Page 34 of The Tantalizing of a Scandalous Rake

“You have been busy.”

“I did not even know you were considering this yet you wrote to this man and offered him a partnership without my consent?” She blew out a breath. “This is my inn,” she murmured softly. “Not yours.”

“I was trying to help, Rosie.”

“Maybe I did not want your help. Maybe I do not want it.” She shoved up from the table and gathered up the plates, scarcely giving him a moment to stab a fork into his sausage and take a bite.

“You do not mean that.”

“Do I not?” She spun on him, hands to her hips. “Adam, last night was—”

“Spectacular? Marvelous? The best night of your life?”

Her lips curved. “You have a complete inability to be modest do you not?”

He shrugged. “It’s one of my many skills.”

“But that does not change things. This is my inn, and I wish to maintain control over it. You will be gone soon and what then? What happens when this deal is made and I am the one having to manage a brewery on top of everything else?”

“It makes good business sense, Rosie. It will only be a small brewery. You should expand and take advantage of your reputation.”

“Yes. A reputation based upon my appearance! An appearance that will change with the years. That cannot be good business sense surely?”

“Or perhaps it is but you are too scared to take a risk.”

“I spent the night with you did I not?” She gestured up and down him. “That surely proves I am not scared of risk.”

“I think you are.” He rose from the chair and came to stand in front of her. “I think you are more scared than you’d like to admit.”

∞∞∞

Scared?

No. More than scared. Terrified more accurately described it. She’d seen men like Adam come and go throughout her years here. Even before, when her parents ran the inn, she’d witnessed serving girls swayed by rich men, lured into bed then left with nothing.

Heck, they even had the story of the notorious Roger Fortescue who had tried to seduce a local woman and take all her money before fleeing from the law in the new book that had made her famous.

But Adam was worse. She could not even say he had seduced her into bed. She’d gone there willingly with every understanding of what she was giving him. However, now he was offering her more. Offering her future prospects, offering her aid. How could she take it when she did not even know what the future held? She’d always been cautious in her running of the inn—it was why she stayed with Gerald for so long. Why risk her living on a gamble? If she took this, she’d be endangering not only her living but her heart.

Who was she kidding? She’d already laid her heart on the line.

“I’m not scared,” she managed to mutter.

“I’ve seen how you control everything, Rosie. If you take a leap, you will no longer be in control.”

“And you think control is a bad thing?” She eased out a breath and pressed a hand to his chest when he began to close the gap. “Control is what has allowed me to run this inn smoothly without my parents.”

“Control is no bad thing but if you do not let go every now and then, good things will never happen. Everything will stay the same.” He gave a wicked smile. “Occurrences like last night would not happen.”

She gulped down a sharp breath. It was true. Control had not even entered her mind last night. Things had been very much out of control and she had loved every wild, wicked moment.

She had loved it.

“Adam,” she started before the end of the word trapped in her throat when she met his warm gaze.

She loved him.

The thought seared through her mind and remained there, like a brand that no time could heal. Having Adam at her side this past month, she had never had more fun…or more support. The thought of relying on him terrified her.

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