Enchanting the Duke - Lana Williams Page 0,16

of the corner of her eye neither confirmed nor denied his feelings.

She bit her lip. Somehow she had to find out if he wanted their kiss as much as she did.

~*~

Douglas breathed a sigh of relief that Eleanor was already sleeping when he entered their bedchamber later that evening. Perhaps now he could put thoughts of her and their almost kiss from his mind. A glass of brandy with Burbridge, Sloane, and Beaumont hadn’t done the trick.

He quickly and quietly undressed, then moved to douse the single candle on Eleanor’s side, only to pause. A familiar book was on her nightstand, The Farmer’s Every Day Book. The tome had been required reading by his grandfather when Douglas was young. He could still recite portions of it. A closer look revealed a ribbon nearly a quarter of the way through the book marked her page. Why would she be reading it? His thoughts raced at the possible reasons.

He rubbed his chest at the odd pressure within it then snuffed out the candle and slipped into bed, closing his eyes with determination only to pop them open after only a moment. What would make her want to read that book?

His body remembered the closeness with her earlier far too well. He’d dearly hoped no one would guess their charade until he’d pressed his lips to hers. Blast Beaumont for interrupting the moment too soon.

He drew a deep breath in an attempt to relax, but the sweet scent of her teased his nostrils. The hint of warmth from her body lured him as if she’d crooked her finger in his direction. He wanted nothing more than to press against the length of her and wake her with his caresses and kisses. Need pulsed through him at the thought.

He couldn’t possibly indulge himself again. With as much focus as he could muster, he searched for something to control his thoughts and settled on recounting the steps to repair a tenant’s roof, hoping that would lull him to sleep.

Step one, remove the damaged portion that couldn’t be saved.

Step two—

Damn. What was step two?

Eleanor sighed in her sleep, the soft, sweet sound tightening his body. All of his body. Including his staff.

Step one, remove the— She turned toward him, shifting closer with another sigh.

He held still, willing himself not to reach for her.

Step one— Her soft hand settled on his chest, just above his lowest rib, and he forgot all about roof repair. His body flared to life, and he ached with need as if it had been months since he’d last found satisfaction rather than the previous night.

Then her hand shifted, its movement slow, its path uncertain. Lower, he wanted to whisper.

Was she awake? He listened closely but couldn’t tell for certain.

Her hand fluttered again, this time settling on his bare hip, and he couldn’t help the quiet moan that escaped his lips. As if encouraged, that hand moved again, up and down along his side, then over his belly, finding the thin trail of hair that grew there.

She was definitely awake. Wasn’t she?

He’d had no idea she was capable of arousing him like this. No, that was a lie. Merely looking at her aroused him. No wonder he had insisted on limiting his interaction with her. But this sweet torture made obeying that rule nearly impossible.

That tantalizing hand danced lower still, and his breath caught as she trailed her fingers along his already hard staff.

And he was lost. Rules be damned. He reached for her with both hands.

Chapter Five

Eleanor looked one last time in the cheval glass and nodded. The pale green wool suited her coloring and complimented her hair quite nicely. Though she knew it was silly, she couldn’t deny the boost of confidence wearing a new gown gave her. Hopefully, Douglas would notice and approve. That was if she saw him before darkness fell.

Last night had been wonderful. The memory of how he’d returned her advances brought heat to her cheeks, not to mention other parts of her body. She couldn’t help but feel as if they were slowly becoming more of a couple since their arrival.

Being forced to spend at least the nights together was helping. With luck and effort, she hoped a few more nights of sharing a bed might bring more to their relationship, something beyond the physical connection they found in the darkest hours.

The fact that he continued to rise before she did, leaving her alone every morning, stung. But she need only think of the passion that