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“I guess you know plenty about self-discipline,” she said coolly, not bothering to hide the sneer in her voice, “when you have only very recently lost yours and almost ravished an innocent. I do not think you have the right to speak so sanctimoniously on the subject of controlling one’s emotions.”

The silence that followed her challenge was deafening, and when she mustered the courage to look into Richard’s eyes, she regretted at once her decision to provoke him.

He was still, almost unnaturally so, his eyes filled with heat that spoke of his rage. She might have just pushed him too far, beyond what his self-restraint could handle.

While fear and anticipation warred in her chest, she was surprised to find that she was trembling in excitement.

She liked him best when he was out of control, the elemental male he kept hidden beneath his proper clothes and manners, free and running wild.

That thought confirmed to her that she was more unhinged than a proper young lady should be. But for the life of her, she did not care.

A red haze had descended over his vision, and he could feel his self-control slipping with every word that tumbled past Selina’s bewitching lips. Since the moment she had stepped into the library, he had felt a change in the atmosphere, the very air rearranging itself to accept her presence. His equilibrium was not left out, tilting on its axis immediately when he had caught her poking her head into the library.

The longer she stayed in the library, the more he felt his composure unraveling, so much so that he had started to castigate her.

He was well known in the House of Lords and among his peers for his skill in diplomacy. As a matter of fact, he had acted as a diplomat for the special office of England several times.

But when it came to Selina, his natural charm deserted him, and he found himself grasping at straws, throwing words at her, trying to provoke her—anything to prove to himself that he wasn’t the only one suffering from the madness that boiled in his blood whenever he saw her or thought of her.

Not one to disappoint, Selina had taken offense and had hit him where it was most painful, the wound still fresh. She had referred to his most recent indiscretion of almost ravishing her in the room where they stood.

It was more annoying because it was true and because he did not even feel remorseful about it. For the last twenty minutes, he had been fighting the urge to repeat it.

Perhaps it was fated that they were alone again with no hope for interruption by any of the other house guests.

Perhaps she had dreamt about it like he had done since the day before. Was that the reason why she had not tried to avoid temptation by avoiding being alone with him?

Perhaps she had breathed life into the topic—even though they had been actively avoiding it—because she wanted him and just could not help herself and was as helpless as he was.

Prowling towards her, he was impressed to see that she stood her ground, even though her body shivered and her eyes darted around with a mix of fear and excitement.

When he finally stood before her, he grabbed her waist, pulling her against his aroused body, enjoying the gasp that escaped her lips.

“Perhaps, My Lady, you have not truly seen me lose control, but I can guarantee that you are about to.”

“I would wager that I have,” she said in a hoarse voice.

“Selina, so help me…”

“I do not understand why you are so upset. I’m simply saying the truth…”

He shut her up the only way he knew how. Cupping her face in his hands, he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. A moan of relief and enjoyment escaped his throat as he devoured the lips that had been a source of torture since the previous night.

He licked her lips, plunging his tongue inside when she gasped. The kiss caught fire then, sending heated sensations down his spine until he forgot who and where they were.

A part of his mind warned that he had let this happen, that he had repeated his mistake, but that tiny voice was drowned out by the strength of the sensations taking over his body and destroying his self-restraint in the process.

Selina might have seen him lose control, but tonight, she might have unleashed the bestial part of him, and she must bear the consequences of playing with fire.

CHAPTER 9

“You will do no such thing,” Herbert said passionately, his booming voice echoing through the drawing room. “I will never allow it.”

“Please, do stop screaming, Herbert. You will not change my mind by disturbing the entire household,” Selina replied, busying herself with her embroidery.

“You do not truly want to marry that old man. Apart from the fact that he is way older than you, he is friends with Aunt Martha. That alone disqualifies him, in my opinion.”

“Oh, do try not to be judgmental, Herbert. You hardly know the man to make assumptions about him.” Selina smiled.