Read All About the Duke (The Dukes' Club Book 4) for Free Online Page B

if someone else had seen it? What if someone else had tried to pick the plum and then crushed it?
    What would have happened to his cheeky, defiant Alfred then?
    “Don’t push me, Alfred. I am not the sort of man to be pushed.”
    She shook her head and widened her eyes in, no doubt, feigned innocence. “I would never, Your Grace.”
    “Never?” he scoffed. “You’re doing it right now.”
    Alfred backed up, clutching his linen shirt to his chest. “You’re frightening me, Your Grace.”
    He closed the gap between them, determined to make her confess. “Good.”
    She stepped back. “Good?”
    “How on earth could you have obeyed my command this morning?” he challenged, outraged on her behalf. “How could you have come up to this room with me?”
    “Y-you’re my master, Your Grace.”
    He let out a bark of laughter. “You should have run.”
    “Why should I?” she breathed.
    “Because, I am not a fool,” he said flatly.
    “I never thought you were.”
    “No?” he challenged.
    “No.”
    “Then this won’t surprise you.”
    He seized her in his arms, lifting her to the tips of her toes and took her soft lips in a hot, deep kiss.
    He could have punished. But only cowards punished. Oh no. He seduced. He offered. He caressed her lips with a thousand promises of the pleasures that the flesh could bestow. Now was the moment Alfred would finally reveal the truth.
    ***
    T he kiss stole her breath and every last ounce of sense Allegra possessed. At first, her body tensed against his, shocked, but then she melted. She couldn’t help herself. There was something incredibly masterful about the way his mouth took hers. His lips teased, then stroked, a soft urge for her submission. There was nothing cruel or demanding about it except for his hands, holding her almost off the ground, right against his chest.
    Her own palms were placed against his chest, pushing for a moment, then savoring the feel of warm, smooth skin over hard muscle. My God, was this what a kiss was supposed to be like?
    His tongue traced over her lips and she moaned as she opened her mouth.
    Oh, she would be kissed every hour on the hour if this was what kisses were truly like.
    And just as she was about to open her mouth wider, she jolted against him. A horrid thought crossed her mind. Did he know? If he didn’t, what was she going to do?
    Horrified, she shoved at his chest.
    He allowed her to break the kiss, but kept his mouth hovering over hers and stared down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “Is something amiss?” he whispered.
    “I’m— I’m a boy!”
    He snorted and cupped the nape of her neck with large palm. “Alfred, I asked you not to lie.”
    “Then. . . Then. . .”
    “I am not a buggerer. I have nothing against such individuals, but I’ve known you were a girl since we were in the stables.”
    “How?” she exclaimed.
    “Does it really matter?” His gaze was hot, like that of a man drugged out of his wits. “Our time could be spent engaged in things far superior to discourse. . . If you wish it.”
    “You’ve known,” she said, tracing her eyes over his face, suddenly annoyed by the slight arrogance upon his visage. “This whole time?”
    “I did say so,” he murmured.
    “But— But— Then why did you ask me to be your servant?”
    He shrugged. “Because I’m a bastard.”
    She gasped then wanted to kick herself for doing something so clearly innocent. “Was this your intention all along?”
    “To kiss you?”
    She gave a sharp nod.
    “Not exactly. Mostly, I wanted to see how you’d react with me behaving like a bear. But you’re too charming for words and the kiss was quite nice. Don’t you agree?”
    “A bear? You’re not a bear! That equine buttock I referred to was you!”
    He sighed. “I thought so.”
    “How could you do this?”
    “Alfred, you were a mystery and I haven’t been around anything remotely like a mystery in a very long time. What is your name, by the way?”
    She squared her