Page 32 of The Devil's Bargain
“Because I refuse to fear you.”
“Good.” His voice softened thoughtfully. “I may be a scoundrel, but I’d never force myself on you… not unless you requested it.”
Despite her curiosity, Caroline decided against asking about the details of that debauchery.
Silence stretched between them, charged with anger and something else she refused to name. The scent of his soap teased her senses, and she hated how her traitorous body responded to his proximity.
“Tell me something,” he said finally. “If you truly hated me, why not expose me? Tell Flo, report me to the authorities. Why not fight back?”
The question caught her off guard. “I—I did tell Flo.”
“You did? And yet I had no judge or thug break down my door.”
“She had the audacity to suggest you were the finest match I could hope to secure.”
His laughter was irritatingly loud in the darkness. It seemed to go on forever until he was able to compose himself to finally say, “We’re not so different, you and I. Flo recognises that. We are both willing to do whatever necessary to protect what’s ours.”
“I am nothing like you.”
His laugh was soft and knowing. “No? The woman who tied me to her bed and extracted my secrets through seduction?”
“One night of seduction is not the same as a marriage.”
“Perhaps…”
Caroline clenched her fists beneath the covers, hating that he was confusing her. Hating him. Hating herself for the unwelcome heat that pooled in her belly at the memory of that night.
Her body remained tense as she stared into the shadows. She willed herself to find rest, but her mind refused to quiet. Even his steady breathing behind her seemed designed to torment her senses.
Devlin woke before dawn, becoming aware first of Caroline’s warmth pressed against him. During the night, she had turned to face him, her head tucked beneath his chin, her breath soft against his throat. His arm was wrapped snugly around her torso, and one of her hands had curled into his nightshirt. In sleep, she seemed to be holding rather than pushing away.
The intimacy of it caught him off guard. He was accustomed to women in his bed, but not to this. This unconscious vulnerability that she would never willingly show him. Her usual sharp edges were softened by sleep, auburn hair spilling across his arm, her face unguarded in repose.
He allowed himself to simply watch her, to savour this moment before she woke and remembered her hatred. His fingers traced her spine through the ridiculous layers she wore. He had to admire her attempt at creating a fortress of fabric between them. But in sleep, her body betrayed her mind’s protests.
The first pale light of dawn began to creep through the windows. Soon she would wake, and the walls would go back up. She would put on her armour of frigid disdain, and he would pretend it didn’t affect him. But for now...
She stirred slightly, pressing closer, and his body responded instantly, sending electrical currents through his groin. Devlin closed his eyes and focused on breathing steadily. Patience had never been his strong suit, but for her, he would master it. She was worth the wait.
When he felt her beginning to truly wake, felt the moment awareness returned and her body tensed, he kept his own breathing deep and even, feigning sleep. Let her think she was the first to wake, let her believe she alone knew of their unconscious intimacy.
He felt her freeze as she realised their position, then carefully extract herself from his arms. The sudden cold where her warmth had been felt like punishment.
Soon, he thought as he listened to her quietly flee the room. Soon she would stop fighting what was between them.Until then, he would treasure these stolen moments of peace between their battles.
15
A Shift
Caroline found Devlin in his study, surrounded by technical drawings of the brewery’s filtration system. She studied the design over his shoulders, her fingers itching to correct the obvious flaws. But she forced them to remain still at her sides. She wouldn’t help this fiend, no matter how intriguing the engineering challenge.
“Mrs Elmstone,” he said without looking up. “What a pleasure to have you here.”
“Miss Adler mentioned you requested my presence.” She kept her voice proper, even as she stared at the mistake with a frown. “Though I can’t imagine why, since you seem to have everything well in hand.”
Now he did look up, his eyes studying her face. “Ah. You’ve noticed the design flaws.”
“I notice many things, Mr Elmstone. Including how this meeting is not part of our agreement.”
