Page 53 of The Duke of Deceit

“The two are not mutually exclusive,” he repeated back to her. “Maybe I did it for duplicitous ends. Maybe I enjoy being involved with the Church.”

Her mouth hardened. What a damnable shame that, too…although now her disapproving frown had him wanting to place his mouth on hers until it softened beneath his kisses. “Attracted to nuns, are you?”

“Some men prefer being tied up and others being whipped.” He shrugged. “There’s no accounting for taste.”

Her impatience was growing, but he had no intention of revealing any more of his secrets to her than the ones she’d already uncovered. Those he could still plausibly deny if anyone else learned of them.

“You want me to stop rehabilitating your reputation, and I want you to stop the rumor that we’re engaged,” she explained. “So it seems to me we can both get what we want if you simply answer my question.” She put her hands on her hips. “Why are you hiding your good heart from the world? What are you gaining by doing that?”

“Why do I have to gain anything?”

She folded her arms and threw his words back at him. “Because you care for no one and nothing but yourself.”

Good Lord.The stubborn chit could win a boxing match sparring like this.

“Which means that even your goodness comes pre-tarnished.”

Ouch.

“So why do it?”

He reached up and slowly pulled loose the cape’s tie at her neck. He heard her hard swallow of instant nervousness. “What does it matter to you if I hide my goodness?”

He could no longer resist touching her and combed his fingers through her hair. Dear God, it was just as silky smooth as he’d imagined.

She briefly closed her eyes against his caress, and in that moment’s surrender, he knew she wanted him to kiss her.

“Because I need to know what kind of man you truly are.” Her voice was little more than a breathless murmur. “And if it’s because of something you’ve done.”

“I’ve done a lot of dark things in my life, Jessamyn.” He brushed the cape off her shoulder and let it slip to the ground to puddle at her feet. Her shoulders, bare except for thin straps of lace, were too tantalizing to resist, and he traced his fingertips over her warm skin. “If I decided to be good in order to earn absolution for all I’ve done, I’d have to become a monk.” With the way his body was reacting to hers, that would never happen. “Why not just accept that I don’t want society in my private business?”

“Because you wouldn’t—” She caught her breath when he tugged gently at her shoulder strap, but she didn’t stop him. “You wouldn’t go to all that trouble to hide it if that were all. Not you. You’d simply tell all of them to go to the devil and leave you alone.”

He grinned at her. She knew him better than she realized. That thought should have terrified him. Oddly enough, it didn’t. “I tried that with you, and it didn’t do me much good.”

“Because I’m not part of society. I won’t be intimidated by dukes or devils.”

He lowered his head and placed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “And if the duke is also the devil?”

She trembled beneath his lips, and the delicious sensation cascaded through him. For a moment, he forgot to breathe. Until—

“Then best to exorcise them both.”

He lifted his head and gazed down at her. He was so close that he could feel the warmth of her body radiating against his front. “What does anything from my past matter for the man I am now?”

“I have to protect my sister.”

He murmured, “You’re not the only one who wants to protect family.”

She frowned. “What do you—”

“I want to kiss you.” He lowered his head until his lips were so close to hers, he could feel them tickle against his when they parted in surprise at his quiet admission. “Let me, Jessamyn.”

He heard her nervous swallow, but her hands lifted to his arms and clasped his biceps, as if she couldn’t decide whether to shove him away or pull him down to her. “You can’t confuse me. I won’t let you.”

Oh, he was pretty certain he’d already done exactly that. God knew she confused the hell out of him.

“I would never want to confuse you.” He caressed his thumb across her bottom lip. “Not about that. I want you very certain that it’s perfectly fine for you to enjoy the pleasures I want to give you, even if nothing more than a kiss.”