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“Yet, you like me exactly like that, My Lady.”

“Do not presume, My Lord. I merely tolerate you.”

James pulled her closer, right at the bounds of propriety, her body almost flush against his tall, sturdy frame.

“Is that so, Diana?” he rumbled. “Is it tolerance when you gasp against my lips? When you tremble in my arms?”

Her nails dug into the fine fabric of his coat, and he chuckled. But she regained her composure quickly enough and schooled her features.

“I am just a diligent learner, My Lord.”

James looked at her with the intensity of a wolf circling his prey, his hunger barely contained. Diana clenched her jaw and coughed, the hand in his trembling.

“I need to keep up as your tutor, My Lady. Seeing how quick your progress is, we need to be more… thorough.”

Not one single word was spoken with an ounce of innocence.

“What is it that you are proposing?” Diana almost stuttered.

James groaned deep in his chest, and she felt the sound reverberate through her body.

“I have so much more to teach you, Diana.” His voice was low and daring. “Oh, so much more. But to do so, we need to be somewhere where we won’t be interrupted.”

Diana’s eyes widened.

Last time, James had nearly unraveled her by barely touching her skin in a half-hidden gazebo, with her chaperone right around the corner.

He was engrossed in thinking of the things he would do if he had her alone, in the dark, all to himself. How he would savor her, how he would ruin her, how he would teach her what real pleasure felt like. The kind that would make her body shiver, her back arch, and her lips part on a breathless moan.

His heart raced, and he struggled to keep himself in check in the middle of a respectable ball.

“Not interrupted?” Diana was intrigued, and that was all he needed.

“No intrusions, no stolen moments, no chaperones. You and me, Diana. Alone. At night.”

Diana looked around, sure that everyone heard the delectable, sinful things he was whispering to her. Then, she looked at him with a scorching look. James saw that his words had wrapped around her like a velvety promise.

He saw her inner conflict, how she avoided his gaze. He had felt her stiffen. It was absolutely wicked and inappropriate of him to suggest such a thing.

Come on, little wallflower.

He saw her bite her lower lip, her eyes glazing over as she most likely remembered what those hasty moments did to her.

James blinked slowly, smiling in satisfaction, dipping his chin to gaze upon his prey.

“Curiosity is a scholar’s greatest virtue, wouldn’t you agree, Lord Crawford?” she murmured, staring into his eyes.

Good girl.

CHAPTER 14

Clock Chime

Diana’s nerves were wrecked. She may have refused to conform to Society’s expectations, but she never broke the rules, never crossed the lines. Now, she was ready to bounce off so far out of the lines that she wouldn’t even see them.

His proposal, his sinful proposal, echoed in her head.

“You and me, Diana. Alone. At night…”