Free Taken by the Duke by Jess Michaels Page A

will strip you out of that gown and we will make love. And judging from how utterly responsive you are, it will be most explosive. But I am not about to take your innocence in my drafty office where a servant could knock at any moment.”
    She blinked. There was something so…gentle in his expression. Something she had never expected, especially considering the shocking bargain he had all but forced her into making.
    And now he spoke of her comfort?
    “But—” she began and then stopped herself. She straightened her spine and forced herself to be strong. She met his gaze evenly. “Your Grace, if this is my punishment, why would you not want me in the worst and most humiliating position?”
    He swallowed hard. “This is a punishment for your brother, but I swear to you, it will not be painful for you.”
    His fingers reached out, and for a moment she thought he might touch her face, but he pulled back with a shake of his head.
    “Come,” he said, motioning to the door. “We’ll go upstairs. I’ll show you, Ava.”
    She sucked in a breath. This was it. The moment that would change her life irrevocably. And as she followed him from the room, she realized she anticipated that moment with a thrill of excitement in her belly far more than a pit of dread.
     
    Christian steered her down the hall and stopped at the door to the chamber where she had stayed the night before. She looked at him in surprise.
    “Here?” she asked.
    He nodded and pushed the door open. Already the evidence of her morning readying had been swept away and her bed had been made. A bed that seemed enormous now that Christian held the door for her, motioning her to enter and take the next step in their wicked bargain.
    She drew a deep breath and entered. He followed her and closed the door with what seemed like a deafening snap.
    “I would think you would consider this enemy territory,” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling and failing miserably.
    He surprised her by stifling a laugh. “This is my home, my dear. Everything around you is my territory.”
    He paused and looked around the room and the wickedness, the innuendo, left his tone. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been in this room. Is it comfortable?”
    She arched a brow. “Not presently. But overall, yes. It is very comfortable.”
    “Not presently because I’m here?” he asked, turning on her suddenly.
    She nodded once.
    He smiled again, and again she was taken aback by how utterly handsome he was. “And I make you nervous?”
    “A gentleman would not ask something so direct,” she said, but then she stared at him. “But you are not exactly a gentleman, are you? At least not when it comes to me or my family.”
    He tilted his head. “I certainly do not feel particularly gentlemanly at present. But I asked you a question to which I already know the answer. I make you nervous.”
    She lifted her chin. “There is no use pretending otherwise.”
    He nodded. “But not only because of our families and their long history. I make you nervous because you want me despite that history. Being a lady, you have been taught that desire is wrong, and it must feel particularly wrong given the subject of your longings.”
    She folded her arms and backed up a step, only that action took her closer to the bed, so the increased distance did not make her feel any more comfortable in this odd interrogation.
    “You are so bold to assume I desire you,” she said with a sniff.
    He shrugged. “I assume nothing. I know you want me.”
    Her lips parted at his assertion. One she had no intention of verifying even though she feared it was utterly correct. This…this thing between them, this thing that stirred her body so easily, she feared it was desire.
    “How do you know what is in my heart, in my mind?” she asked.
    He moved toward her, backing her even farther against the bed. “Because when I kiss you, you return my caress without hesitation. And when I touch you, your body