Free Agatha H. And the Clockwork Princess by Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio

a joke last time he was in Morocco. The joke was on him now. The trousers provided a tantalizing glimpse of her legs and clung to the lovely swell of her hips. She raised one arm above her head and posed, leaning on one of the bed posts. Then, still holding the post, slowly bent forward, deliberately straining her overstuffed top. He knew how much she loved to tease him, but he didn’t mind. It was a game they had played together for a long time now, and the outcome was always a win for both.
    He allowed himself to run his eyes over her appreciatively, and was so caught up in what he saw that what she was saying didn’t register for almost half a minute. When it did, it jolted Klaus out of his reverie cold.
    “You what ?”
    Lucrezia smiled and exaggeratedly rolled her eyes before turning away. She gently swayed her hips as she selected a dusty cut glass ewer and slowly poured something cherry red into a small crystal goblet.
    “There’s no need to shout , darling,” she sighed in that breathy tone of hers that always sent shivers down his spine. She turned about and posed again, with the drink in her hand. “I’m going to marry Bill Heterodyne. He asked me yesterday… finally. ”
    She raised the glass to her lips, but paused as Klaus interrupted.

    That had been very well played.

    “Lucrezia, are you out of your mind?”
    She laughed delightedly and with a single, graceful move, moved onto the bed before him. Her hand slid delicately along his jaw. “Oh, you’re so sweet,” she said. She then sharply slapped him, and began to breathe a bit faster. “I knew you’d take it hard.” She bit her lower lip and looked into his eyes.
    She had amazing eyes. Green, deep and oh, so dangerous. “But I’m going to do it. I’m going to renounce my father’s work and join up with the ‘Good Guys.’”
    Before Klaus could reply, she’d spun about and leaned back against his broad chest. This afforded him both the fragrance of her hair, an intoxicating blend of jasmine and carbolic acid, and a magnificent view of her cleavage. That was so like her. Lucrezia would never play only a deuce when she had a death ray as well.
    Klaus closed his eyes. This didn’t really help. “Oh, and I don’t count?”
    She shrugged against him. “Oh, Klaus. You may work with them—but you have far too much of a dark side of your own.”
    Klaus tried to analyze this. Thinking was always so… difficult with this woman around. “Oh?” he squeezed her shoulders gently. “So do you.”
    She laughed delightedly, spun about again and was kneeling in his lap, one hand gently tousling the back of his head. “Oh, I certainly do! But that’s what you like about me, isn’t it?”
    His eyes flicked down momentarily. They both smiled. “One of the things,” he conceded. His arms tightened around her.
    She made a small movement with the hand holding the goblet. He loosened his grasp. She daintily placed the drink—

    the still untouched drink—

    on the bedside table, and then suddenly, she was on the other side of the mattress, just out of his reach, coyly looking at him over one exquisite shoulder. The light was perfect.

    Had she planned that?

    “Now Bill knows that I’m bad, but he thinks I can change.”
    Klaus snorted. “He’s wrong. They think that about everybody . I know you too well. You’ll soon be bored out of your mind, and you’ll try something.” He had a sudden moment of realization. “In fact, this is probably all one of your schemes right now, isn’t it?”

    That had thrown her. Klaus knew he had been one of the very few people who could do that, which probably explained everything. Had it been too late, even then?

    She looked at him seriously, no doubt for the only time that entire day.
    “No, Klaus. This isn’t a game. I am determined to change. I do love him. It should be enough.” A brief look of frustration flickered across her face. “Besides, they always win. There must be something to their