.
"You are late," she murmured, tilting her head ever so slightly.
Aiden forced himself to remain rooted to the spot, when every instinct urged him to close the distance between them. "You should be in bed," he ground out. And dressed… He cursedunder his breath. He had not expected to find her nearly naked, and a temptation that he could already barely resist.
She arched a brow. "I am." Her lips curved in a slow, knowing smile. "Or at least, I will be soon. If that is your concern, my lord, I am quite capable of putting myself to bed."
He was not strong enough to resist her. What man would be? He clenched his fingers into a fist at his side as he attempted to resist touching her. It was a near thing. One move, one word, and he would break and give in to her. "You are playing a dangerous game, Felicity," he warned, his voice rough.
She took a step closer, the firelight casting golden hues over her bare shoulders. "I know." She took another step, and his entire body thrummed with desire. She was a siren leading him to his own ruin.
Aiden's fists clenched at his sides. "I told you before, I am not the man you should be tempting." He was about to cave, to reach for her, and then all would be lost.
"And yet," she said softly, "you are the only man I wish to tempt."
The words struck him like a physical blow, and for a moment, all reason fled. It would be so easy—too easy—to take what she was offering. To pull her into his arms, strip away that flimsy excuse for a covering, and kiss her until they were both lost to all propriety. He wanted that, and he was ready to give in to that need.
But she did not understand what she was asking. She thought she could control this, that she could seduce him and walk away unscathed. She did not yet realize that if he took her now, there would be no walking away. His voice was taut when he spoke. "Tell me, Felicity—do you truly understand what you are asking of me?"
Her lips parted, but no sound emerged.
