And Wanton Wallflower smiled. She felt rubbed raw. Emotionally compromised. Physically demolished. And, for the first time in days… Utterly, exquisitely relaxed.
“I can’t feel my legs,” she murmured, somewhere between delight and mild concern.
The Duke made a low sound in his chest. It might have been satisfaction. It might have been smugness. It was definitely not sympathy.
“Good,” he rumbled. “Then you’ll stop getting into danger.”
“Unlikely,” she said. “Though I might have to limp to my next adventure.”
He made another sound. It might have been a curse.
Eventually, he shifted and rolled onto his stomach.
And that’s when she saw it.
The Glutes.
Unbound. Uncloaked. Unclenched.
She sucked in a breath.
“Oh.”
He frowned. “What?”
She propped herself up on one elbow, sore but determined.
“Your backside,” she said reverently. “In its natural habitat.”
He blinked at her.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, voice hushed like she’d just seen a celestial event.
“Firm, yet thoughtful,” she went on. “Symmetrical, yet rebellious. I feel compelled to curtsy.”
“Wanton, do you need another correction?”
“I mean, I knew it was exceptional,” she said, eyes raking down. “But like this? Post-warcry? It’s not just a backside anymore. It’s a masterpiece.”
He groaned and pulled the towel up from the floor to cover himself.
She yanked it back down.
“No,” she said firmly. “I solved the case. I deserve this.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, but he was smiling.
“I've never seen anything like it,” she whispered, awestruck. “May I… touch? For scientific purposes,” she said solemnly.
He stared at her.
Then, he pressed his face to his forearms, broad back flexing—and muttered, “You have thirty seconds.”
Wanton grinned like a woman about to be knighted.
She cupped one cheek, fingers spreading over the perfect curve. The heat of him was delicious. Her palm sank slightly against taut muscle, and she let out a soft, reverent sigh. Her fingers flexed, testing the give. Then she squeezed.
Firm didn’t cover it. It was like sculpted granite under silk. A tension of power and discipline that somehow still felt… indecent. Lethally indecent.
