Duke of Decadence (Lords of Scandal 9)

Isabella slid her hands up his chest as he kissed her again, this time, slanting her mouth open to swipe his tongue across her bottom lip. Blood pounded in his veins.

He heard her gasp, but he swallowed the sound as he probed deeper, tasting her sweetness, his tongue tentatively touching hers.

Had he thought her a vixen? She was brave despite her obvious fear.

But she was more the lamb he’d imagined earlier today or a baby bird that needed to be coaxed. He could feel her hesitation under her passion. And he wanted to wipe her worries away and explore her heat.

As their tongues began to tangle, his manhood grew heavy with lust and his brain buzzed with a fog of need as he gathered her closer still.

He tried to remember a time he’d wanted a woman this much. Been this affected by a simple kiss.

She was wreaking havoc on him and when her fingers slid into his hair, he nearly came undone.

He broke his mouth away staring down at her, which might have been worse than the kiss.

Her lips looked tender and swollen, her eyes soft and glazed, her cheeks flushed.

“Isabella,” he groaned, wanting nothing more than to drop his head and taste her again.

“That was…” she started, her fingers flexing in his hair.

“I know,” he replied. Striking a bargain had never been sweeter.

She cleared her throat, blinking several times. “I just…I need you to know…I’m only asking that…” But then she nibbled her lip rather than go on.

“What is it?” He pressed her stomach to his with the hand he still had around the small of her back. Attraction heated his body making the room overwarm. But that only added to the intimacy. Damn, he loved how tall she was. The way they fit together.

“I’ve never done any of this before. I just need you to be a little patient with me as I…”

“Fuck,” the word was whispered under his breath, meant for him and not for her but they were so close. She winced and pulled away. “Was that

your first kiss?” He should have realized already that it was. It was in her hesitation, her tentative touch. The way he’d had to coax the passion out of her.

She looked back at him without answering. But her eyes crinkled as the lines of her face grew more tense.

“Tell me the truth,” he said and he reached for her hand to bring her nearer again.

She gave a quick nod.

He wasn’t sure what he’d thought. The sisters had been trying to make a go of it on their own. He supposed he thought he might not be the first man they’d asked for help.

He wasn’t sure which was worse. Picturing some other man with her or thinking of her offering her maidenhead to him to provide for her sisters.

“Yes. It was my first.”

He kept the litany of swear words he’d wished to say caged in his mouth.

Even more than he wanted to bed her, this need to protect her rose inside him, making him tighten his grip around her waist.

He wanted to burn down anyone who tried to hurt her.

Which scared the life out of him. His chest tightened as he let her go and backed away again. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

But he couldn’t set her loose. What would happen to her if he did? Still, that kiss had proven what he’d told Mason. He couldn’t be with her either. It was too dangerous. Anger bubbled inside him, threatening to surface. “If we’re going to enter into a bargain, I’ve got some parameters of my own.”

Isabella squeezed his hand tighter. Was it strange that she looked for comfort from him even as she worried what he might say next? “Parameters?”

She let go of him and wrapped her arms about her middle and hugged herself.