Page 4 of The Matchmaker Meets her Duke
Pandora gaped at him. “Why on Earth would you need to ruin my life? I have no quarrel with you?”
“Do you not?Lady Datura.”
Pandora went cold and clenched her fists. “Is that the columnist fromThe Morning Chronicle? I can’t say I’m familiar.”
“You don’t know yourself? How quaint.”
“I am quite serious, Your Grace.”
“As am I. I have kept a close eye on you since you ruined my marriage to Lady Miriam. Your mannerisms, the way you speak, they all give you away.”
Pandora stared up at him, eyes wide. “You’ve been watching me? I hadn’t noticed.”
Emmett pouted again. “I’m insulted, I’m used to standing out from the crowd. But never mind. There’s a way we can help each other.”
Pandora bit her lower lip, and she was sure she felt Emmett’s eyes follow the motion. “I’m listening.”
“You undo your wrong. Find me a wife suitable to be a Duchess. Promise me you will use your powers of matchmaking for good for once, and I will free you from this prison.”
Pandora’s back stiffened. “Wrong? All I did was expose your lecherous ways to prevent Lady Miriam from making the biggest mistake of her life!” She clapped her hands over her mouth as Emmett crowed with laughter.
“I knew it! You are Lady Datura!”
“You mustn’t tell,” said Pandora in a high-pitched voice.
Emmett’s laughter quieted. “Find me the wife I want, and not only will I keep your secret, but I’ll also pretend we’ve never met. I think we’d both be happier that way, wouldn’t we?”
Emmett stood and offered his hand. Pandora stared at it like it was a viper, but she had no choice. She took it, and he pulled her out of the hole so quickly her head spun. His arms closed around her to keep her from falling backward, pressing her into his broad, well-muscled chest. She clung to him as he pulled her further back, and despite her feelings about him, she blushed. She’d never been embraced by any man who wasn’t her brother.
“You are unbelievable. I will find you a wife if it is the last thing I do,” said Pandora into his waistcoat. She barely came up to his collarbone, he was that much taller than her. His hands trailed up and down her back in a way that was most ungentlemanly. But she didn’t pull away. The contact was foreign, but pleasant, and sent hot and cold chills racing along her skin.
Pandora came to her senses and tried to pull away, but something was caught in her skirts, and she stumbled backward. The sudden movement caught Emmett off guard, and he reached for her as the edge of the pit crumbled beneath their weight.
Emmett twisted and took the brunt of the landing. He grunted as Pandora landed on top of him. His hands came to her hips, and Pandora froze. She was splayed across his chest, his body hard where she was soft. His thumbs rubbed little circles into her hips as he watched the emotions pass over her face.
With a grin he sat up, taking Pandora into his lap. Pandora squawked and tried to wiggle away, but his grasp was firm.
“What are you… mph!” Emmett’s lips descended on hers like a crash of lightning, and she was so shocked that her lips parted of their own volition. He took that as an invitation and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.
Electricity surged through Pandora’s body. She had never been kissed before, and this…this was not what she expected. His hands were everywhere, moving down her legs and back up her sides, never sitting still.
And then his hand found her breast. He massaged the plump mound until her nipple stood erect under his palm. She gasped as the sudden flood of heat pooled somewhere deep within her. And then he stopped. Pandora pulled back with a gasp, mouth flapping like a landed fish. Only the self-satisfied look on Emmett’s face allowed her to collect herself.
“What was that?” she asked in a breathless voice.
“A kiss,” replied Emmett in a smug voice.
Pandora wiggled backward off his lap and backed away. “If you insist.”
Emmett’s eyes darkened. “You doubt it?” His hands reached for her, and Pandora moved further away until she hit the side of the pit. “I am pleased to demonstrate again, to prove myself.”
“That is certainly not necessary. I just…why?”
Emmett’s smug smile grew. “For exactly this reaction here. We may have an agreement, but you have been the source of much vexation, and to see you so beside yourself is pleasing.”
Pandora’s fists tightened in her skirts. “You kissed me just to vex me?”
Emmett’s teeth gleamed white in the moonlight. “Would there be any other reason?”
