“Patience, my dear, is an under-appreciated virtue.”
She gave a little huff of irritation he found ridiculously charming. It made him want to haul her into his lap and claim her mouth with his.
“I am merely expected to be delivered to my fate, without an inkling as to where I am going or why?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“When are you going to give me the list?”
He raised a brow. “Is this an inquisition?”
She huffed again, her eyes narrowing. “You expect me to trust you, a man who has been blackmailing me? A man with a reputation for iniquity? A man who has lured me into breaking all the rules I am meant to uphold?”
He could not argue with Lady Jo, not when she phrased it thus, could he?
Decker grinned. “I am deuced trustworthy. I cannot deny my reputation, but I can assure you rules are all quite boring and deserve to be broken thoroughly and often.”
“Only a man would say so. Women who break rules suffer the consequences,” she pointed out.
“Then one cannot help but to wonder why a lady such as yourself would wish to accomplish all the naughty items on your list,” he countered.
He could not deny he was curious.
Decker did not miss the flush that rose to her cheeks. Lady Jo was damned pretty, but when she was embarrassed, she was downright delectable. And he wanted to consume her.
“That is hardly any of your concern, Mr. Decker.” She flicked her gaze to the window of the carriage and fiddled with her skirts.
“It became my concern when you gave me your list,” he prodded, taking the opportunity to study her without her regard upon him.
Her nose was regal, slightly retroussé, her forehead proud and high. Her tongue ran over her lower lip as he watched, fascinated. Her mouth was so full. He could not help but to wonder what it would feel like upon him.
He shifted in his seat, attempting to ease the sudden discomfort of his trousers.
“I did not give you my list intentionally,” she snapped.
He admired her fire. When she was prickly, it made him want to kiss her into softness. To soothe her sharp edges. To quench some of that fire with passion.
But that was not his intention this evening.
“Of course, but are you not glad you did?” he could not resist teasing her. “Admit it.”
She cast a nettled glare in his direction. “Why should I be glad you have been withholding it from me and using it as a means of luring me into ruin?”
Lady Jo did not fool him. Despite her quiet exterior, there were untold, hidden depths of passion burning beneath the surface. And neither was she immune to the attraction flaring between them.
The attraction which was blossoming and burning now, in the confines of his carriage.
Decker could not allow her to deny it.
He lowered his head toward hers, bringing their lips perilously near. “If I truly wished to ruin you, I have already had every opportunity. If I had kissed you this afternoon in the music room, you would have kissed me back.”
Her eyes had gone wide again. They were luminous. Glittering.
Beckoning.
Kiss me now, those eyes said.
“I have no wish to kiss you,” those lips said.
Those lips were lying.
He smiled. “Have you ever been kissed before, bijou?”
The flush returned to her cheeks. “Of course! Dozens of times.”
“What were their names?” Decker asked.
Her frown returned. “I beg your pardon?”
“The names of the men who kissed you dozens of times,” he elaborated. “Tell me them.”
So I can plant them facers.
He struck the possessive notion from his mind. He had never been a jealous man. And indeed, he preferred his women to be experienced. To know how to give and receive pleasure without inhibition. Coaching a lover, instructing her…it held little appeal.
Or, at least, it had. Until Lady Jo Danvers and her damned list.
Her mouth tightened. “I will do nothing of the sort.”
“Because there are not any,” he guessed, hoping he was right for reasons he would ponder later.
Or, better yet, never.
“How should you know?” she demanded.
His lips twitched. “Prove me wrong.”
She sighed. “Very well, you beast. I have not yet kissed a gentleman.”
Excellent, said the demon that dwelled within his soul.
“As I thought,” he said aloud.
But before he could pursue the matter any further, the carriage came to a halt. They had arrived at their destination. Lady Jo’s countenance suddenly took on the look of a startled bird. He half-expected her to sprout wings and take flight.