Free What a Duke Wants by Lavinia Kent

Gentle. The perfect first kiss for his innocent girl.
    Her lips were tender and a little dry. He licked them for her. She tasted of mushroom gravy. The inn must have served it for dinner that night. It almost made him laugh—but only almost.
    Laughter would have been impossible as she leaned into him, her lips pressing against his with greater pressure, her firm breasts rubbing against the linen of his shirt, her arms coming up around his neck, pulling his head down, her—
    It was definitely not her first kiss. That fact filled Mark’s mind and then faded as the desires of his body forced away all thought.
    His hands wrapped about her waist, lifting her into fuller contact. His tongue swept along the crease of her lips, pushing its way in. She opened her mouth to him, welcoming him in. She was as fully in the moment as he—then she pulled back. Her hands slid down his shoulders to push against his chest.
    “No.” She was breathless, but firm. There could be no mistaking that she meant the word.
    S he didn’t mean it at all. Isabella wanted to lean in to him, to lick him, devour him, have him devour her, to grab her moment; wanted to push her common sense, her troubles away. When she was with him all her worries faded to nothingness. She felt a strength she’d never known before—as if she could do anything.
    Only. . .
    She forced air into her lungs and tried to bring her mind around to the no her lips had formed so perfectly. She pulled back far enough to stare into his eyes. They were nearly black with passion—and tenderness. It was almost enough to have her lean into him again.
    Only—they were standing on a public stair.
    Only—the lamp was bright above them.
    Only—the lady’s maid who was sharing a room with her and Joey had agreed to watch him for just an hour while he slept.
    Only—somebody could appear at any moment.
    They were all good reasons, sensible reasons, and she needed to be a sensible girl if she wanted to survive. She needed to act with reason as well as passion. She had put her wants, her needs aside before—she could do so again.
    Only—he looked so good, so kind, so everything she’d ever wanted, ever dreamed could be hers.
    She started to lean against him again, tilted her chin up—caught herself and stepped back.
    “No.” This time she did not sound so sure.
    “Are you a tease?” He said it flatly.
    “No.” She glanced up toward the light, feeling his eyes follow her subtle movement. She smiled at him, just barely, just enough to let him see her own wants. Her sister had told her nothing drew a man as fast as a woman’s desire.
    “Ah, there is that. Should we go someplace else?”
    “I need to get back to Joey.”
    He reached out and placed his fingers beneath her chin, drawing her glance back to his. He stared at her for several moments. “Tomorrow, then?”
    “I don’t know.” Another little smile. She would keep her options open.
    “What don’t you know? If you can get away? If we can find a place to meet? Or you don’t know that you want to do this?”
    “If I say ‘I don’t know’ again I’ll feel like an indecisive idiot,” she answered, licking her lower lip, drawing his gaze. “Well, I don’t know the answer to the first two questions. I never know what Mrs. Wattington will want or how Joey will be feeling. It’s the third question I am not sure about. What exactly is ‘this’? A kiss? I think after thirty seconds I know that I could kiss you for hours. But I know that men want more.” Her voice dropped very low. “I know I want more.”
    She watched him swallow, saw the tendons in his neck draw tight. His eyes closed and then opened again.
    He stepped back suddenly, turned, and walked away.
    She held her breath for a moment, until he pivoted and walked back toward her. Then he paced away again. He repeated the pattern several times before coming to stand before her. “If all you want is kisses I can be happy with that. Well, not happy