Page 40 of A Little Bit Dangerous
He arched a brow. “Things no gentleman should repeat.”
“You’re no gentleman.”
“No,” he mused. “I’m not.”
“If we were wicked, it would be no fault of our own. We could blame our parents for corrupting our poor souls.”
Mr Chance narrowed his gaze. “Miss Lawton, are you attempting to seduce me? If so, I must tell you it will be as easy as eating cherry pie.”
Her equilibrium restored, she raised her chin. “What a terrible pity. I’m a woman who thrives on a challenge.”
“Do you want me to make it hard for you?” he uttered, his voice low and husky. “Trust me, it won’t be a problem.”
For the first time, she faced a romantic dilemma.
She’d sworn never to suffer her mother’s fate, yet the need to strip this man out of his clothes and press her body close to his was too powerful to resist.
He must have sensed her inner struggle, the desire to do the opposite of what she’d professed. “You need to stop hiding and be honest with yourself. You’re an intelligent woman. Surely you can see what’s happening here.”
Yes, she knew.
Their attraction was a palpable energy vibrating between them.
“What is happening?” she whispered.
Mr Chance leant closer. “We’re going to kiss again. All this dallying is delaying the inevitable. When we do, it will be explosive. You’ll beg me not to stop until you find your release.”
He must have seen the glazed look of surrender in her eyes. Thank heavens they were in a public place or their mouths would have collided.
“I see you understand my meaning,” he said, his gaze hot and intense. “You’ve already experienced such pleasure. Tell me. Who earned the right to touch you?”
Isabella shook her head. “No one.” Sadly, she’d borne witness to the experience. People had probably heard her mother’s moans in Milan. “I’m chaste, Mr Chance. That might be somewhat of a problem for you.”
“If you’re trying to deter me, you’re doing a dreadful job.”
“I’m not trying to deter you.” Like the Earth’s magnetic pull, she was drawn to him in inexplicable ways.
“Good. Because at this present moment, nothing could stop me from wanting you.” He released her, the chill of loneliness quickly finding its way back into her bones. “But I’m not the one wavering between piousness and wickedness. You must think on the matter. If you want to dabble with danger, you’ll need to let me know.”
Her mind skipped to their impending carriage ride, to those quiet hours after dinner tonight when she’d be alone in her room craving his company. He was right. The more time they spent together, the more she dreaded the time apart.
Mr Chance offered his arm. “You’ll be glad to know Mr Griffin has left. Later, you’ll tell me what he did to make you so fearful.”
“It’s an age-old story. A case of unrequited lust. A tale of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” But she couldn’t bear to think about Mr Griffin, and so she gripped his arm tightly and walked towards the Strand.
“Did he hurt you?” he said as if preparing to wreak vengeance on Satan’s minions.
Fearing what he might do, she avoided the question. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have called you my husband without asking your permission.”
“Pay it no mind. I’ve been called worse things.”
“All of them undeserved, I’m sure.”
“Unrepeatable, yet wholly deserved,” he teased.
She chuckled, believing her troubles were behind her, but her gaze shot to the three men blocking their path, and she realised they’d only just begun.
She froze—stopping dead in her tracks. Fate was conspiring against her. Evil lurked on every street corner, waiting to put paid to these brief moments of happiness.
