Page 33 of The Devil's Accidental Duchess
CHAPTER 11
Adrumming of hasty footsteps raised Philip’s gaze from the morning paper and the cup of tea he had been about to enjoy.
It was his custom to spend an hour in the library of a morning before duty confined him to the study to write endless letters and oversee the estate.
He wasn’t fond of small spaces where he was aware of the four walls surrounding him. The library, vast as it was, with long diamond-paned windows to let in the daylight, allowed him to trick his mind into believing he was not so enclosed.
How many times must I tell Lizzy not to run in the hallways?
He braced himself to give another lecture, but it wasn’t Lizzy who barreled into the library.
A pleasing vision in dark green halted to catch her breath. Her hands dug into that temptingly narrow waist as she bent forward, a few locks of chocolate hair spilling downward.
He quirked an eyebrow as her ripe, full bosom also threatened to spill. It certainly woke up his senses far faster than any cup of tea could.
“I cannot imagine what is in this library that would require such a rush,” he said, knowing full well that she was unaware of his presence.
Selina shrieked and whirled around, one hand splayed on that ample bosom as ragged breaths caused it to heave.
Goodness, she was beautiful.
Beauty, he could have overlooked, reined himself in, but her looks were the least interesting thing about her. It was the fire and the fight in her that had kept him awake most of last night. The sharp intellect and the—probably ill-advised—determination in her to keep him on his toes.
And that murmur of ‘Your Grace,’ practically inviting him to do whatever he pleased.
“I did not know anyone was in here,” she finally managed to say.
Her back straightened, and her breathing slowed. She would not look him in the eye.
“Evidently,” he said.
Clearing her throat, she moved forward. “I shan’t disturb you for long, Your Grace. I just wanted to borrow a book to take out into the gardens.”
He watched her approach the bookcases, appreciating her comely shape. Curvy hips and that tempting bosom, the hourglass of her perfectly crafted by that narrow waist. The heavens had certainly taken their time when they had made her.
The forest green of her dress complemented the alabaster of her skin and made her dark hair seem that much richer. His hands itched to gently wrap around those locks and twist them.
You will have her fleeing again in two seconds if you keep staring at her like that.
“What sort of book?” he asked, rising. “Perhaps I can help.”
“No!” she gasped. “I mean, no, thank you. Finding the book is half the enjoyment.”
He hesitated by the reading desk where he took his morning tea. “At least permit me to point you in the right direction.” He gestured around the extensive library. “A novel? A history book? Something about the sciences? What is your desire, My Lady?”
That stirring pink flush colored her cheeks, and she ducked behind the bookcase. “I… do not yet know.”
I doubt that.
He smiled, remembering how her green eyes had widened last night, how they had shone, reflecting his hunger back at him just for a moment.
He walked down the wide central aisle of the library and leaned against the edge of the row of bookcases where she was browsing.
“Ah, I have found it!” she declared, her body stretching upward to reach a higher shelf.
His gaze flitted down to the glimpse of stockinged ankles, his teeth grazing over his bottom lip as he imagined peeling those stockings away. Kissing bare skin. Those ankles locked around his neck as he dipped his head between her thighs.
“What has caught your attention?” His voice was thick with want, and it kept him at a distance. He would not risk getting any closer.
