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“What…?” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing here, Jo?” His voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t clear his throat no matter how hard he tried.

“You said the door to your chambers was always open,” she said softly.

He swallowed hard before finally raising his eyes to her face.

Her lovely, soft lips were curved in a coy smile. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she stepped closer to him. He couldn’t deny her pull and walked toward her as if enchanted. He wanted nothing more than to capture her lips with his and plunder her mouth with his tongue.

She was damn enticing whatever she wore. But looking like this, in the soft glow of candlelight, Richard could not help but imagine her in his bed, with her hair strewn about the pillows, her eyes filled with passion as she writhed beneath him. Her naked limbs bared to his gaze.

Then suddenly, he didn’t have to imagine anymore. Because at that moment, she slowly tipped the night rail off her shoulders and the flimsy fabric slid against her skin and collected on the floor at her feet.

There she stood, completely naked before him, except for her silky stockings tied at her thighs with red garters. His gaze fell to the patch of hair between her legs, then crawled up her flat stomach and settled on her beautiful round breasts. Her perky nipples hardened even more against the cool air or perhaps because of his heated gaze.

His mouth watered as he remembered the taste of her. Oh, how he wanted to suck her breasts into his mouth. His fingers twitched in agony, desperately aching to touch her, enter her hot, wet core. His cock grew large and hard, straining against the constraints of his breeches.

Damn. She was too damn enticing.

The door suddenly opened, and his valet unceremoniously sauntered inside. “My lord—”

Jo let out a high-pitched shrill, and the valet froze, his eyes wide.

Richard jumped and covered Jo’s body with his. He turned his head toward his insolent servant and barked, “Get the hell out!”

His valet mumbled something apologetically and dashed away.

Richard bent down, picked up her night rail from the floor, and flung it around her shoulders. Jo shook as she laughed silently against his chest. Richard hugged her tightly to him and placed a dry kiss on the top of her head.

“Do not worry, he is a discreet servant. He won’t tell anyone,” he soothed.

Jo looked up at him, her eyes shining with laughter. “Somehow that wasn’t my first thought.”

“What was your first thought?” Richard reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her skin. He took the opportunity to caress her cheek, her jaw before withdrawing his hand.

“My first thought was that he’d seen my breasts… and more.”

Richard grimaced, the anger inside him rising. “Do you want me to kill him? Because quite frankly, I am on the precipice of doing just that.”

Jo chuckled and placed a hand against his unshaven cheek. “It tickles,” she said as she caressed his stubble. Richard caught her hand, then turned and kiss her palm.

Just one kiss. He would allow himself that.

Then he stepped away. “You need to leave.”

Jo’s face turned from blissful to confused in one split second. “Pardon?”

Richard took a deep breath. “You need to leave, Jo.”

“Why?” She covered her body with her night rail and crossed her arms beneath her breasts in a protective gesture.

She felt vulnerable with him. That was the last thing he wanted. But he had no choice. He couldn’t continue this liaison in good conscience. He had to stop.

He cleared his throat. “I know I said that our affair would last until the end of the house party… But I changed my mind. It stops now.”

Jo’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open for a brief moment before she let out a laugh. “You must be joking.”

Richard shook his head. “I am sorry, Jo. I shouldn’t have insisted on this affair at all. I wanted to lose myself in a few nights of passion with no regard for you and your feelings. But you were right from the start. This was a mistake.”

Jo’s gaze was lost. Confusion lined her features. She didn’t know how to react without losing her pride, and Richard saw the emotions battling inside her. He wanted to envelop her in his arms and beg for forgiveness, kiss that uncertain expression off her face. But that would only make it worse.