Free Too Tempting to Resist by Cara Elliott Page A

particularly sensitive.”
    Eliza knew he was being deliberately provocative. Don’t react , she told herself. And most certainly don’t look.
    But her ears were apparently deaf to all reason, for her eyes followed the waggle of his long, tapered finger.
    The dragon’s head really was rendered with great flair. The artist had combined line and detail to create the illusion of both power and delicacy. A curling, fire-tipped tongue seemed almost alive. It wiggled ever so slightly as a muscle twitched under his skin. And then, and then…
    A larger movement stirred just below the thatch of coarse dark hair at his groin. His arousal grew more rampant, and as he shifted his weight, the flickering light gilded the jutting outline of his cock.
    “Come now, you have had your fun, Lord Haddan,” she rasped. “You’ve displayed your wit, and exposed my stupidity. Now, if you please, it’s time to release these dratted locks.”
    His brows arched. “Any idea of how?” he asked.
    “No,” she replied through gritted teeth. “You are the expert on sexual peccadilloes, aren’t you? Surely you have some ideas.”
    “I’ll have to take a closer look.”
    The marquess edged his naked body nearer to her, and Eliza felt as if her gown had been lit afire. Sweat began to trickle down between her shoulder blades, and the stays of her corset pinched like red-hot pokers against her flesh.
    “Hmmm.” He reached up with his free hand to examine the rosewood bar, causing his erection to tickle against her belly.
    “Lord Haddan!”
    “Sorry.” Gryff leaned back a touch. “Look, it would help if you could relax a little,” he murmured. “I can’t feel around the brass cuffs with your wrists so tense.”
    “Relax?” A burble of half-hysterical laughter welled up in her throat. “You may be very used to prancing around, flaunting your nakedness, but I am not. This is all very uncomfortable for me.”
    He dropped his arm. “First of all, I did not deliberately disrobe to offend you, Lady Brentford.”
    “I—I grant you that.”
    “Secondly, I am not prancing, I am kneeling. In my own guest bed I might add, where instead of sliding my tired limbs between the sheets, I am trying to aid a lady in distress.”
    “It was just a figure of speech.” Brass rattled against wood. Clenching her hands, Eliza arched her back, but the movement only pulled the bodice of her gown tighter over her breasts. “Might I ask you to try again?”
    “Relax,” repeated Gryff in a satin-smooth whisper. He lifted the glass to her lips. “Try a sip of this.”
    The splash of brandy provoked a sputtering cough. “Arrgh—it burns!” she gasped. “Good Lord, how can you gentlemen drink that vile stuff?”
    “It’s an acquired taste.” Shadows swirled around his eyes, dark and dangerous. “Here, let’s try it this way.”
     
    Gryff dipped his tongue into the spirits and then touched it lightly to her lower lip. “That should soften the effect,” he murmured.
    Eliza hesitated a fraction before taking a tentative taste. Her lashes quivered, stirring a glimmer of gold.
    “There, that’s not so bad, is it?”
    She blinked.
    He wet his tongue again and dabbled a bit more on the rounded swell of flesh.
    As she licked off the trace of brandy, savoring the unfamiliar flavors, he watched the play of her mouth, the delicate flick of her tongue showing just a peek of pink. His cock twitched and hardened.
    Trouble.
    Heat sparked through his blood, its liquid pulse drowning out the low voice of warning. Beware of the Siren’s song, luring your ship toward the rocks.
    Heedless of the danger, Gryff lifted the glass again and filled his mouth with the dark spirits, holding its potent fire for a moment before swallowing.
    Trouble, trouble, trouble.
    “This seems to be working,” he murmured, teasing his tongue against the inviting little opening. “Shall we try a deeper taste?” He gulped down the last swallow and let the glass slip away.
    As he