Chapter 5
Ally shocked even herself when the words escaped her lips. She’d been bold enough asking if he’d seen her breasts, and his blushing and stammering convinced her that he had. The thought excited her, and her nipples rubbed against the soft linen, longing for…something. She wasn’t quite sure what.
Oh, no use lying to herself. She was quite sure what she longed for. His mouth on her nipples, sucking, kissing…
She’d kissed two men in her life—Theodore Wentworth, who was a slobbering fool, and Mr. Landon, whose kisses were much more acceptable. Other than some lovely nibbles to her exposed décolleté above her gown, that was as far as she’d gone. She had every intention of sleeping with him and trapping him into marriage, but if she could get some experience first, she’d be better able to satisfy him and make sure he could never live without her. She’d done her share of reading, and Lily and Rose had been forthcoming about their experiences, but all Ally knew was theory. No practice.
Who better to teach her than this fine-looking man before her? In truth, he was finer than Mr. Landon. He was nearly as fine as men came with his large muscular build and artist’s dream facial features. She burned when he looked at her with those blazing brown eyes.
Evan cleared his throat. “You want me to kiss you?”
She swallowed, nodding. “Yes.” Her voice was not much more than a whisper.
“Alexandra, that would not be proper.”
“Why on earth not?”
“Well, you’re my stepsister, for one.”
“Who cares? We’re not related, and we only just met a few months ago. It’s not like we grew up thinking of each other as brother and sister. A couple of months ago, you could have just as easily been courting me as much as Rose. Would you kiss me if our parents hadn’t rediscovered each other a month ago?”
“That’s another question…”
“Oh, drat it all!” Ally was growing weary of the stupid rules to this stupid game. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”
“I will not. This game is over.”
Ally’s insides churned. The hell it was! “I’ve answered all of your questions, Evan, truthfully. Even the ones I wasn’t thrilled to answer, which is more than you’ve done. You’re not being fair.”
“Why would you want to kiss me?” he asked, his voice cracking.
Those words slammed into her. What could she say? She couldn’t very well tell him she wanted to practice for her seduction of Mr. Landon. Then again, why not? That was much more acceptable than telling him she found him an utterly splendid specimen, which she did.
“Practice,” she said.
“Something tells me you’ve had plenty of practice.”
Rage boiled inside her veins. Who did he think he was? And only minutes ago he’d accused her of not having nearly the experience she’d like him to think she did. “I do not see why you feel the need to insult me.”
“You insulted me. You asked if I’d visited a brothel. If I’d looked at your…”
“My breasts, Evan. They’re right here, in front of you, covered only by thin linen. And I didn’t ask if you’d deliberately looked at them. I asked if you’d seen them.” She strode back to her chair and sat.
“You are a handful, Alexandra,” he said.
“You have no idea.” She let out a sigh. “I suppose this game is over. I guess I should have expected as much from you. You’re nothing but a coward, after all.”
She jumped when he pounded his fist on the table.
“No one calls me a coward and lives to tell about it.”
“Oh? Is that a threat?”
“Not a threat, only a fact. You stand there, high and mighty with only linen covering your ample charms. Do you think it’s easy for a man to resist you? Most others would have torn those rags off of you by now and taken what you’re flaunting whether you wanted to give it or not. I’ll not be called a coward for being a gentleman. It’s not fair.” He stood. “I ought to take you right here, right now, right in that bed we shared last night. It would show you.”
Her whole body tingled, her blood turning to hot ambrosia. She shouldn’t taunt him. She knew she shouldn’t. But something fueled the desire budding within her.
“You wouldn’t, Evan. You’re too much of a gentleman, as you said.”