Page 39 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“You can’t force me to do anything.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“A matter of fact.”
They stared one another down. The heat between them built. His eyes flicked to her lips again. She licked them as if to tempt him. His hand on her waist tightened and he felt her gasp. The silence built… the tension gathered… and Daniel knew that he had one of two options.
To let her go, and to hell with the danger.
Or the second option…
Unable to stop himself, self-control fleeing as desire took hold, he pulled her into him and kissed Lady Alison’s mouth. And, as he expected, she did not try to stop him.
They kissed in a blaze of fury. His other hand took her waist and squeezed. Their bodies meshed. Their lips parted and their tongues danced. Lady Alison grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life. He devoured her as if his life depended on it. And for a few moments, Daniel allowed himself to forget…
Then he snapped back into reality.
His eyes widened and he lurched back, pushing her away. There was a snarl to his lips and his heart hammered so aggressively in his chest that it hurt.
“That tongue of yours…” He wiped his lips. “It is going to get you into trouble one of these days.”
“It already has.” She was looking away, the shame of the moment no doubt finding her.
“You are staying here tonight. And that is not up for debate,” he added quickly, raising both eyebrows at her in warning.
She was not looking at him, and he knew then that he won this little spat. But at what cost?I will find out soon enough.
“Good,” he said. “Now that we have that sorted…” He turned and strode for the doorway, desperate to be free from the room andas far from Lady Alison as was possible. “If you need anything, call for Godfrey. He will help any way he can.”
“Not you?” she asked after him.
He reached the doorway but did not turn to look at her. “I think I have done enough for one evening.” With that, he strode from the room and down the hall.
Daniel cursed himself as soon as he was free of Lady Alison. He had known the dangers of arguing with her. He had known what he would do. And where he hated how weak he was, how darn predictable… that he could still taste her on his lips went some way toward softening the guilt.
Chapter Twelve
Alison made a promise to herself the following morning. It was a simple promise. One that should have been relatively easy to follow. Darn simple, because it was that straightforward.
As for what that promise was? That she would keep her big mouth shut.
Every time that I speak with the Earl, it leads to a fight. And every time that we fight…that thought alone sent a pulse racing up her body. And while she rather enjoyed how it felt, she knew too it would be better for everyone involved if it did not happen again.
As luck had it, Alison was presented with the perfect chance to put this promise to the test the following morning. She woke later than she expected, positively worn out from the previous day, enjoying the warmth of her bed as she listened to the storm howling beyond the walls. Also, on a subconscious level, she felt it would be best to arrive late at breakfast. Maybe if she did, theEarl would not be there, and she could start her day without succumbing to temptation.
Of course, this was not the case, and no sooner did she walk into the breakfast room did she find the Earl sitting at the head of the table.
“Oh.” She started and came to a stop when she saw him.
Her heart leapt through her throat, that same pulse raced through her body, and her thighs began to tremble because all that she could remember in that moment was the kiss they had shared and how good it felt… how good it still felt because her lips tingled as they had been doing since last evening.
The Earl looked up and saw her in the doorway. “Good morning.”
His expression was flat and disinterested. No sense at all that he was experiencing the same reaction as she was. He watched her for a moment and then bowed his head, returning to his plate of food.
“How did you sleep?” he then asked simply.
She hesitated further. She considered turning and leaving the room. And she might have done, was there a point to it. Alison was trapped in this home until her parents came back for her, which she hoped to be soon, while also secretly wondering if there was a chance that they might never return…
