A dark frown settled on his face, and he thrust his fingers deep into the pocket of his trousers. He seemed almost lost and her heart ached for him. Had she seen him laugh? Do something for the simple pleasure of having fun? He always appeared dark and intense. A deep curiosity to know all of him welled inside of her. “Don’t you ever play?”
Surprised chased his features. “Play?”
“Yes…you know, the art of romping, laughing, and having untold fun?”
“Of course not,” he said stiffly.
“How sad,” she murmured.
He arched a brow. “I am a duke…we do not cavort in the dirt and grass.”
She stood and walked deeper into the shadows and smiled when he followed.
“That is a pity. I think I would enjoy very much you tumbling me into the grass.”
Intense dark eyes assessed her and Adel stepped closer to his heat. “Come play with me,” she said softly.
Something stirred in the air between them, and her breath hitched audibly.
“Have you by any chance given yourself the task of saving me, Duchess, from imagined darkness?”
“Imagined? Your wall of icy reserve is very real.” She gave him a smile filled with delight and daring. “And you’re a chicken.”
Edmond smiled, then grabbed the edges of her gown and slid it slowly up her legs and bunched the material at her thighs. Adel quivered. The act was so unexpected, she almost fainted.
“This is the only way I want to play with you,” he said huskily, cupping the center of her womanhood.
Her breath came in a hard burst at his very surprising and provocative touch. “Then play with me,” she tempted, hot hope rising inside.
“I will not be weak, no matter how great a temptation you are.” With a self-deprecating chuckle he lowered his hands.
Acting on sheer instincts, she felt for the stone table behind her, and slowly sat on its edge, and then she widened her legs in the most lascivious manner. A blush heated her entire body, but she held his gaze.
“You are playing a dangerous game,” he murmured.
If he only knew. And the stakes were his heart.
“I am?”
“We are on the estate ground.”
“I have a clear memory of you saying you did not give a damn about being proper,” she said huskily.
An imperious brow arched.
“We are quite secluded,” she added, “And it’s dark.”
Edmond chuckled, and the innate carnality in the sound enthralled her.
He slid his palms along the inner curves of her thighs until he reached her throbbing core. He ran a finger through her curls and hissed at the wetness he found.
“I ache for you,” she confessed, completely without embarrassment. “Since your kiss, all I’ve imagined is your tongue doing wickedly delightful things to my body.”
Edmond’s jaw flexed, his eyes darkened, and the sudden tension in him was palpable. “Have you?”
“Yes.”
“How wicked?”