“No.” She drew out the vowel.
That got his attention. “Then there’s only one other option.”
“What’s that?”
“We play for dares.”
Blood rushed to her head and she fought the urge to fan herself. What kind of respectable woman would engage in ill-bred games with perilous outcomes?
Maybe she wasn’t a respectable woman—and maybe she didn’t care.
“It’s only logical,” she said, feigning nonchalance. “Go ahead.”
They played the hand, and when Mack revealed his winning cards, she gulped and raised wide eyes to his.
He studied her face for one breathless moment, and then said in a husky voice, “I dare you to remove your corset. Cross another item off your list.”
“This isn’t really public,” she managed.
“No, but I am your audience. It counts.”
She had been wrong to think him clumsy with words. He was a wordsmith, weaving a spell around her so cleverly that she embraced her capture.
“I’ll have to remove a few other things first,” she said, licking her dry lips.
His eyes zeroed in on the movement. “That’s what I’m hoping.”
“What if your aunt comes home?”
“You know, both of our bedrooms are upstairs, far from the front door.”
Every nerve in her body sprang to life, and she clenched her thighs against the insistent throb between them. Removing her corset in front of him would reveal her body, but the action itself would reveal far more. If she went up those stairs with him, she would be admitting that she welcomed his potent gaze, that it set her aflame. Was she willing to risk it?
Yes. A thousand times, yes.
Without a word, she rose to her feet and climbed upstairs. Mack was so close on her heels his breath teased her neck, and his eagerness gave her a boost of courage. She paused in the doorway to the guest bedroom, and Mack took up position across the hallway in another.
She untied the robe and hung it on the doorknob, followed by his sweater. Mack tracked every minute movement, as if he was unwilling to miss a thing. Fingers trembling, it took her a moment to undo the small buttons on the front of her lace-trimmed corset-cover. She slipped it over her arms and handed it to Mack. He rubbed the fine lawn between two fingers while she drew her one remaining petticoat over her head.
“Now the corset.” His voice was gruff, full of barely restrained desire.
She gave him her back and gripped the doorway with both hands. “Help me?”
“You don’t need my help.”
“No, but I want it.”
The corset cover dropped from his fingers, and he crowded against her back. Quickly untying her laces, he spun her to face him. He took his time unhooking the busk, watching as her breasts relaxed to their natural shape beneath her thin chemise. Her nipples hardened under his scrutiny, announcing their presence.
“Goddamn,” he whispered hoarsely. He dropped the corset to the floor and gripped her wide hips, the pads of his fingers flexing convulsively.
In that moment, all the power was hers, and she knew it. Gloried in it. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts forward to graze his chest.
“Shall I put my other clothing back on?”
The hold on her hips tightened. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
She licked her lips again, and he groaned. “What are you thinking of, right this very moment?”
