Page 15 of His Forbidden Duchess (Forbidden Lords #3)

Chapter Fifteen

“ Y ou have something in your hair, Lady Chastity,” Felix said, spotting a dark thread in her otherwise golden locks.

Lady Chastity pursed her lips. “Then perhaps you ought to assist me in removing it, Your Grace.”

Felix offered her a weak smile. It was the kind of flirtation he used to enjoy immensely and use as an excuse to touch a woman in public, yet this evening, it felt lackluster. He grimly realized that it was not because he no longer enjoyed it, but because it was not with her .

He gently extracted the thread from Lady Chastity’s hair then looked around the ballroom in the hopes of catching Eloise’s eye. The blasted woman had enchanted him so entirely that Felix had lost a part of himself. He felt broken, and she was the only one who could fix him.

“What has she done to me?” he muttered to himself.

“Who?” Lady Chastity asked, leaning into him seductively.

As she inquired, Felix spotted Eloise slipping out of the noisy ballroom and into the quieter corridor.

Felix narrowed his eyes. “It matters not.”

He didn’t wait for Lady Chastity’s response before turning and weaving his way between dancers, couples, and friends to reach the place where he had seen Eloise disappear.

The corridor was long and thin. He saw Eloise up ahead, her form silhouetted by the dim light cast by a handful of flickering lamps. She was quite alone, and as she walked, her hips swayed from side to side. Felix watched for a moment, enjoying the sight of her behind. He longed to run his tongue down the curve of her back then sink his teeth into her buttocks.

“Eloise! Wait!” he called in a loud whisper. If ever there was a time he wanted to talk to her, it was when they were alone in a dark corridor.

She turned and gasped then immediately glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw you come this way and?—”

“Leave me alone!”

Felix stopped and stood perfectly still, stunned by her inhospitable tone. He had expected her to respond as eagerly as he had approached.

“I-I am sorry, My Lady,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I thought perhaps?—”

“You thought incorrectly, Your Grace,” she hissed. “Once I find Lord Mortcombe, we shall require a little privacy.”

Felix’s entire body tensed at the thought of Eloise and Mortcombe together. He turned cold, a darkness descending on him.

“And what, pray tell, is it that you plan to do exactly?”

Eloise glared at him, her fists clenched at her sides. Even angry, she radiated beauty and sexuality, perhaps even more so. He suddenly realized he’d come to think of her as his. As if she had no right to be with any man but him.

The worst has come to pass. I have utterly lost my mind. Eloise has no interest in a rake like me.

“Well?” he demanded when she didn’t answer.

“How is that any of your concern?” she challenged. “That is none of your business.”

She turned and stalked away angrily, not giving him the opportunity to respond. Felix felt the veil of darkness descend upon him once more.

“Given our bet,” he said, jogging to catch up to her, “I would say it has rather a lot to do with me, would you not agree?”

They strode side-by-side through the quiet corridors, Eloise pretending to hurry, and Felix pretending he did not want to be there bickering with her. Eloise let out a quiet bark of laughter.

“You have already congratulated yourself on doing an excellent job of teaching me. Do you really need to be there when I do the deed as well?”

“Do the deed ?” Felix echoed, his eyebrows raised in shock. “You do not mean to give up your virtue so easily, do you?”

“Is that not what men like you enjoy?” She shot a fiery glance at him, and Felix shrugged.

She had him there, but he wanted her to give it to him . Her cheeks were flushed like they might be after making love, the passion in her eyes so intense that they screamed desire.

And that gown. Goodness, she was stunning in the thing. With every movement she made, the fabric shifted to highlight another part of her remarkable body.

“Well… yes, I suppose, but… I mean, Mortcombe ?” he stammered. “There are many better men with whom you could?—”

Me.

“So you keep telling me,” she snapped in return. “You know why I am doing this, Felix, and it is not out of love for Lord Mortcombe!”

Unable to resist any longer, Felix pushed her into a nearby alcove and pulled the curtain closed. He pressed her against the wall, pinning her there, his breath heavy as he felt his body molding into hers.

Eloise’s eyes were wide with shock, and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Felix could see the mound of her breast in his peripheral vision, but it was her eyes into which he stared. He could not pull his gaze away.

This woman, this irritating girl he had known his entire life, the sister of his best friend… she had performed some sort of magic on him, and now, he had no choice but to take what he wanted. What he needed. She had toyed with his desires, but he would bring her to heel.

“Felix, I…” She spoke in a soft, gentle tone, but Felix didn’t listen.

The time for words has now passed.

Eloise’s heart thundered in her ribs as he stared into her eyes. She wanted to say more, to protest, but she couldn’t. She was trapped by his body, certainly, but she wouldn’t have moved even if she could have. The scent of him filled her and desire growled hungrily in her belly.

Felix’s mouth crashed onto hers, the force of his kiss stealing the breath from her lungs. With one hand he gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, his fingers wrapping around them with a firm, unyielding hold.

Eloise gasped into his mouth, the sound muffled by his searching lips. His body heat seared through the thin fabric of her gown, and she knew then that she had chosen correctly when she’d selected it. It was unfortunate that it had attracted the wrong man.

The right man.

She stammered, but her protest evaporated as his tongue parted her lips. She could taste the wine that lingered in his mouth, and she relished it. Her body overthrew the resistance in her mind, melting into the urgency of his kiss.

His dominance of her sent shivers down her spine, and she found herself responding, her trapped fingers curling in the air, desperate to touch him.

His free hand traced the curve of her arm then cupped her jaw as his thumb brushed over her cheek. He roamed down her side and smoothed across the curve of her waist before pulling her even closer. She was trapped between the wall and the hard lines of his body, feeding off his intoxicating power and control.

Eloise’s breath caught as his fingers moved lower, pushing the fabric of her gown up, inch by excruciating inch. A shudder passed through her, and she closed her eyes as the cool night air caressed her thighs. It was what she had always dreamed of.

The touch of his rough and possessive hand against her bare skin made her gasp, and she leaned forward, biting into the thick fabric that concealed his shoulder.

“Felix, please,… please …” she whispered into his ear, part plea, part invitation.

I want it all.

He gathered the gown together at her hips, and she could sense how exposed she was, her most private parts exposed to the world. To Felix.

He stared deeply into her eyes, daring her to question him or push him away, but she didn’t. She bit her lip and stared back, daring him to continue.

He paused just for a moment, his eyes dark and wild.

“You are mine , Eloise,” he growled, his voice low and commanding, and desire rippled through her again. “Say it.”

Her lips parted, but as she attempted to speak, a sharp gasp echoed down the corridor.

I have been saved. Or ruined.

Felix jerked back, their eyes snapping to the shadowed entrance of the alcove. Eloise’s breath whooshed in ragged gasps, and her cheeks were flushed as she quickly tried to pull down her gown. She could feel Felix’s frustration as he pulled her further into the shadows.

They were not alone.

“Scandalous, I say!” came the cry from the corridor though the voice sounded more thrilled than scandalized.

Felix felt Eloise stiffen beside him, the intensity of her terror so different from her desire. He cautiously held her back, nearly certain the words were not being directed at them.

He had never been caught before, and he would not be caught now.

Felix smirked, amused by how well traveled the corridor seemed to be. These prim and proper lords and ladies were never as honorable as they made themselves out to be. At least Felix was honest about who he was.

He listened intently, his entire body vigilant and alert. He knew he couldn’t allow Eloise’s reputation to be ruined, not when she was so close to getting everything she needed.

A woman he could not see giggled; a man stammered, trying to get his words out. Felix recognized that voice.

Is that… is that Mortcombe?

“Felix?” Eloise whispered.

He peered through the gloom into her wide eyes and pressed a finger to her lips. There were too many people about, and they couldn’t risk being discovered. They had to remain perfectly silent. She nodded her understanding.

“What is going on here?” A fourth voice.

A crowd was gathering.

“Felix, we ought?—”

Felix pushed Eloise against the wall once more, pressing his hand against her mouth to stop her from saying another word. Her hot breath billowed over his skin as he stared into her eyes, warning her to do as she was told.

“I cannot believe that you have caught us!”

Lady Arabella.

Felix frowned. The woman sounded almost pleased—a strange reaction when one’s reputation was about to be left in tatters.

Except… now he will have no choice but to propose.

He smirked again. The manipulations of women knew no bounds. He looked back at Eloise. Is that what she had been planning? To be caught and ‘forced’ into marriage?

Her eyes roved over his face as if searching for something, but he kept steady, peering into the depths of her icy blue eyes.

“It… er… this is not what it seems,” Lord Mortcombe said, forever the bumbling idiot.

Felix raised an eyebrow to Eloise, and she sagged. They both knew what this meant.

She had lost their bet.

He could feel her breathing heavily, her breasts pushing into him and then retreating, an unsteady rhythm that set his own heart beating.

He leaned in closer, pressing his hand more firmly against her face. Their noses touched as his face brushed past hers, their cheeks coming together.

“We must stay quiet,” he whispered into her ear.

As he pulled away, he allowed her earlobe to catch on his teeth. She moaned softly beneath his hand, her body weakening at the knees.

He looked at her again and winked. He knew exactly how to satisfy her.

“What is happening?” Another voice still.

“Lord Mortcombe and Lady Arabella have been caught in a rather… compromising situation,” the first voice replied with glee.

“No, no,” Mortcombe said quickly. “Not compromising at all. I was merely showing Lady Arabella the stars tonight. Is that such a crime?”

“And on the balcony, too,” the second voice interrupted. “Can you believe the gall?”

More voices appeared, the air rippling with giggles and gasps, some horrified, some delighted, and all the while Felix could feel his thigh rubbing against Eloise’s. He shifted his weight, allowing the tension in his trousers to brush against her leg.

Her eyes widened again, and Felix pursed his lips to stop himself from chuckling at her reaction.

She wanted him. It was obvious in her every movement.

And I want her.

“Such beautiful stars tonight, are they not, My Lady? Remember? I showed you the constellations.”

“Hmmm… no,” Lady Arabella said. “No, I do not remember that .”

“It is quite obvious what you were doing, My Lord,” another voice said, this time with a terse tone of reprimand rather than relish. “And I am quite horrified that you should choose to do so in my home! If you really must be so debauched, then take your needs to the gaming hells.”

Lord Peabody, their host.

Eloise’s body twisted beneath Felix’s, her hips pressing against his as if they were searching for something. The pressure in his trousers tightened further, and he sucked in his breath.

“Oh, it is not debauched,” Lady Arabella said from the corridor.

She had a sweet note to her voice, one of gentle persuasion. So unlike the Arabella that Felix knew her truly to be.

“No?”

Felix turned his face to the wall. If he looked at Eloise, he could not concentrate on the conversation, and he could not risk them also being discovered.

“Not at all,” Arabella continued. “Not when one is in love.”

“In love?” Lord Mortcombe’s voice was barely a high squeak, and again, Felix resisted the urge to laugh.

“Why yes, my darling.”

Felix pictured her sidling up to Mortcombe, a hand on his arm, her eyelids batting. Seducing him as Eloise had meant to do.

As Eloise has seduced me.

“Well, that does change things somewhat,” Lord Peabody said with an air of skepticism. “As we all know, a scandal can always be avoided when one can discern the true intentions behind an act.”

Mortcombe cleared his throat. “Er… ahem. Why… er, yes, of course. Love. We are… in love. Lady Arabella and I… We… are… engaged to be married.”

“Well then,” Lord Peabody said with a clap of his hands. “How delightful. I would say this requires a tipple in celebration. Let us return to the ballroom.”

Felix and Eloise remained perfectly still as they listened to the footsteps and disgruntled voices receding from their hiding place.

Felix let out a long breath when he was perfectly sure they were safe although he did not loosen his hold on Eloise.

Not yet. He needed another moment with her under his control.

He looked into her eyes, but her desire had disappeared, replaced now with a fury that he had not expected. Astonished at her sudden change in demeanor, he abruptly let her go and quickly moved away.

She angrily brushed her skirt down as she glared at him.

“Congratulations. I have lost the bet. Mortcombe is to marry another!” As her voice cracked with emotion, Felix felt his ire rising rapidly.

He raised his eyebrows at her. Of course, she would be annoyed at losing, but why should she care so much about Mortcombe? He was merely a sensible, convenient solution to the problem of marriage, was he not? He was not a true love match for Eloise.

Surely not.

“I am sorry you lost, Eloise,” he tried softly, but she bared her teeth at him in barely controlled rage.

To his surprise, it was not just anger and frustration he saw in her eyes but also fear and sadness. Her chin quaked as though she was about to cry. Felix reached out his hand, wanting more than anything in the world to comfort her, to take away her pain?—

Eloise jerked herself away. “This is about so much more than losing a bet,” she snapped.

And then, with a swish of her gown, she marched into the corridor and back to the ballroom.