My Darling Duke

“Your mouth has no filter, does it?”

A prickle of uncertainty moved down her spine. “Do you want me to be circumspect?”

“No, I quite like when you are bold and fearless. I want you… I know that I shouldn’t, but how I do crave you, Miss Danvers.”

She didn’t respond immediately. She couldn’t. All she could think of was the way he’d tormented her with pleasure in the cabin. A low throb moved through her abdomen, and an unbearably keen awareness scythed through her. Kitty touched him, gliding her fingers over his clenched fist, slowly straightening them so they were palm to palm, then she interlaced her fingers with his. Kitty felt her heartbeat, erratic and uncertain as his own under the tip of her fingers.

She turned in the cage of his arms, her back pressed against the gently bobbing boat, but it was he who held her above water.

“Wrap your legs around my waist; it will be easier to keep you afloat that way.”

The wicked suggestion of such intimacy stole her breath. Kitty stared at him in mute shock, then glanced behind him at the castle and rolling lawns in the distance.

“Most of our bodies are under the water… No one can see.”

He took her by the waist, pulling her away from the boat. The only support she had now was his body, and she willingly wrapped her legs around his hips. They stood, practically in an embrace, with the raw power and vitality of him surrounding her. She could feel the grace and strength in the legs that kicked below the water keeping them from sinking into the murky depths.

Strange bewilderment filled her, and she felt unmoored and conflicted. We will have to be wicked and improper to get the things we want. Since the night in the cabin, Kitty couldn’t stop her headlong slide into attraction to the duke any more than she could make water flow uphill. Her complicated feelings could little withstand the force of reason. “Have you ever felt like this before, Alexander? With anyone?”

The brilliant blue of his gaze became suddenly intent, searching her face. His silence made her heart beat still more violently.

He seemed exasperated, even a bit amused. Then he leaned in close, pressing his mouth against her temple. “No.”

The admission disarmed her. She blew out a breath to dispel it, and immediate relief swelled through her body. She wanted to press her face into his throat and breathe in his scent. Instead, she turned her face so that her cheek rested against his. “Neither have I.” She heard herself laugh, all breathless, incredulous delight at her daring admission.

Lightning streaked and forked above, followed by the ominous boom of thunder, yet neither moved. Her hands shifted of their own volition, sliding up along his back. “Do you fancy you could feel like this again?”

At his silence, she leaned back so she could observe his expression. There was a peculiar look on his face.

“No, I do not believe it to be possible.”

“I dare not believe it to be possible, either.” A flush warmed her face. “Then, what are you going to do about it, Your Grace?”

He shook his head, a rueful gleam in his eyes. “You are not at all like other ladies, are you?”

Her heart gave a lonely throb. “Do you want me to be?”

He brushed a thumb over her cheek. And that caress was a source of cold fire that burned everywhere that he had lingered on her body.

“Never,” he murmured. And then he kissed her.

Chapter Eighteen

The moment Alexander’s lips touched hers, Kitty was consumed—by fire, happiness, and an all-encompassing desire.

He kissed her with a passionate urgency, and she responded with flaming wonder. A wild impulse unraveled in her, and with a sweet sigh of surrender, she parted her lips and allowed him to sweep his tongue along them. The taste of him spilled

through Kitty like sunshine, darkness, and temptation.

This kiss was harsher, more delicious, and more ravishing than any before. Pleasure coursed through the heated nerve endings, and she shivered in his embrace. Then the sky opened, and with a gasp, they broke apart.

“Come, we must return at once,” he said, drifting with her toward the gently rocking boat.

He helped her in and then hauled himself into the boat. Alexander grabbed the oars and, with powerful moves, clawed through the water toward the shore. Kitty glanced behind her. “We are not heading to the main house?” she asked huskily, rubbing her arms to keep the invading chill at bay.

“No.”

“Well, that sounded appropriately ominous,” she said with a scowl.