Page 14 of His Forbidden Duchess (Forbidden Lords #3)

Chapter Fourteen

F elix placed his hand against her back as he had a few nights previously, and he felt that same frisson of passion rush through his body. It was true that he had lain with many women in his past, but none, not a single one, had excited him as much as Eloise did.

And I have barely even touched her. Yet.

Together, they felt comfortable and natural. It was somehow right that she was in his arms and his alone, and he was pleased that the second set was a dance for two rather than a dance for all.

Eloise leaned into him, arching her back as he had shown her, looking up into his eyes. He returned her gaze, feeling himself falling deeper into her. If he wasn’t careful, his desire would overrule his reason, and he would take her regardless of her thoughts on the subject.

“I did not think you liked dancing at these events,” Eloise said as the music began, one eyebrow cocked quizzically.

“I normally do not,” he replied. “But I thought you might want the opportunity to congratulate your teacher on doing such a great job.”

She offered him a lopsided smile, her lips slightly pouted, and he felt that spark in his chest again. “Is that so?”

“Indeed. Why, it seems you have entirely bewitched Mortcombe with your newfound skills of seduction.”

Felix wanted to lean in and nuzzle his face into her neck, breathe her in, and taste her sensuous flesh.

“Whatever makes you so certain?” she asked.

He nodded over her shoulder, and she glanced in that direction. Mortcombe was dancing with Lady Arabella, but his eyes were rigidly fixed on Eloise.

“A gentleman does not ignore his dance partner quite so openly unless he is yearning for someone else.”

Eloise looked back at Felix, and he felt a flash of excitement. “You think his heart is yearning for me?”

Felix snorted. “I think his body certainly is.”

Eloise scoffed at his words, and Felix grinned devilishly. He found he rather liked it when she openly contradicted him. She was a feisty, determined woman in her own right. While he knew he’d never known her as he had known other women, he hoped he could convince her to give herself up to him willingly. It was that thought which excited him most of all.

The music continued as they turned around the floor together. Though she remained a few respectable inches apart from him, he could feel her body heat rolling off her and filling him. He could smell her lavender perfume and beneath that, something deliciously feminine.

His hand brushed against her body as they moved, and he felt a shiver race up his spine. Their eyes remained locked. Desire burned through his loins and, suddenly, also his heart.

The steps pulled them apart then together again, closer this time and he knew that he needed more. With the low growl of a man who knew he would get what he wanted, he pulled her into him until it was all but inappropriate. He smirked again.

“You are not as stiff as you were the other night, Eloise. Tell me, did you explore yourself as I had instructed?”

Eloise flushed and looked away, and Felix knew she had. The thought of her pleasuring herself set his heart beating and his loins stirring. How he wished he had witnessed her fingers working over her sex until she threw her head back in sheer ecstasy.

I will see it one day.

When she looked up at him, she wore a more composed expression, as though she was determined not to give in to his intrusive question.

“Well?”

“I have merely practiced being present in my body rather than my mind as you suggested,” she said.

He chuckled, knowing it for the lie that it was. “You are bolder than I ever gave you credit for, Eloise, though I should not be surprised. I suspect there are many sides to you that I have yet to see.”

“You do talk nonsense sometimes, Felix,” Eloise replied firmly and looked away from him again, her eyes focused on the wall over his shoulder rather than his face.

But he could tell from the glint in her eyes that she had enjoyed the moment. He had been with enough women to know when one wanted him, and the fact that Eloise was resisting her own hunger made him all the more determined to feed it.

“You know, you have learned so much in the previous weeks. I do not believe you need Mortcombe. Why, you could catch any gentleman’s attention if you continue as you have.”

Eloise looked at him sharply though her face lit up with hope and expectation. Felix’s eyes roved across her features, committing them to memory.

“Do you have a particular gentleman in mind for me?” she asked, head tilted to one side.

Felix breathed her in and pulled her waist closer still. Their noses were almost touching, their breath mingling. “I think you already know the answer to that, Eloise.”

As they stared into one another’s eyes, their dance paused while the other couples moved seamlessly around them as though they didn’t exist.

“Be careful, Your Grace,” Eloise whispered. “I want to win this bet.”

“As do I.” He would win the bet all right, and then he would enjoy the satisfaction of taking what a man needed.

They remained still for a moment longer before they began to sway to the music once more, moving in time with the other couples, the spell paused but not entirely broken.

“Speaking of the bet,” he said, “we discussed what would take place if we lost but not what would happen when we win.”

“If you win, I will not tell Jeremy what you have been doing with his little sister,” Eloise teased.

Felix snorted. “I think it is fair to say neither of us will say a word to Jeremy either way. Neither of us are that stupid.”

Eloise cocked her head in agreement. “Fair point. But I do not think I want a prize as such when I win. The triumph will be enough.”

“ If you win, not when,” he corrected. He pursed his lips in thought. “However, I would like to win something in addition to the triumph.”

“Oh?” she replied. “And what would that be? A bag full of sugarplums?”

He smirked at her again. “No. I would like another private dance lesson with you. So, be careful, darling, because I always win. And you’ll be my prize—every delicious inch of you.”

Eloise opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the music ended, and Felix stepped politely away from her, bowing as any gentleman would.

With a suggestive sparkle in his eyes, he spun on his heels and walked away, his shoulders held high with a level of confidence Eloise had never encountered before. Mesmerized, she watched with her mouth hanging open as he walked away, not quite comprehending what was happening between them.

“Come away from the dance floor, dear,” she heard her mother call out.

Eloise turned slowly, trying to stop herself from shaking, and saw her mother beckoning dramatically.

“The next set is about to start, and you do not have a partner for this one,” Lady Danridge said.

Snapping into action, Eloise dashed over to the carpeted area where her mother stood. Lady Danridge slipped her arm into her daughter’s, and the pair wandered toward the refreshment room. Eloise knew there was little her mother appreciated at these events more than a decent snack.

“How truly delightful it is, Eloise,” her mother said.

Eloise patted her arm as if she were an elderly lady. “What is?”

“Oh!” Lady Danridge giggled. “Why, my own daughter having the attention of not one but two lords!”

Eloise flushed, horrified that her mother had noticed the spark between her and Felix.

“It is in such contrast to how the previous seasons have gone. Whatever are you doing differently, Eloise?”

“I… do not know,” Eloise lied, wishing she could die of embarrassment. “I suppose I am just more open to the idea this year.”

“Yes, perhaps that is it,” Lady Danridge said. “Oh, how proud your father would have been if he could see you now. Your dear, beloved father. Do you miss him as dreadfully as I do?”

Eloise darkened at the mention of her father. She had, thus far, successfully put him out of her mind for weeks as she had gone about setting right his wrongs.

“You are forgetting that Father is the one who put us into the mess we now find ourselves in.”

Lady Danridge tutted loudly and abruptly stopped walking. Eloise turned back to look at her, idly wondering what dramatics her mother would perform next.

“Do not say such disgraceful things, young lady. Your father was a good, honorable man.”

“He was also a gambler and played away our livelihood,” Eloise retorted in a loud whisper, glancing around in the hopes that nobody else had heard. She knew she shouldn’t talk in such a way, least of all in public, but her emotions were so riled that she couldn’t stop herself. “We really should not thank him for that.”

“Oh Eloise,” Lady Danridge said. She put the back of her hand to her forehead as if she was about to swoon. “You do not know how much it pains me to hear you say such hurtful things. That man brought you into this world and protected you every day of his life. How could you speak of the dead with such disrespect?”

“You mean to say I have imagined the debt?” she snapped with a false laugh. “Oh, what joy! I shall write to Jeremy immediately and let him know he has no need to rush home.”

Lady Danridge leaned in close and spoke through gritted teeth. “Do not be so cruel, daughter. If your father had any faults at all, it was that he was too kind-hearted and easily led. He trusted the wrong people. Yes, it is sad that we must now deal with the consequences, but we must not lay the blame at your father’s feet.”

Eloise closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. If anyone was too trusting, it was her poor old mother. Lady Danridge would believe whatever she wanted. Eloise sighed and shook her head in resignation.

“You are right, Mother. I am sorry. Let us not bicker.” She forced herself to smile. “After all, we are at a ball.”

“And a beautiful one it is,” Lady Danridge said as her entire mood instantly changed. “I so admire the way the Pembrokes have decorated this room. Perhaps we could do something similar in our own house. When Jeremy returns, of course.”

With all the spare money , Eloise thought bitterly, but then quickly reminded herself it was not her mother’s fault.

“Yes, perhaps,” she replied.

“Now, if you do not mind, I would like to catch up with some friends,” Lady Danridge said brightly. “Perhaps you can find yourself another handsome gentleman to dance with.”

Eloise sighed as she watched her mother skip away. The weight of her family’s burden fell heavily upon Eloise’s shoulders. Jeremy was too far away, and her mother… well, her mother could barely think straight.

She wished Felix was near. At least when he was around, she laughed instead of worried. She smiled to herself. He was a good teacher indeed.

Her eyes scanned the room for him. She found him in a dim corner, huddled with an attractive older woman. The pair was close, too close, and Eloise suspected they were flirting.

Her suspicions were confirmed, and anger flowed through her as Felix raised his hand to brush his fingers through the woman’s hair.

But truthfully, why should he not flirt?

The rules surrounding our bet do not include a hiatus on flirting, so why does it bother me so much?

With a frown, she stalked away from the ballroom, deciding it was time to refocus her efforts and find Mortcombe.