Tempting the Duke by Yasmine Nash

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About the author:

Yasmine is an author of historical romance novels. In her spare time, she bakes recipes inspired by the Great British Baking Show and sews very messy embroidery. Yasmine lives in the Midwest with her family and her two dogs, Darcy and Tilney.

What inspired you to write your book?

I love stories about forbidden romance. Although Jon, the hero, has feelings for Louisa, he feels honorbound not to act on them. I wanted to explore what that push-pull would look like, especially after Louisa makes up her mind to seduce him. It turned out to be a lot of fun to write!

Here is a short sample from the book:

Jon was still at a distance from the village when the rain started. He cursed his luck. If it had only begun half an hour later, he would have missed the downpour entirely. He was so caught up in his grumblings that he almost didn't notice the woman on horseback who galloped by a few yards away from him. Her white dress flashed in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to see as her horse stumbled on some uneven ground, nearly pitching its rider off.

Jon immediately spurred his horse in her direction. "Miss!" he called when he was in earshot. "Are you all right?"

The horse and young lady had come to a stop now, the woman having managed to regain her balance. The rider seemed to be leaning over the animal’s neck, whispering soothing words. As soon as he was near enough, Jon hopped off his horse and walked up to the woman.

"Miss?" he said again.

Up close, her gray mare seemed fine, if a little skittish. The woman turned her head to look at Jon in apparent surprise. She must not have heard him calling to her in the rain. She was sitting astride the horse, he realized in some embarrassment. Certainly not a gentlewoman then. Her gown had been pulled up past her knees so she could sit comfortably, revealing shapely legs covered only by thin white stockings. Either she was embarrassed by her state as well, or the rain had caused a flush to arise in her pale cheeks.

Even so, she sat up very straight and said in a commanding tone, "Would you be so kind as to help me down? I'd like to examine my horse for injury before I ride her any further."

He proffered a hand and she took it, soft palm resting in his. Once she was on the ground, the woman walked around the horse a few times, checking its legs and whispering soothingly to it.

"Peppercorn seems to be all right," she finally said in a relieved tone, coming to Jon. "I should have known better than to ride her like that in the rain. I couldn't have forgiven myself if she'd been injured."

The shower had ended as suddenly as it had arrived, but both Jon and the young woman were still wet. Her blond hair must have come loose during her ride, for it hung in sultry curves down her back and framing her face. Her damp white cotton gown clung suggestively to the curves of her body, leaving very little to the imagination. It took an effort for Jon to keep his eyes fixed firmly on her face, instead of wandering down to her full bosom and rounded thighs the way he wanted to.

"She is a beauty," Jon said, still looking at the woman. "Your horse, I mean," he added hurriedly.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked.

"No, I have business in the town. I'll be staying in the tavern," Jon said, not wanting to get into any more of the particulars. Something about this woman made him want to toss all propriety aside. "I'm Jon," he said, hoping she wouldn’t be offended by his familiarity.

She smiled a little shyly. "Call me Lou."

"A pleasure," he said with a bow.
***
"Are you on your way to the tavern now?” Louisa asked the mysterious man who’d stopped by check on her. “It's notoriously difficult to find, tucked away in a little alley behind the blacksmith’s shop. If you follow me, I can show the way."
Without another word, she placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself while she swung onto Peppercorn's back again. His shoulder was firm and she allowed her hand to linger there an extra delicious second before grabbing her reins.
"Come along then," she said with a grin.

She kept the horse at a reserved pace, still a little skittish by Peppercorn's near injury.

Jon—she felt a shiver at the illicit familiarity of calling him by his first name—kept pace beside her. They didn't talk much, but she watched him from the corner of her eye as they made their way to the village. The sun had begun setting, lighting his handsome face with a brilliant glow. Few villagers were out and about by the time the two had reached the tavern.

Louisa saw brief surprise flash across Jon's face when she climbed off her horse and led the way inside the building. "I think I fancy a drink. Don't you?" she asked him over her shoulder.

She rarely entered here, and never after dark. Kellynch may have been a nice town, but a tavern was no place for the daughter of a gentleman—or any young lady, to be perfectly honest. Louisa was feeling bold tonight though. Maybe it was the rain, or maybe it was because she had run into this handsome stranger, but electricity was coursing through her veins. Even so, she let out a silent breath of relief when the tavern turned out to be empty, except for an old barman she didn't recognize.

Louisa led Jon to a table in a darkened corner, while the old man went into another room and returned with two large mugs of beer. She tried sniffing her mug surreptitiously. It smelled earthy and acrid. Louisa took a tentative sip and nearly spit it out. It tasted disgusting! Nothing like the sweet, watered wines she was used to drinking.

Jon was gazing at her with interest, looking as though he was trying his best not to chuckle.

"I guess I'm not a fan," she admitted to him with a wry half-shrug.

"This isn't exactly a fine brew," he agreed, taking a swallow and grimacing. "Does your family live here in the village?" he asked.

Her family—or lack thereof—was the last thing Louisa wanted to talk about right now. She could just picture the horror that would have appeared on her mother's face, had she still been around to see her daughter sitting unchaperoned with a strange man.

"No," she said quietly. "Just me." She sought around for a way to change the subject before he probed further. A grin curled Louisa's pink lips. "I have an idea. What do you say to a little competition? The person who drinks their glass the fastest is the winner."

"And what prize does the winner receive?"

She raised one eyebrow and looked at him pointedly. "That's up to the winner to decide."

His dark eyes flashed in the dim firelight. "You'd better be warned: I have some thoughts about what I'd like to do if I win, and they're not entirely proper," he said in a gravelly voice, causing her to shiver. She was suddenly conscious of her still-damp gown which made it only too easy to see her curves.

Louisa raised her mug to her mouth, eyes locked with Jon while he did the same. Bracing herself, she drank the sour beer as quickly as she could, placing her empty mug on the table as soon as she'd finished. Jon's glass slammed against the wooden tabletop a moment before hers. He took one look at the grimace still on her face and laughed.

"It wasn't as bad as that," he said cheerily.

"Oh, it certainly was," she assured him. "And I do so hate to lose. I'm very competitive."

"Then I declare you the winner,” Jon said with a twinkle in his eye. “A gentleman always lets a lady win, even when the facts say otherwise. Name your prize."

Louisa clapped her hands in delight, then gazed around the empty room trying to decide. The old man had disappeared into the other room again, so it was just her and Jon sitting in the near dark, with only firelight and greasy candles to cast light around them. He was watching her patiently, dark gray eyes shining in the light of the fire. She let her eyes wander from his floppy black curls to his broad shoulders, all the way to the strong, large fingers still gripping his mug. She felt the blood rushing to her face and gulped. Perhaps the alcohol had gone to her head.

"A kiss," she said, more boldly than she felt.

***
Jon gripped his glass so tight he thought the handle might shatter. Had he heard her right? Or had his desire, which had been growing steadily since he'd first seen her with her dress hiked up to her knees on her horse, made him temporarily deaf?

"For my prize, I want you to kiss me," she repeated breathily.

He knew it was improper. Jon would be taking advantage of a young woman with no family nearby to protect her. She was likely a housemaid, possibly even employed at his new property. All these objections passed through his mind. Yet he had seen the way her eyes had studied him, lingering on his shoulders and arms. And after all, it was her suggestion, not his. Lou bit her pink lip while he wavered, and that decided him. All concerns flew out of his mind and he pulled his chair closer to hers.

"Your wish is my command," he said softly, unable to break his gaze from that rosy mouth. It opened just slightly and he leaned in to kiss her, inhaling her scent of rain and lavender and—unaccountably—chocolate cake.

She sighed a little into him and kissed him back, but when Jon ventured his tongue exploringly along the seam of her lips, she froze a little. So she wasn't as worldly as she seemed. No matter. He'd soon teach her.

Jon gently coaxed her mouth open further, taking one lip lightly in his teeth, then putting his tongue further in her mouth. He wanted to run his arms all along her body, but he resisted, satisfying himself with gripping the back of her head and letting his fingers play in her curls, which were still streaming loose around her neck. She sighed a little louder and lifted one hand to grab his shoulder, while tentatively reciprocating his kiss with her own tongue.

When the kiss was over, the two sat staring at one another in shock for several moments. His heart was pounding and—bloody hell—he was already visibly aroused. Jon was just contemplating whether he should ask Lou to stay the night in his room when she rose, a little unsteadily.

"It's getting late," she said, her voice hoarse. "I need to be getting back or I'll be missed." She grinned a little wickedly. "Thank you for the prize."

Jon stood as well. "Allow me to escort you back to your home. It's not safe for a young woman to be wandering around at night alone."

Lou chuckled throatily. "Yes, I could find myself beset by another handsome stranger. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I insist," she said firmly when he began to argue. Seeing himself defeated, Jon just bowed deeply and kissed her hand.

It was only after he listened to her horse's hooves clatter off that he realized he had no idea how he would ever see her again.