To Love A Duke

Badinage

Song Recommendation: Wading by jhene aiko

You deny the temptation of her bare-legs?

Therein lies the falsehood mi Lord..

Artemis was basking in the sunlight, eyes closed, legs in the hot liquid when she heard his deep voice

“What” he said softly but dangerously “ are you doing in the pond”

“I would have thought that obvious enough” she murmured, but moving deeper in. “I’m wading”

He clenched his jaws at the the maddening woman. “Is this still about the guards Artemis”

She began moving to shore

“What do you think Your grace” she said not paying him a glance

He gritted his teeth. He closer she came to shore the more milky white leg emerged from beneath the water and it was soon apparent that she was bare, from say above the juncture of her thighs all the way to her narrow feet. Her skin glistening in the morning sun as she surfaced fully from the water. The sight of her slender skin shimmering, pale and vulnerable was wholly, Terribly erotic, He grew hard beneath his breeches. The action involuntary. He should look away but damn it! it was his pond, and said woman his wife!

“Anyone could happen upon you” he hissed aware at the back of his mind that he sounded like a prudish old woman

She walked out of the pond and into the mossy shores, walking carefully not to trip on the rocky banks, her skirts knotted up and he cursed under his breath.

“Do you really think so your grace?” She said “I doubt it, except of course you consider your armed goons people who would ogle at me” she raised her brow up at him and he was visibly seething.

“They wouldn’t” he said with clenched teeth “ but that doesn’t justify your actions”

“And therein lies the falsehood your grace. You see the guards you assigned me have all looked their feel I believe” she said blinking up at him from a few feet. He looked around to the four men. They stood at a distance in four locations scanning the area with their back to them. He looked back to her, she simply stood there head c****d ready to argue her point, making no move to lower her skirts, he watched a bead of water silkily slide down one rounded thigh over the pretty contours of her knee, faster down the smooth slope of her calf, to drip down one delicate ankle bone. His erection throbbed painfully and uncomfortably.

His snapped his gaze up to her face.

“ you would Lower your skirts this very minute” he said through his teeth, whatever control he had, hanging by a thread

“Else what your grace?” She asked him calmly looking merely curious as if standing half nude in front of five men was completely normal. If she was out to tempt him it was working a bit too well

“Artemis—“ he said in a warning tone

“Tsk, tsk, and to think I thought you enjoyed the sight in the library” she said sounding regret full as she took down her skirts. And walked away from him without a glance in the direction of the mansion, trailed by her shadows as she called the guards. He stood looking after her as she swayed her hips coyly like a siren singing a man to his ecstatic death.