Page 11 of His Forbidden Duchess (Forbidden Lords #3)

Chapter Eleven

I t was obvious that he had caught her off guard. There was something incredibly tantalizing about her blushing cheeks and the tiny sprinkle of powdered sugar left upon her lips.

Kiss her, a treacherous little voice demanded. Taste her.

He swallowed heavily as she pouted at him in annoyance. “I did as you instructed when Mortcombe was around,” she explained. “But this way, they taste better.”

“Do they now?” he chuckled. “You truly are more inflexible than I thought possible.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “That does not matter. I am losing time here.”

Felix’s brow furrowed in response. “What do you mean?”

Eloise paused for a moment, her gaze flitting away from his, and he could tell she was considering her answer.

“I am growing older,” she said at last, a note of false casualness in her tone. “And with every second, less desirable.”

Felix’s eyes narrowed. He looked her up and down, taking in her elegance, the curve of her breasts, and the grace in her posture despite the insecurity she claimed to feel. Eloise rarely let her guard down, and to hear her say she was worried about losing her desirability was difficult to believe. Her body language—the way she averted her gaze and her fingers fidgeted— laid bare the falsehood of her words.

Is she looking for compliments?

A soft blush crept across her cheeks. She blushed so rarely that it always caught him by surprise. Her sudden self-consciousness only intrigued him more. Even though she refused to meet his gaze, Felix didn’t take his eyes off of her.

Very slowly, Felix tilted his head as a sly smile began forming on his lips.

Very well. I will play her game.

“Quite the opposite,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “You grow more desirable by the second.”

Eloise’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise. She stared at him in stunned silence. Neither of them moved.

Felix could hear her breath catch as she looked at him, unspoken thoughts and emotions hanging in the silence between them. He licked his lips, his gaze dropping momentarily to her mouth before returning to her eyes.

The tension was unbearable, and he could see the war in her eyes—the pull toward him and the need to resist. She was always so controlled, so composed, but he knew he had shaken something loose in her. He would set her wild and free if he was given the chance.

But, of course, she broke the spell.

She turned away abruptly, her cheeks still flushed as she spoke with forced nonchalance.

“Mortcombe,” she said, her voice firm but strained. “I need to secure him for the sake of my family’s wellbeing.”

Felix clenched his jaw at yet another mention of Mortcombe, his hand flexing at his side.

The thought of that pompous fool being anywhere near Eloise was infuriating. Mortcombe didn’t deserve her. He could not possibly see the real Eloise when all he ever looked at was himself.

Not that I want her for myself.

Felix forced himself to ease the tension in his posture. Eloise was playing her part as she always did. She was bound by duty, trapped by her family’s debt. He could not blame her for that.

But I can give her a choice.

“You will see him at the ball next week,” Felix said smoothly, the hint of a smile returning to his lips. “I could help you prepare.”

Eloise glanced at him, confused. “Prepare?”

“I could give you dance lessons,” Felix offered, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “I know how to dance.”

“Not like this,” he countered, stepping closer. “I will teach you how to dance to lure him in.”

Her brow furrowed. “And how is that different from regular dancing?”

“ Very different,” he said, his voice dropping suggestively.

Eloise hesitated, her curiosity piqued, but her innate caution kept her watchful. “And what exactly do you mean by that?” she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

Felix smirked, leaning in slightly as he spoke. “Do you have a trusted maid?”

Eloise blinked at the sudden change in direction. “Why do you ask?”

“You will need one to cover for you,” Felix explained smoothly, lowering his voice to a complete whisper. “Come to my house tomorrow night. Alone.”

Her eyes widened at his boldness, and Felix could see the uncertainty cross her face like a shadow. She hesitated, clearly torn. “Are you mad?”

“No,” he smiled. “Trust me.”

“I have been trusting you,” she frowned. “It has not helped me much thus far.”

“Just listen to me and come,” he urged.

“What if someone sees me?”

“No one will,” Felix reassured her, his voice confident. “I will send a carriage for you after midnight. You will be in and out before anyone knows you were gone.”

She bit her lip, weighing the risk.

“I… I am not sure,” she said, shaking her head.

“I will send the carriage,” he said softly. “You want to win, don’t you?”

The moment he uttered that sentence, fire blazed in her eyes. Heavens, she was so vibrant, like the sun itself.

“Of course I do,” she simply replied, and he smirked.

The crunch of footsteps on the gravel made Eloise jump, and Felix glanced behind him.

“There you are, Eloise,” Lady Danridge said. “I have been looking for you everywhere. You will never guess what Lord Burley just said to me. I swear the man is an utter fool. Oh! Did you try the sugarplums? They are quite delicious.”

While Eloise forced a smile at her mother’s blathering, Felix barely heard her. His mind was already on tomorrow night, and the thought of Eloise alone with him in his house made his pulse quicken.

“The music is quite something as well, do you agree?” she asked. “And have you seen Lady Alyssa? Such a bright red gown! It is a boldness none of us expected!”

As Lady Danridge continued to speak, Felix’s eyes locked with Eloise’s once more. Her uncertain gaze met his, but the deal had been made.

Tomorrow night, the game would begin anew.