Free Lady Scandal by Larissa Lyons Page B

of the Good Book into this wicked interlude.”
    “’Tis not wicked if we wed. And did I not already tell you—I’m no saint.” To emphasize his claim, his fist pumped faster along his pained shaft, drawing her attention back to what she’d asked to see.
    She stared intently at his actions a moment then bounced her focus up to his chest. “Nay, one would never be charged with accusing you of behaving saintly.”
    “Then we’re agreed?”
    She gave a light laugh, once again meeting his gaze. “On what? That you’re an impatient wretch?”
    “That I may step forth and begin my licking exploration of you, but that yours of me may be postponed.”
Pray God, let us be agreed.
    The smile faltered then fell. “We certainly are not agreed upon that, nothing of the sort!”
    “Pity. I’d hoped we’d reached such an accord, but alas,” he gave a hearty sigh, “as we have not, I refuse to stand here, such as I am, any longer.”
    The moment he released his beleaguered bauble and reached for his buckskins, she exclaimed, “No, wait!”
    “Aye?” Without making any effort to rise or continue the motion of modesty, he held his position, knowing the extended length of his deuced “male part” continued to fascinate her, the constant glimpses she attempted to sneak at his primed penis despite her own modest restraint obvious indeed. “If exchanging intimate kisses is not on your immediate agenda, then there exists no need for me to remain in such a state of…
déshabillé
.”
    Intentionally, he tossed the feminine word at her. Let her think standing there made him uncomfortable. Let guilt begin to creep over her at the way she treated him. No need to grant her the knowledge of how very much posing brazenly before her—his prim little lady—nearly nude and at her mercy, had excited and aroused. Had banished his initial discomfort to the dungeons. Definitely no need for her to see how close to eruption her uninhibited appreciation of his anatomy made him.
    “There does!” Juliet exclaimed, seeking the words to convince him. “There exists every need to remain as you are.”
    She couldn’t bear for him to mask the masculine attributes she was only now growing bold enough to stare at without flushing. “There exists every reason, I assure you!”
    “Is that the way of it, eh?” The beautiful scoundrel remained hunched, poised to return his clothing to their rightful, respectful place. Close to laughing at her if she wasn’t mistaken. “Then why, pray, am I not hearing a litany of convincing ones? Your mouth remains mighty mute on the subject at hand, my lady.”
    Mayhap so, but Juliet definitely noticed the change in timber, the slight wavering of his voice, as he’d just murmured
at hand
. She’d caught the subtle tightening of his now empty fists and the way the thick column of his majestic male part gave a tiny jump toward her, as though defying his efforts to tuck it away.
    Aye, he might bait and banter, might hint at wanting to end his current salacious Situation, but Juliet suspected he found their illicit exchange as invigorating as she did. Nevertheless, because she knew by now he was a man who appreciated a good and hearty debate, she granted him her rationale. Anything to prolong the splendidly wicked view. “Reason one, I have yet to look my fill. Stand up straight again, if you would,” she commanded as imperiously as she’d been taught, “so I may see it—you—more clearly. Aye, like that. Reason two, the concept of…of…intimate lickage might be one with which I was previously unaware so my reticence is understandable, nay expected. I am a lady, you know.” Oh, but surely she was not acting as one.
    Juliet was swiftly discovering the joys to be had in forsaking the restrictive upbringing she’d been smothered with since birth. Bah, other than talent with a needle and foreign languages, what had her unsolicited birthright into high society ever gained her? Only an even more restrictive