Page 11 of The Earl and the Reluctant Lady
He felt his grin spread. “I do enjoy the thought of you seeking me out.”
“Can you be serious? If not for the entirety of the night, at least grant me your full attention for this dance.”
“You, Agnes, always have my full attention. And when the situation calls for seriousness I can acquiesce, though in my experience, it rarely does.”
“This does,” she said.
“It is of that much importance?”
She nodded once.
He searched her face looking for some clue as to what troubled her so. Her pale-blue eyes framed with those dark lashes stared back at him. God, she was beautiful. “Are you well? In some sort of trouble?”
She swallowed visibly, then shook her head. “No, nothing like that.”
He nodded. “Very well then, let us have it.”
“First, I must apologize for the unladylike nature of this discussion.” She inhaled slowly. “There are things that must be said.”
“Unladylike?” His hand tightened on her waist and he fought the urge to pull her body closer, pressing those lush curves to him. “Oh, Bluebell, you have definitely intrigued me. What could possibly drive you to unladylike behavior?”
“No, not behavior. Merely a conversation.”
He clicked his tongue. “That is a pity. I was hoping for a confession.”
“No, this is about your behavior.” She took a deep breath. Her shoulders rose and the creamy globes of her breasts nearly pressed against him as he turned her on the dance floor.
His gaze dropped to her cleavage and he indulged himself by staring, imagining peeling her dress down and mapping every curve with his tongue. Christ, he shouldn’t be this close to her.
“You are far too lustful,” she whispered.
His gaze rose to her face and though he expected humor, he found nothing but earnestness. She was serious. He tipped back his head and laughed heartily.
She smacked his arm where she held on to him. “Stop that. People are staring.”
“People always stare at you, Agnes. You are far too stunning to look away from. I know that once my eyes find you across the room I am done for, for the entirety of the evening.” For the entirety of his life, if he were being honest. No matter how many women he’d bedded, it had always been Agnes.
“I was being quite serious.”
“Yes, I can see from your scowl that you are. But what could you possibly know about my lustful ways?”
Her gaze dropped briefly to his lips and he realized with alarming clarity that Agnes wanted to kiss him. Tempting information that was not particularly helpful while she was in his arms and they were discussing lust.
“I know you have a despicable reputation as a layabout and lothario.”
He shrugged. “I am a man of leisure.”
“You should not say that with such pride. Being a man of leisure is nothing to brag about. Truly you must mend your ways.” She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice even more. “Do you know that you are known as the Don Juan of London? That people speak of your legendary prowess with women and your seductive skills?”
Damnation, how he wished he knew what she’d heard and what she’d felt at the time. Did her pale flesh blush with desire? Would he find her slippery with want? “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to clarify something for me, because while your tone indicates that my behavior is reprehensible, the words you’re saying fill me with pride, not remorse.”
She shook her head. “I knew you were going to make this difficult.”
“You obviously came prepared tonight to educate me on why my behavior is so terrible, so please proceed,” he said.
“You will listen to my argument?”
“Every illicit word.” Though he knew that was too much to hope for. Agnes was an innocent and he never touched them. In fact, she was the only one he’d ever been tempted to touch. And entertaining this conversation might provide more temptation than he could resist. He was treading on thin ice as it was, considering his cock was already resting heavy against his thigh.
