Bad Boys Ahoy!

'You woke me,' she censured in a sleep-husky voice, her body taut as a bow. Her dreams had been fraught with images of him. His hands on her, his lips melded to hers, his hard body pinning her down… Nocturnal fantasies she enjoyed with only the tiniest amount of guilt. 'This is most improper, Mr. Remington,' she said sharply, hiding the heady excitement she felt. 'Why are you here?'

He came toward her with his long-legged stride, a sexual predator in motion. Stopping by the bed, he lit the taper on the side table. His mouth fell open when the circle of light revealed her.

'Jesus! You're naked!' he accused, stumbling backward with an expression of horror.

'Hence the reason you should not be in here.' Julienne pulled the sheet up higher and gestured with a toss of her chin toward the transparent negligee slung over a chair. 'Being naked seemed no better or worse than wearing that.'

He never took his eyes from her. 'I should have allowed you to leave,' he mumbled, shaking his head.

She colored. 'You should leave. You have no right to enter my room.'

He'd backed up almost to the door when she stopped him. 'Has my brother arrived?' she asked eagerly, pushing her hair away from her face.

Remington stood frozen by the doorway. 'No,' he croaked. 'Montrose is not here.' He stared at her for a long moment before blurting, 'Are you comfortable?'

'Am I-?' Julienne frowned, confused by the sudden change in topic. 'Yes, I was quite comfortable.'

'And the food? Did you enjoy it?'

'The food was excellent.' She smiled. 'Your entire establishment is breathtaking. I'd heard rumors, of course, and Hugh-er, Montrose-raved about the beauty of this place, but nothing equals actually seeing it with my own eyes. It's very impressive. I admire what you've accomplished here.'

'You ad-?' He swallowed hard. 'Thank you. I'm pleased you like it.'

'You must hear that often.'

'Actually,' he admitted, 'that was the first instance where someone other than my parents expressed admiration for me.'

'Oh.' Julienne didn't know what to say. She knew what others said about him, but she was saddened to realize he knew it as well. 'Is that why you came? To check on my welfare?'

An uncomfortable silence descended.

'Perhaps I've come to ravish you,' he said finally.

She choked and then laughed aloud, even as her stomach did a little flip. 'That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.'

Remington's eyes widened. 'Why? You don't believe I would want to ravish you?'

Julienne rubbed her forehead and shook her head, wondering if she was dreaming this mad encounter. 'Mr. Remington, you are the handsomest man in all of England. Your reputation is well known to me. I am aware a libertine like you would have no interest in a green debutante like myself.'

He moved toward her again with painful slowness, as if he pulled against his will. 'The handsomest man in England?' he queried softly. 'Is that your personal opinion, or one you repeat from the mouths of others?'

She twisted at the waist as he approached, hiding her bare back. 'Both,' she admitted. She raised a finely arched brow. 'I did not take you to be a man of vanity, Mr. Remington, but if you are, and you require confirmation of your attractiveness, I would be more than happy to oblige you … in the morning. At the present time, I would appreciate-'

'I'm curious, my lady,' he interrupted, his mouth curving intimately. 'How would you confirm my attractiveness?'

Julienne grew wary at the hot flicker she saw in his eyes, the same look he'd given her in his office. She liked it, but Lord above, she was naked! The whole situation was… thrilling… but far beyond her experience. Clutching the sheet firmly with one hand, she held out the other to halt his advance. He stopped immediately. 'What do you want?'

'To ravish you.'

He said it so simply, his expression so earnest, that she was momentarily rendered speechless. Oh, he was wicked. And far more interesting than the other men of her acquaintance.

'You can have any woman you want.'

'No.' His smile was wistful. 'I can't have you.'

Her breath caught.

'You're very good,' she said finally, honestly awestruck. She'd never seen such a talented rogue. 'Charming, seemingly sincere. I can see how you've managed so many conquests. But really, I am not worth the effort, I assure you, although I am flattered.'

Remington laughed. 'Sweetheart, you're amazing. You dress as a man to sneak into my club, tolerate my extorting you into spending the night, and then feel flattered when I barge into your room and tell you I want to ravish you.' His voice softened when he said, 'I wish I could keep you.'

The expression on his face made her heart race. Julienne felt light-headed and dizzy all over again. Then she was struck with a thought that made sense, unlike all the others that swirled in her head. 'Have you been drinking?'

He moved casually to the chair and sat. 'Tell me why you want to find your brother, and I'll tell you why I came in here.'

'If you're interested in conversing with me, can you at least allow me to dress?'

His blue eyes glittered with eagerness. 'In the negligee or the trousers?'

Her mouth fell open. This really had to be a dream. An odd, wonderful, bizarre dream. 'I don't know how to deal with a man like you, Mr. Remington.' She was out of her depth.

'You can start by calling me Lucien,' he suggested. 'Then you should probably begin screaming. Most debutantes would have run from the room in terror by now. I'm a stranger to you except for my scandalous reputation, which decries me as a hedonistic seducer of women.'

She smiled. 'I'm not afraid of you. You've no need to force yourself on a woman.'

'Who said I would have to force you?' he purred seductively.

'Good grief,' she muttered, rolling her eyes. 'You deliberately cultivate your image, don't you? I'd wager you're not as bad as they say.'

One side of his mouth twitched in amusement. 'No,' he agreed. 'I'm much worse. If you weren't the purest, sweetest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen, I would have already had you on your back, with your heels in the air.'

Julienne's mouth parted in surprise, and she looked away, her face flushed. He was a perfect scoundrel to say such things, but she didn't care. Strong, virile, and devastatingly handsome, Lucien Remington was her fantasy come to life. He had been since the first moment she'd seen him at the Milton country rout.

Taller than most of the other men there and heavily muscled like a common laborer, Lucien had permanently imprinted himself on her memory when he'd inclined his head toward her with a rakish wink. She'd not passed one night in the month since without dreaming of him in ways no proper lady would dream about any man, not even their husbands.

Ah, what she wouldn't give to be brazen and desirable, if only for a moment. She would love to be the kind of woman who could retain the interest of a man like Lucien. The thought made her sigh aloud.

'Bloody hell.'

She looked up in surprise and was startled by the anguished look on his face.

'What is it?' she demanded. 'Why do you look like that?'

Lucien stood and rounded the backside of the chair, putting the piece of furniture between them as if she posed some grave threat to his person. 'Because you look like that't I know what you're thinking, and you must cease. Now.'

'My thoughts happen to be none of your business.' She waved toward the door. 'The hour is late, and I'm tired. I'm undressed, and-'

'I wanted to watch you sleep.'

Julienne blinked. 'Beg your pardon?'

'You asked me why I was here.' He cleared his throat. 'I wanted to watch you sleep.'