Page 14 of The Seduction of an English Scoundrel

She excited him, too, more than he’d expected, this fatalistic young woman in her wrinkled wedding dress and naked feet. He liked the fact that she wasn’t weeping her head off or screaming for revenge. With a sigh, he summoned what remained of his control; he slid his hand down her shoulder, skimming the curve of her elbow before closing firmly around her waist.

“Well,” she said when she had begun to breathe again. “Well.”

“There are times in life when one has to forgo a plan in favor of impulse,” he said calmly, as he subdued the craving that had gripped him.

Jane gave him a reprimanding look. “Which does not mean one should act aggressively on every impulse that arises.”

“We would not be sitting here discussing the matter if that were the case.”

“What would . . . no, never mind. I shouldn’t ask.”

“I don’t mind,” he said with a smile.

“I’m sure you don’t.” Jane sighed. His eyes had darkened to midnight blue, the desire in their depths naked and unabashed. The very essence of devilish seduction. “You aren’t going to apologize either, are you?”

“For what?” he asked in amusement.

“If I have to explain, then I suppose there is no point in pursuing the subject.”

What subject? Grayson almost inquired, not quite sure whether he had offended her or not. Her reaction to the day’s events was not exactly what he’d expected. He told himself her acceptance was a relief, no awkward emotions to deal with. But something seemed a little off. Perhaps he had embarrassed her, overwhelmed her. Yes, that must be it. The Boscastle family tended to intimidate the weaker souls in life.

“This is exactly what makes a man like you a perfect rake,” she said thoughtfully.

“Excuse me?”

“Your unashamed pursuit of pleasure.”

“Oh, that.” He stared at her wet, swollen mouth. She was a hard one to read; she did not seem particularly overwhelmed by what had just happened. “Have I offended your sensibilities?”

“Offended? No, my lord. Obliterated, yes. I suspect it will require several days for me to recover. Why did you kiss me anyway?”

He slapped his glove against his kneecap, taken a little aback by the mental acuity behind the question. “For a few reasons, actually. The first is that I could not tolerate watching a lovely woman distress herself over a numbskull like my cousin.”

“Yes, but—”

“The second is that I meant to prove how attractive you are.” His gaze traveled the length of her body. “Third, I felt like kissing you, and I obeyed the impulse.”

She rose unsteadily from the sofa. “I think I shall retire to my room now and drop into a dead faint.”

He leaned back, stroking his thumb across his narrow upper lip where the taste of her lingered, a taunt to his senses. She was seeming less like a weaker soul by the moment. “Fair enough. Expect me to call on you when you have recovered.”

“This is all very overwhelming, Sedgecroft.”

He studied her through half-lidded eyes. Overwhelming a female was something he understood. He felt a vague relief. This he could handle. “My cousin apparently has no idea what a good woman he has lost, but when I’m done, well, he’ll eat his heart out for certain.”

She turned in consternation to the window as he moved up beside her. “I don’t know what came over the pair of us,” she murmured. “Behaving like . . . well, I can’t compare that kiss to anything I have ever experienced.”

“No?” he teased, strangely glad to know he had not lost his capacity to overwhelm.

“The closest memory I can conjure is the time I disobeyed my father and sneaked out to ride his unbroken stallion. The fall knocked the wind out of me. Your kiss has left me in a similar state of breathless agony.”

Grayson frowned. There was a vast difference between overwhelming a woman and picturing her gasping in pain on the ground. “I can’t say if I should be flattered or not.”

She half turned, looking flustered to find he was standing closer than where she had left him. “I do appreciate your intention to help. It’s your methods I call into question.”

He shrugged. “As I said, helping you is as much for the good of my family as for yours.”

“What would you say if I refused to agree?”