Free Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke by Suzanne Enoch Page B

Other than her fellow employees at The Tantalus Club, she hadn’t given a fig in a very long time what other people thought of her. But she couldn’t deny that it was very nice to hear him say such a thing, unprompted. “I don’t suppose there does,” she conceded.
    “Then you owe me three pence.”
    Sophia shook herself free of her future miseries and grinned. This was today, and today was turning out to be quite grand. “I’m good for it.”
    “We’ll see about that.” With a smile of his own, he gestured at a rise to their right, just off the main trail. “Let’s stop over there.”
    She allowed herself a happy sigh at the thought of stopping and climbing down from the horse for a few minutes. Her bottom would certainly appreciate it. “How close are we to Hanlith?”
    “It’s just over the hill.” Swinging down from the saddle, Adam stepped into the knee-deep snow. With it crunching beneath his steps, he made his way around to her side and lifted his arms.
    “I am wearing trousers,” she said. “I think I can manage.”
    “You’re still seated sidesaddle,” he returned. “Lean forward, and I’ll catch you.”
    She certainly hoped so; otherwise she’d end up buried headfirst in the snow. With the dogs bounding around them, Sophia released the reins and held her hands down, leaning toward him until she could catch his shoulders. His hands swept around her waist, and then he rather effortlessly lifted her down to the snow.
    Her boots sank into the soft powder. The sensation was quite odd, as if the ground itself was shifting and giving beneath her feet. But that was secondary to the thrill running up her spine as Adam kept his loose grip around her waist. She lifted her head to look up at him.
    Light gray eyes met hers, his amused expression fading as his gaze lowered to her mouth. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he murmured.
    Sophia nodded, abrupt tingling excitement running down her scalp to her fingertips. “Oh, good. I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind about the wager.”
    “Stop talking.” He took a half step closer, then leaned down and touched his mouth to hers.
    For a moment everything was absolute silence. Silence and the warmth of his lips driving off the cold, sinking into her. She had no idea whether she was supposed to be bashful or brazen, but she very much wanted to kiss him back. Swiftly she slid her gloved hands up over his shoulders, pulling herself closer against his wool-coated chest.
    Finally he lifted his head to look down at her. “I think I might wish to seduce you,” he said in a low voice. One of his gloved fingers brushed along her lower lip.
    “As long as you don’t think you can purchase my affections, I think I might be amenable to that,” she returned, not quite steadily.
    Men at The Tantalus Club had offered her things, gifts or money, and for the most part she’d refused—not out of prudery or some last hope of salvation, but because she liked the way her life had finally shaped. And frankly, because none of her would-be lovers had seemed all that interested in anything other than her appearance and her notoriety. As for their own appeal … well, she’d successfully resisted all but two of them. Those two had both been very brief mistakes.
    His gray eyes assessed her. “Have I mentioned before that you’re a very unique female?”
    “Yes, I believe you have.” She grinned again. “Feel free to continue complimenting me, however.”
    Adam returned her smile; the chit’s good humor was damned infectious. He enjoyed things—people, conversation, a well-written book—but Sophia White had an indescribable way of finding … delight in nearly everything. For someone of her background, that was remarkable. And exceedingly arousing.
    Belatedly he lowered the hand that still gripped her waist. “This way,” he said, offering his arm to escort her to the top of the shallow rise.
    She was amenable, he was definitely amenable, and he