Free Lori Brighton - [The Seduction 02] by To Capture a Rake Page B

might be keeping much of the truth from him, but at least this wasn’t a lie. She did want him to seduce her. She
needed
him to seduce her. But for now, all he needed to know was that she wanted a good tumble. Or so he’d think.
    With trembling fingers, she reached up to the mess of her fiery hair and pulled the pins free. The thick mass tumbled down her back, whispering across her bottom. She followed her unveiling with a soft, inviting smile, hoping he wouldn’t notice the tremble of her body. If she wanted to be completely honest, she would have admitted to him that she was bloody nervous. Who wouldn’t be? He was a stranger, for God’s sake. But it must be done, and it must be done now.
    “Here?” he asked, that damn amusement back in his mocking gaze. “Now?”
    She stiffened, unsure if she should be offended. She’d been assured that no man could resist a naked woman. He did find her attractive, didn’t he? Mr. Ashton had complimented her more than once, but she knew her hair was unconventional and those bloody freckles marked her skin. But considering he was a whore, she’d assumed his tastes were not particular.
    “Yes.” She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, resisting the urge to cover her breasts with her arm and her nether regions with her hand. “Well, after I bathe.”
    “Of course. I wouldn’t want to seduce you while you were covered in filth.”
    Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. Yes, he was definitely amused. She didn’t particularly care for people mocking her, especially him, especially while she was naked. She took in a deep breath, but realized it only managed to bring her breasts higher and the movement caught his attention. Heated embarrassment crawled painfully slow up her body…her naked body.
    Completely and utterly naked.
    “Please.” He nodded toward the tub. “Don’t let me keep you. The sooner you wash, the sooner we can get on with it. Merely call out when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.”
    Get on with it?
Elizabeth was most definitely sure she should be offended that time. She resisted the urge to grab her shift, reminding herself that she was supposed to be a woman of the world, a woman who did not get embarrassed over something as silly as nudity.
    His fingers went to his waistcoat and her confusing emotions fled, replaced with pure interest. There was something incredibly enticing about a man wearing only his trousers and shirtsleeves. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe as he slowly unbuttoned his waistcoat. He shrugged the material from his shoulders and tossed the wet garment to the chair. He’d lost his jacket long ago and had traveled inappropriately in only his shirtsleeves.
    Oh, she was wicked, completely and utterly wicked, because she liked watching him. She liked the arrogant quirk of his brow. The broad set of his shoulders. She liked his hard body, his musky scent. She liked the way he filled the room with his presence. She didn’t like the way he made her feel…confused, unsure, unsettled.
    As his waistcoat came off and he shrugged the material from his broad shoulders, his shirtsleeves following, she thought she just might die from the heat that swept uncomfortably through her body. Embarrassment, yes. But more. She’d experienced lust before, had even been kissed and enjoyed it. But never had she known such an intense aching need that twisted low in her belly and spiraled to that feminine spot between her legs. She almost forgot her own nudity.
    He was all hard planes and muscle. So much muscle, she had to curl her fingers in order to resist the urge to smooth her fingertips over those dips and mountains. The man towered over her like some marble statue come to life. A work of art, he should have been in a museum.
    But he was human, as she had to remind herself. His chest rose and fell with each harsh intake of his breath. She could just see the outline of his ribs between his muscles, and a thin trail of dark hair that bisected his