Page 4 of Her Duke to Seduce: Lady Be Wicked (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #20)

Three

A iden stared at the beautiful woman before him and suddenly lost all ability to think. That scarlet gown of her made her body decadence wrapped in silk and lace. Her golden blonde locks were was gathered high on the crown of the head and twisted into a loose bun with tendrils left to frame her face in soft, romantic curls. He wanted to loosen her hair and set those curls free to fall down her back in a cascade of waves, then he wanted to run his fingers through those soft tendrils as he kissed her. He ached to touch her.

Her lips parted as she drew in a breath and his cock tightened in his breeches. He was a right arse staring at her as if she were a courtesan he could readily take in the garden. “Do I know you?” she asked.

“I do not believe that we have been introduced,” he said. He tilted his lips upward into a wicked smile. “Would you like to correct that?” He certainly did. Aiden wanted to know everything about the lovely creature before him.

“I’m not so certain that would be wise,” she told him. “You do not appear to be the sort of gentleman my family would approve of and I would hate to disappoint them.”

She tilted her head to the side and studied him. What did she see when she set that gaze of hers upon him? She stepped a little closer and he itched to reach for her and pull her flush against him. This was not how he expected his evening to go. He had not spent any actual time in the ballroom. His father would be so disappointed with him. He was supposed to meet the young ladies and determine if any of them would be suitable to be his marchioness. He stared at the lady before him. At least he would be able to say with some honesty he met one unforgettable woman. “You know nothing of me?” He lifted a brow. “And already you believe the worst in me.”

“Am I wrong then?” She met his gaze boldly. “Are you a perfect gentleman?” She moved even closer to him and he could see the shade of her eyes in the moonlight. They were a stormy gray and he couldn’t help thinking he had seen that exact shade somewhere before. She seemed so familiar to him and yet he could not fathom why. “You would never attempt to use your charm and experience to take advantage of my innocence?”

Aiden did not know what she expected him to say. If he told her he was the perfect gentleman would she stay in the garden with him. Would she then find him trustworthy? Where she was concerned he found he wanted to be a rogue. He wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted far more than that. But that was not what she asked him was it? “I do not think you require a gentleman.”

Her lips curled. “You believe I need a rake then?”

“Yes,” he told her. Then he moved closer to her. “I think you want me as much as I want you.”

He hoped he was not about to make a mistake. If he took a wrong step he could lose a chance with her. One he very much wanted and would do anything to ensure happened. She did not move as made his way over to her. He stopped when he was so close their bodies almost touched. Still she remained in place. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “What if I do?” She asked him. “Will you give me what I desire?”

Aiden swallowed hard. God help him. He had undoubtedly found his match in this woman. She was brazen and wild. A temptation he should not give into. The overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms surged through him, and it was too difficult to resist. He really should though. It was not proper and with her he found he wanted to be the gentleman. Not that he was not a gentleman, but he wasn’t exactly that far removed from being a rogue either. He walked a fine line and he had never regretted his actions. He could seduce her. It would be so easy to lead her down a path of ruination. “Are you certain?” Aiden could not take advantage of her. He had to be good. It might very well kill him, but he had to do right by her. He did not even know her name and he already knew she would be an important part of his life. She was daring him, taunting him, drawing him deeper into a wicked game neither of them should play. Yet he wanted to. More than he had ever wanted anything.

Her lips parted slightly, as if inviting his kiss. He knew he should turn away. He was not some callow youth incapable of controlling his urges, nor was he the kind of man to dally with an innocent. And she was innocent—at least, in the ways that mattered. But there was a knowing look in her storm-gray eyes, as if she understood the power she wielded over him and was prepared to use it.

Damnation.

Aiden drew in a slow, steadying breath, willing himself to retreat. He had come here to consider his duty, to find a respectable match, to honor his mother’s memory. He had not come to be undone by a woman in a scarlet gown with lips that begged to be kissed.

Her voice was silk and sin when she spoke again. “Are you afraid?”

A sharp, amused breath left him. “Terrified,” he admitted, his voice huskier than he intended.

Her eyes flashed with something dangerously close to delight. “I see,” she murmured, lifting her hand to trail her fingers lightly over the lapel of his coat. “I must say, my lord, I expected something more daring from a man with such a reputation.”

His brows lifted. “And what reputation would that be?” There was no way she could know he had even a small roguish past. Could she?

She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “I do not know, precisely. But a man who skulks about in the dark corners of gardens rather than dancing in a ballroom surely has something to hide.”

Aiden chuckled despite himself. She was far more extraordinary than he could have imagined. “I do not skulk,” he corrected. “I avoid tedious conversation, which is an entirely different matter.” In truth, he avoided proper societal functions as a rule. This ball fit that description aptly.

“Ah,” she said, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. “And do you find me tedious?”

“Not in the least.” His voice dropped, his restraint fraying further with every breath. “You, my lady, are the most intriguing woman I have ever met.” That was an understatement. He could not truly describe her and what she did to him.

Her breath hitched, and for the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face. She had been toying with him, but now she realized the danger she courted. The air between them grew taut, charged with something neither of them dared to name.

Slowly, carefully, Aiden lifted a hand and traced a single fingertip along the bare skin of her forearm against the sheer fabric of her crimson sleeve. Her skin was warm beneath his touch, and she trembled, just slightly. It was a battle, then—one he fully intended to win.

“I should leave,” she whispered.

“You should,” he agreed. He should encourage her to, but he wouldn’t. Neither of them moved.

Aiden was the first to break the silence. “Tell me your name.”

She hesitated.

“Do not say it does not matter,” he continued. “Because it does.”

She swallowed, then lifted her chin, eyes locked with his. “Felicity.”

His breath left him in a rush. That name seemed as familiar as she did. “Have we met before?” He couldn’t escape the feeling that they had.

“Not to my knowledge,” she told him. Her lips parted, but before she could respond, the distant strains of a waltz floated from the ballroom. The real world beckoned, shattering the fragile illusion that had woven itself around them. Aiden reached for her hand, his fingers curling gently around hers. “Dance with me.”

She hesitated. “That would not be wise.”

“No, it would not.” He brought her gloved hand to his lips, brushing a slow, deliberate kiss across her knuckles. “But do you really wish to do the wise thing?”

Her breath caught, and for a moment, he thought she might refuse him. But then, to his utter satisfaction, she nodded. He offered his arm, and she took it, allowing him to lead her farther into the garden, down a path that lead to the center that would make the perfect dance floor beneath the moonlight. He would have this once dance with her. If his luck held, they would have far more than that. Aiden had the distinct—and unsettling—suspicion that Felicity was about to turn his world upside down.

Felicity could not go through with it. She could not seduce this man. It would be a mistake that she could never undo, and she did not want to have any regrets. Still, she could not deny herself this dance. It was the one dance she actually looked forward to. All the others paled in comparison. This man held her attention on every level. She allowed him to lead her on to the stone floor in the garden. He twirled her in a waltz with expertise, and not once did he step on her toes.

The warmth of his hand on her bare skin was tantalizing. She did her best to ignore it. That warmth was a distraction that she did not need. Instead, she tilted her head to meet his gaze. “I told you my name,” she said huskily. “But you never shared yours.”

His lips twitched. “How remise of me.”

“Indeed,” she agreed. “Are you going to rectify your lapse?”

He grinned. He had lost his fight to hide a smile and what a glorious smile he presented her. It was all wicked and sin. Felicity wanted to press her lips to his and become lost in him. It would definitely lead to her ruination, and that was what she had wanted. She had worn her scarlet gown to attract a rake—and she had succeeded. One so beautiful she wanted to stare at him forever. “What if I want to keep an air of mystery between us?”

“You can tell me your name and still keep some mystery,” she told him. “You do not know much more than that about me.”

“I don’t know,” he said with a wicked tone. “I can name a few things about you other than your name.” He lowered his hand from her waist to the curve of her hip. “I know you are brazen. I believe there is not much you would not dare to do.”

She almost snorted. "Pray, tell me, my lord, does that approach usually prove successful?"

“I fail to understand your meaning,” he said as he raised a brow.

“You are praising me for being bold,” she said. “You are being, how dare I say it, forward with me as if you do in fact, know me. When we both know that is the farthest from the truth. We are, in essence, strangers.” She tilted her head to the side. “You are attempting to seduce me and yet, you still have not told me your name.”

He smiled. “You are right, of course.” He leaned a little closer. “I do wish to seduce you.”

Felicity had not thought he would admit that much. “You need not try so hard.” She grinned. “I might be willing to let you.” She lifted herself up so she could whisper in his ear. “For a price of course.”

He chuckled softly. “And what is that price?”

“Not so fast, my lord,” she said. “You still have not introduced yourself. I cannot very well allow any seduction without at least having your given name.”

“I suppose I can concede that,” he said softly. “My name is Aiden.”

“Aiden,” she said. “Now that we have exchanged names, we can take the next step.”

She had thought she wanted to ruin herself, but perhaps she did not need to go that far. Felicity feared if she allowed this man liberties, she would become far too attached to him. He might prove to be her undoing. She was far too attracted to him to take that risk. What if she did a foolish thing and fell in love with him. Then where would that leave her? He was a rogue. It wasn’t as if he was in search for a wife, and she still had not changed her mind about marriage. She was not in search of a husband either. Perhaps she could take one thing for herself. She could have a kiss and then move forward with the plans she had for her life. It was the one thing she selfishly wanted for herself.

“And what is the next step?” she asked him.

“In seduction?” he asked.

“Of course,” she replied breathlessly.

He twirled her with ease as the strands of the waltz floated around them. It was almost magical. The moonlight, the stars, the midnight sky—all of it added to the atmosphere. It could almost be described as romantic. Suddenly he stopped and pulled her against him. Heat swarmed her and her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest. “I think this may be a good place to start.” Slowly, he lowered his head until his lips pressed against hers. That one touch was enough for her to lose the ability to think.

His kiss was neither hurried nor demanding, but devastatingly thorough. His lips moved against hers with a tantalizing slowness, as if he were savoring her, as if he had all the time in the world. A shiver ran down her spine, and without thinking, she pressed herself closer. His arms tightened around her, drawing her firmly against the solid warmth of his body. She should pull away. She should remember why she had sought him out in the first place. But all rational thought slipped away the moment his hand caressed the curve of her back, his fingers lightly grazing the exposed skin above the scandalous neckline of her gown.

She was lost.

Felicity had always imagined her first kiss to be pleasant, perhaps even enjoyable, but this—this was nothing like that. This was madness. This was fire igniting in her veins, a dangerous sort of longing unfurling in her chest. She had meant to use him—to make herself unmarriageable—but instead, she was the one being ruined. Aiden deepened the kiss, a low sound escaping from deep in his throat, a mixture of pleasure and something darker. The warmth of his lips, the gentle yet possessive way he held her, sent a delicious thrill through her. And then, as suddenly as it began, he broke the kiss, his breath ragged as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Felicity,” he murmured, her name rolling off his tongue like a whispered prayer.

She swallowed, forcing herself to step back, though every fiber of her being screamed in protest. If she did not stop this now, she would never be able to. She had not counted on desire feeling like this—overwhelming, all-consuming. “I need to go,” she said, though she made no move to leave. Her voice was unsteady, her breathing shallow.

Aiden studied her, his stormy blue gaze filled with something she could not quite name. “You do not want to.”

“No,” she admitted. Felicity swallowed hard. She could not stay there. This had not gone as she had planned. “But I must.” She should say something clever, something cutting, but she could not find the words—it would not do for him to seek her company again. Instead, she merely inclined her head and turned away, her heart hammering in her chest. With each step back toward the ballroom, she felt the heat of his gaze upon her, branding her in a way no man ever had before.

She had come into the garden seeking ruination. She had found something far more dangerous. Felicity had found a man she might never forget, and she had to keep as much distance between them as possible. This had been a grave error in judgment on her part.