My Fair Lover (Legendary Lovers 5)

“I don’t care about every woman. Only you. Confess, you want me.”

He was goading her and tempting her at the same time—and against her will, Kate responded, “It is not unreasonable that I feel an attraction for you. I am human after all.”

“Ah, yes. Very human. All woman. And I think you want a real flesh-and-blood man, not the tame, dull, idealized sort you profess to admire.”

Reaching over, he grasped her hand and drew it to the front placket of his breeches, sending a shock of awareness rocketing through Kate. Beneath the fabric, he was very large and very hard.

“I am very much flesh and blood, sweetheart.”

She fought the urge to snatch her hand back. Deverill was vigorously flouting her rules of proper behavior and pushing the boundaries of acceptable conduct, but she wasn’t required to play his game.

“The condition of your flesh is not my concern,” she said sweetly as she calmly freed her hand from his grasp.

Deverill eyed her, assessing. “You are cruel to leave me in such dire pain.”

“And you are brazen and outrageous.”

“You once admired brazenness. In fact, you once were brazen and daring yourself. You seem to have forgotten how to be wild and adventurous. You are far too concerned about being a proper lady.”

Kate winced inwardly. His charge was similar to the accusation Lady Dalton had made last evening about her prudishness.

It seemed Deverill was not finished with his observations, either. “For too long you have tried to restrain your lively, enchanting nature. These days you resemble a cold-blooded princess.”

“I am not cold-blooded,” Kate retorted with more vehemence than she intended.

“Then why are you so skittish? Is it because you are afraid you will enjoy my lovemaking too much?”

“I am not afraid, either.”

“Then show me.”

Kate summoned a frown. “I will do no such thing. You are a champion at baiting me.”

“Am I succeeding?”

The amusement lurking in his eyes vexed and exasperated her, and she knew she was in trouble.

It was sheer idiocy to make this into a battle for supremacy between them, for Deverill was almost certain to win. On the other hand, she was tired of always feeling defensive. Moreover, she kept remembering the widow’s stinging rebuke. The scandalous Lady X would never have been so concerned with violating propriety.

“I have no intention of becoming your lover,” Kate said with less assurance than she would have liked.

“Why not? If you’ve enjoyed lovers before, what are you worried about?”

She glanced around the folly. “This is still far too public a place. Someone might catch us in a state of undress.”

“There is no need for us to undress. I can make love to you fully clothed. In fact, I could bring you to climax with a minimum of touching, without either my hands or my mouth.”

“I very much doubt that.”

In answer, Deverill leaned closer, bringing his face within a breath of hers.

Kate drew back as far as possible. “What are you doing?”

“You issued a challenge.”

“Not intentionally.”

When she rose to her feet, he caught her hand. “Are you running away?”