Page 89 of How Not to Marry a Duke

When he said things like that, it made her want to reach for him, to kiss him. “I used the stethoscope tonight.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “I assume it worked?”

“It was amazing. I could hear the mother’s and the baby’s heartbeats.”

He pushed away from the workbench and sat beside her on the settee. Then, ever so slowly, he reached out to finger a loose curl that framed her face. Her lips parted, and he cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “You are amazing.”

She closed her eyes, and he lowered his hand. She regretted the loss of his touch, the heat of his body. She’d never desired a man more than she did at that moment. He stoked a growing desire, and her whole being was filled with longing. Suddenly, she knew what she wanted. If they were to part soon, was she willing to walk away without knowing him intimately as a man?

“Warwick. I remember well our arrangement. But I think we should reconsider the terms.”

“What do you mean?” He leaned against the back of the settee.

Even with the slight distance between them, he suddenly seemed far away.

“Why can’t we be together? I’m not seeking to be your duchess, but to share your bed.”

He swallowed. “As I said before, it’s not a good idea.”

“You mean it’s not a good idea for you.”

“No, Adeline. For you!” He shifted on the settee and leaned close, his green eyes flaring in striking intensity. “Every cell in my body aches for you. Whenever we are together, I want to kiss you. And that one time—that one short time—I was able to touch and stroke and kiss you the way I wanted, has been singed in my memory. I think of you every night. Every damned night when I lie alone in bed.”

A thrill of excitement hummed in her veins at the unmistakable desire in his gaze. When she’d first met him, she’d initially thought him an academic, immune to the passions of the flesh.

She’d been wrong. So wrong.

He was as passionate as any red-blooded man. Even more than most. His restraint made him wildly attractive.

“Oh Warwick. I am a grown woman, fully capable of making my own choices. I choose you this night. I want to be your lover.”

“Christ. There are consequences, dammit.” He ran his fingers through his hair, pulled back the strands, then dropped his hand.

“I’m perfectly aware of the consequences. It’s not my fertile time, and you can…you can withdraw.”

“You trust that I have that much control?”

“I trust you.” She leaned close and kissed him fully on the mouth.

Warwick kissed her back. Not just any kiss, but a consuming one. Her lips parted in supplication, and he swept inside to taste and tease. She clung to him, feeling the breadth and strength of his shoulders. Even in her inexperience, she knew there was something special between them, something as bright and hot as the sun on a glorious country day.

He lifted her onto his lap and trailed hot kisses down the column of her throat, lower still, to the swell of her breasts above the borrowed dress. She recalled the feel of his lips on her, and she wanted more. She squirmed on his lap, his hardness evident beneath layers of clothing.

His fingers went to the fastenings of her gown. The borrowed garment was a servant’s dress, and as such, it didn’t have dozens of hooks that required the assistance of a maid. As the fabric gaped, he placed kisses on every inch of skin. Adeline slid off his lap and slowly slid the garment off her shoulders, then over her hips. The dress pooled at her feet, and she stepped away. Warwick took in her every movement. His eyes darkened with unmistakable hunger, and a flurry of excitement made her limbs weak. She stood before him in her shift and corset. He looked at her like she was as beautiful as Venus.

“A man would have to be mad to refuse you. And despite what everyone may believe, I am not mad.”

“I know.” She turned and offered her back. “Help me with my stays.”

“Gladly.” The touch of his fingers as he loosened the ties of her stays made her breath catch. He placed a hot kiss on her shoulder that sent a shiver of delight through her. Her body ached for his touch, and she knew she wanted to be with him tonight.

Her nipples hardened beneath the thin fabric of her shift as she turned to face him. His gaze traveled her from head to toe before meeting hers. His expression was fierce, and she experienced a thrill that she could cause such a reaction in a man like Warwick.

“There’s something special about you in your shift.”

“You seemed to like it last time.”

His large hand cupped her face and held it gently. “I liked it a lot. You were a vision then as you are now.”