She quickly averted her eyes, fighting for control of her errant desire. This was to be her game, her seduction, and she had no intention of letting her own weaknesses cause her to lose control of the situation.
Once stripped to her chemise and braies, she moved to wash up. It was not easy to decide what her next step should be. She really had little idea of how to seduce a man. It was not something she had ever done or ever even thought about. In fact, she had little experience with lusting or being lusted after. She was too slim and too strange-looking. She had occasionally caught a faint gleam of interest in a man’s eyes, only to watch it fade as some full-breasted, pale-skinned lass tripped by. Men obviously liked a woman with some flesh on her bones, with breasts that bounced, and with nicely rounded hips that swayed as she walked. Avery suspected she would never have so lush a shape. She knew that Cameron’s blatant desire for her too-slender form, a form too often ignored and occasionally ridiculed, only made it all the harder to resist him. It was heady indeed to be so desired.
Sensing that Cameron watched her, Avery unlaced her chemise a little. She slowly eased the damp rag she held inside to wash her breasts and under her arms. Cameron’s breathing grew a little louder, a little uneven. Loosening her braies, she slid the cloth beneath them to wash her nether regions. Avery could almost feel the heat of his stare. Humming softly to herself, she took her time in washing off her arms and her legs. Although she was not sure how such a mundane activity could arouse a man, she had no doubt that Cameron was aroused. She could almost smell the hunger growing inside him.
“Are ye trying to bestir me to madness?” Cameron demanded, thinking that, for an innocent, Avery seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of what could make a man dazed with need.
His deep voice, raspy and thick with unmistakable passion, seemed to enter Avery’s veins, heating her blood. “I but try not to take the stench of a day’s hard work to bed with me.”
“Ye didnae stink.”
“Mayhap my nose is a wee bit more sensitive than yours.”
“And mayhap ye taunt me.”
Although Avery tightened the laces on her braies, she left the ones on her chemise loosened as she turned to face him. She fought the urge to look and see just how much of herself she was revealing when his gaze fixed upon her chest and stayed there. His black eyes gleamed with desire, his chest rose and fell heavily from the deep, unsteady breaths he took, and his hands were clenched into tight white-knuckled fists at his side. The knowledge that she, thin little Avery, could put such a beautiful man into such a state was an intoxicating thing. So heady and inflaming that she had to forcibly subdue the urge to fling herself into his arms. Avery sternly reminded herself that her plan was to seduce, not to surrender.
“Taunt ye?” she murmured. “I havenae said a word.”
He grunted, a short, harsh sound rife with disbelief. “Ye have said more than enough, lass, though ye speak nary a word. Ye cannae be so naive that ye think ye can behave so right before my eyes and nay stir any response. Nay, no lass could be that blindingly innocent or ignorant of a mon.”
“Innocent, ignorant and naive. Ye make it sound as if I am thrice cursed.”
“I begin to think ’tis I who am cursed.”
Avery decided she had made her resistance far too clear, for Cameron seemed unable to realize there had been a distinct change in her attitude. Seducing him was not going to be easy if he was going to blame her every move or word on naïveté, innocence, or ignorance, or some other less flattering motive. Avery tried to recall what she had heard some of the men in her family say they liked, what little she had managed to observe. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his broad, smooth chest.
Cameron broke out in a sweat. He looked
Once stripped to her chemise and braies, she moved to wash up. It was not easy to decide what her next step should be. She really had little idea of how to seduce a man. It was not something she had ever done or ever even thought about. In fact, she had little experience with lusting or being lusted after. She was too slim and too strange-looking. She had occasionally caught a faint gleam of interest in a man’s eyes, only to watch it fade as some full-breasted, pale-skinned lass tripped by. Men obviously liked a woman with some flesh on her bones, with breasts that bounced, and with nicely rounded hips that swayed as she walked. Avery suspected she would never have so lush a shape. She knew that Cameron’s blatant desire for her too-slender form, a form too often ignored and occasionally ridiculed, only made it all the harder to resist him. It was heady indeed to be so desired.
Sensing that Cameron watched her, Avery unlaced her chemise a little. She slowly eased the damp rag she held inside to wash her breasts and under her arms. Cameron’s breathing grew a little louder, a little uneven. Loosening her braies, she slid the cloth beneath them to wash her nether regions. Avery could almost feel the heat of his stare. Humming softly to herself, she took her time in washing off her arms and her legs. Although she was not sure how such a mundane activity could arouse a man, she had no doubt that Cameron was aroused. She could almost smell the hunger growing inside him.
“Are ye trying to bestir me to madness?” Cameron demanded, thinking that, for an innocent, Avery seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of what could make a man dazed with need.
His deep voice, raspy and thick with unmistakable passion, seemed to enter Avery’s veins, heating her blood. “I but try not to take the stench of a day’s hard work to bed with me.”
“Ye didnae stink.”
“Mayhap my nose is a wee bit more sensitive than yours.”
“And mayhap ye taunt me.”
Although Avery tightened the laces on her braies, she left the ones on her chemise loosened as she turned to face him. She fought the urge to look and see just how much of herself she was revealing when his gaze fixed upon her chest and stayed there. His black eyes gleamed with desire, his chest rose and fell heavily from the deep, unsteady breaths he took, and his hands were clenched into tight white-knuckled fists at his side. The knowledge that she, thin little Avery, could put such a beautiful man into such a state was an intoxicating thing. So heady and inflaming that she had to forcibly subdue the urge to fling herself into his arms. Avery sternly reminded herself that her plan was to seduce, not to surrender.
“Taunt ye?” she murmured. “I havenae said a word.”
He grunted, a short, harsh sound rife with disbelief. “Ye have said more than enough, lass, though ye speak nary a word. Ye cannae be so naive that ye think ye can behave so right before my eyes and nay stir any response. Nay, no lass could be that blindingly innocent or ignorant of a mon.”
“Innocent, ignorant and naive. Ye make it sound as if I am thrice cursed.”
“I begin to think ’tis I who am cursed.”
Avery decided she had made her resistance far too clear, for Cameron seemed unable to realize there had been a distinct change in her attitude. Seducing him was not going to be easy if he was going to blame her every move or word on naïveté, innocence, or ignorance, or some other less flattering motive. Avery tried to recall what she had heard some of the men in her family say they liked, what little she had managed to observe. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his broad, smooth chest.
Cameron broke out in a sweat. He looked
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