Page 68 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
As her words had tumbled out, he’d seen the disappointment in her eyes. Blast it, he had not intended to let her down. If she were some other woman, he could mimic an infatuation. He could make a show of holding her close and brushing his mouth over hers and whispering in her ear words the others could not hear, but would assume were spoken with desire and heat and passion.
She’d wanted him to pretend to be lovestruck, to put on a bloody charade. And all to drive off thenoble nobsshe detested. With another woman, he might’ve been able to pull it off.
But not with Macie.
The act she wanted him to perform was too blasted close to the truth.
He gazed down at her. She’d dressed as Maid Marian. Her fitted gown hugged her curves and flared softly over her rounded hips, while the light green silk intensified the emerald hue of her eyes. With her long, chestnut brown hair swept back in asimple braid, her high cheekbones and full mouth were framed to perfection. She was beautiful.
So bloody beautiful.
If Robin Hood’s lady had been as striking as Macie in that gown, the notorious archer would’ve spent far less time gallivanting around Sherwood Forest and more tending home and hearth.
His chest tightened. In all his life, he’d never known such a longing to simply caress a woman’s cheek, to brush his fingers over her lips and smile to himself as her lips curved in response to his touch. Blast it, this need was unfamiliar. So bloody unlike any hunger for a woman he’d ever experienced.
If he didn’t hold himself in tight check, there wouldn’t be a damned thing he could do to stop himself from admitting the truth. Even to himself.
He wanted her.
He hungered to taste the sweetness of her lips. Longed to feel the softness of her curves beneath his hands. Needed to see a subtle, sensuous smile for his eyes only. But she was not meant for a rake like him.
Macie was off limits.
Forbidden.
It shouldn’t matter that he wanted to touch her. To kiss her. To whisper words of love.
Finn pulled in a low breath. He had a job to do. The deal with Mason Enterprises would ensure that his family’s business could thrive for years to come. He’d do well to keep that in mind. He’d promised to watch over Macie, to protect her from the jackals. If he gave in to the hunger he could scarcely deny, he would betray her brother’s faith in him. And the faith his family had entrusted in him.
He had to think of Macie as well. She was determined to chase away the fortune hunters. But he’d no doubt she wouldsomeday encounter a man who was a good match for her. A man of who didn’t give a damn about her fortune. A man who shared her passions. Perhaps, even, a man who could offer her the adventure of a lifetime, as she’d put it. He could not stand in the way of a man who might be the one for her.
Finn set his attention on her delicate features, if only to distract himself from the temptation of her body. Meeting his gaze, a bit of confusion dipped her brows lower. She pressed her lips together, more of a pout now than a frown.
Had she sensed the truth?
He stiffened his elbows, increasing the distance between them. Not that he had a choice. It wouldn’t do for her to feel the undeniable evidence of his body’s response to her. Blasted good thing he’d worn a sack coat and not the ridiculous hose her friend had wanted to inflict upon him. Now wouldn’t that have been quite the blasted scene?
The musicians slowed their tempo, and the strains of the waltz faded. The notes of a more vigorous dance filled the room. Macie slowly shook her head and gently pulled away from his light hold.
“I believe I’ve had quite enough.” Her voice was low and husky, and an emotion he could not read played on her features. Was that anger? Or sadness in her eyes?
With that, she turned and left him standing on the dance floor.
Bloody hell.
*
Hurrying away fromFinn and the smiling dancers who’d managed to move to the rhythm of the music without creating chaos, Macie wanted nothing more than to escape herhumiliation. She should have known better than to think her plan would work. But she’d never imagined it could go awry in such dreadful fashion.
Her hopeful scheme should’ve created the illusion of a fairy tale romance that might finally throw the heiress hunters off her track. But utterly nothing had gone as planned. The quarter-hour or so she’d spent on the dance floor with Finn had seemed an eternity. Goodness, it was bad enough when she and Finn collided with a dagger-eyed dollar princess and her scowling prince. But her awkward steps that had nearly stripped a foppish lion of his tail created a humiliation worthy of the nameCalamity Macie.
But that was not the worst of it.
No, that moment had come with Macie’s dawning awareness that as they danced—if that was what one could truly call their awkwardone-two-three, one-two-threemovements across the floor—Finn had rigidly extended his arms. Why, he’d held her as far from himself as humanly possible. And even that distance did not seem to suit him. When they were together, he’d been ill at ease, his expression pinched, as if he were counting the moments until the night was over. A block of cold marble might have conveyed more warmth than the tense set of Finn’s features.
He’d cautioned her against her scheme. More than once, actually. Had he known all along that he could not bring himself to convincingly feign an attraction?
Well, that was it. So much for her little game. Perhaps it was for the best. She had no true flair for deceit. And evidently, neither did Finn.
