Page 6 of Daring with a Duke (The Jennings Family #2)

6

Felicity

“P erhaps you will be able to attend my party after all! It’s like a dream come true.”

Felicity hid a smile behind her tea as Pandora bounced in her chair like there were springs in the cushion.

Little did the young girl know Felicity was brimming with just as much excitement and wanted to bounce in her seat as well.

She couldn’t leave the estate.

She had more time.

Pandora popped out of her chair, exclaiming she had more planning for her party now, dipped a curtsy—which looked utterly absurd in breeches—and skipped from the room. The attending footman gathered up the young girl’s discarded dishes and promptly followed suit.

Felicity set down her tea, her grin growing. Well, that was bloody convenient. She had just been granted more time with the Duke, and now here they were, just the two of them.

Alone.

She turned her smile on him, and her heart stuttered as she was met head-on with a pair of soul-swallowing cobalt blue eyes. “This is the best of news, Your Grace. Definitely a step toward my dreams coming true.”

He inhaled sharply, and she thought she might have even heard a muttered curse. She let her gaze trail over his features, tight and tense, his freshly shaven jaw sharp, the muscle ticking subtly. From this change of fates, no doubt.

Change of fates in her favor. She hadn’t thought she’d have this extra time, so she had planned to be extremely daring at breakfast. Her only obstacle had been working around Pandora’s presence. But even granted the extra time, she needed to use every opportunity she had.

She let her best friend’s words flow over her.

Men love skin. Show off those glorious tits, Fliss. Expose a little nipple, and he’ll be putty in your hands.

Felicity reached for the tie of her wrapper just below her bust, proud that her fingers barely trembled. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, focusing in on that small bite of pain rather than her nerves.

And pulled the ribbon loose.

Her wrapper gaped open.

And the Duke’s mouth followed suit.

Confidence , she reminded herself. Y ou are not weak. You are not someone to be pitied. You are not someone the likes of Colborn can walk all over.

“Manifest your dreams,” she said softly, covering her apprehension with a tone that was husky and heated. A reminder to herself as much as a declaration to the Duke. “Or so the wisdom goes. Envision. Believe. Take action.”

His gaze flew to hers at the same speed that a searing blush infused her cheeks. She was brave. She was bloody brave. Brave, Fliss. She just had to keep thinking that.

Because she had just loosened her wrapper, and she wore absolutely nothing underneath. And she could not ruin it by letting her embarrassment show.

He swallowed repeatedly, and her gaze dropped to the muscles of his throat. She had never realized how captivating a throat could be, how it could draw one in, tempt one with fantasies of a tongue tracing over corded muscles, of teeth sinking into heated flesh.

“I’m not sure about you, Your Grace, but I really want my dreams to come true.”

She brought her hand to her own throat and slowly trailed her fingers down the small expanse of skin peeking through the edges of her wrapper. Down between her breasts, barely shielded from view.

“I was sure to envision it quite thoroughly this morning.”

His gaze didn’t stray from her fingers, his breaths coming strangled and hard. His features tightened. A vein in his forehead pulsed.

Her chest rose in rhythm with his, and she had to squeeze her thighs against the ache building between them. She was starting to confuse who the seduced was in this whole mess.

Especially when her fingers drifted over the curve of her breast, inching toward her nipple. Fire burned her skin as her fingertips made the slow path, the silk of her wrapper sliding open wider—

The Duke jolted out of his chair, and her gaze shot to his. And then dropped to his trousers. And dear fucking Lord, if that wasn’t a giant sign he was affected…

Her mouth watered, her tongue dipping to coast over her lips. And the minute her tongue made an appearance, his cock jumped. Jumped . Her breath hitched.

Heaven, help me.

All nerves, all embarrassment, all hesitance fled. All that remained was an unbearable need. For him.

“I-I… must be going?” he said. It came out a question, a hoarse plea, as if he was hoping someone would step in and tell him he could stay.

His gaze darted around the room until it settled on his empty breakfast dishes in front of him. He hastily gathered them in his arms. “I should take these down to the kitchens.” He cleared his throat, bowed awkwardly, and fled the room.

She sat back in her chair, heart racing nearly as fast as the Duke’s fleeing feet. That had definitely seemed like success, like progress.

Now that she had time on her side, it was just a matter of wearing him down.

And Felicity really, really wanted to wear him down.