Page 81 of The Good Duke
Now, having landed himself in that very spot any number of times since they’d reunited, Simon discovered he’d been altogether correct.
Yes, there was no doubting, he’d been lucky to have her as a friend.
But now?Now, he found himself not only enjoying but looking forward to their fiery battle of wits and wills.
With a purposeful languor, Simon got to his feet and folded his arms.
He’d be blind to miss the way her gaze darted and lingered on the slight opening at the top of his shirt, where his chest remained exposed.
A faint blush pinkened her cheeks, and she looked up quick enough to give her a crick in the neck.
He suppressed another smile.
“When you say you don’t hide from anyone,” he drawled, his tone lazy as to match his earlier movements, “especiallynot me? What exactly do you mean by that?”
The saucy minx brought her chin up a smidge. “OldSimon would have knownpreciselywhat I meant.”
“This is true,” he allowed, inclining his head. “It is just…” Simon left that to dangle there a moment.
“Yes?”
As he’d suspected, she’d not be able to resist the bait.
In deeply feigned contemplation, Simon caught his chin in his hand. “Well, you see, I’m attempting to sort out whether you mean you don’t fear me because you only see me as your long-lost friend. Or…”
Persephone compressed her lips into a firm, flat line.
Simon knew, however, she wouldn’t be able to resist. He’d give her five seconds.
One-two-three—
“And?” she said, that beautiful mouth of hers barely moving so that if another person had been present, Simon would have looked at them as the answerer.
She’d only made a three count, then.
Goodness, this was entirely too much fun.
“Or,” Simon continued, “whether you’d gone into hiding because of our embrace yesterday.”
“Our…?” She puzzled her brow, and then suddenly her big brown eyes flared. “Oh,that?” She gave an impudent toss of her head. “Why, I hadn’t even thought about it.”
His eyebrows went flying up.
Persephone smirked.
Ah, how quick that shoe landed on the other foot.
Persephone turned his momentary speechlessness against him. “It is to be expected, Simon. I understand all too well suffering the advances of handsy employers is part and parcel of the assignment.”
He’d draw the linethere. “I didn-notseduce you,” he exclaimed. “And you well know it, Persephone. Not the king himself could force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”
She opened her mouth, but he didn’t allow her a word edgewise.
“Furthermore, since when did you begin referring to me as youremployer? When I found you breaking into my residence, didn’t you insist we were friends? Aren’t I just a friend who happened to offer you employment as a means to help you—”
“Andyou,” she jumped in.
“And me,” Simon allowed. He didn’t bother pointing out that with all the games she’d played, he felt further away from marriage with her playing matchmaker than he ever had before.
