“I haven’t.”
He caressed her cheek with his fingertips, letting them slowly trace the outline of her lips. The pads of his fingers traveled over her chin and down her neck to rest in the hollow at the base of her throat, where she knew her pulse was beating wildly.
Slow curls of pleasure came alive inside her, and without conscious effort, her chest lifted to feel more of the weight of his arm lying against her breasts. His hand confidently slipped over to her ear, and his fingertips slowly outlined its shape before moving beneath her hair to caress the soft, sensitive skin there. The warmth and tenderness of his touch seemed to seep inside her soul and weaken her will to resist him.
“I would wager you have never been kissed either, being a properly brought-up vicar’s daughter. You’ve probably never even been tempted.”
Not until now.
“So tell me, Miss Prim,” he asked huskily as his gaze studied hers, his face so close, she felt his breath on her cheek, “do your stillness and your silence mean the kiss wins over the slap?”
Did it?
If there were ever a man who deserved a slap, it was this one, but did she really want to do it?
“You are holding my hands,” she whispered.
He smiled and nodded once. “In that case.” He let her go and took one step back. “If the lady intends to strike, go ahead.”
She was free of his hold, but she didn’t feel free of him. She had room to reach back and bring her hand down on his cheek with all her strength, but she didn’t move to take advantage of his surrender. Instead of feeling calmer and slowing down, her breathing increased sharply. The seconds ticked by. She was in no danger of him keeping her against her will, yet she remained still except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
He waited, giving her plenty of time to slap him and walk away. She couldn’t do either, even though she knew she should. She realized she was more horrified by the fact that she wanted the duke to kiss her than by the innocent conduct of her wayward hands.
How did the duke know she’d never been kissed? Was that why he was tempting her beyond her power to resist? Did he somehow know she wouldn’t have the strength to walk away from the possibility of her first kiss, even if it was coming from an admitted scoundrel like him?
“I’m not going to strike you, Your Grace,” she finally said.
His expression questioned her.
“Though I do believe I have just cause.”
“So do I,” he admitted. He placed one hand against the shelf near her shoulder and leaned in close once again. “Do you trust me, Miss Prim?”
“Not at all,” she answered honestly.
He smiled again. “That’s probably best.”
“I have no doubt.”
“I know the girls are upstairs, hiding from you. Where is Mrs. Colthrust? In the house?”
“At the agency that will be sending maids over to interview.”
“Good,” he said, and brushed a long curl to the back of her shoulder. “You know, they say that if you lose one of your senses, the others will become more heightened. Do you believe that’s true?”
“Perhaps. I don’t know. Why?”
“May I?” he asked, and reached down to slide the black scarf from her tight grasp. She let it go. He untied it and stretched it out and then folded it over several times to form a new blindfold.
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing that you don’t want me to do,” he answered. “Stop me whenever you wish.”
She couldn’t stop him. She was mesmerized.
He slowly placed the scarf over her eyes. “I’m not going to force you to do anything.”
For reasons Louisa didn’t begin to understand, she let the duke place the scarf over her eyes and tie it at the back of her head, completely blocking out her sight and, much to her chagrin, proving she trusted him after all.
