Page 39 of A Little Bit Dangerous
Christian did not need to glance over his shoulder. He could feel Griffin’s penetrating stare boring into his back. Once seated safely inside the carriage, he would probe Miss Lawton for more information. If need be, he would visit Mivarts under cover of darkness. Ensure Griffin knew not to trouble her again.
But the lady was struggling to catch her breath.
“What is it?” he said, concern shadowing his anger. “Why are you so afraid?” Her hand shook in his, but she gripped him as if teetering on a steep precipice. “Who was that man?”
She managed to stop her chin from trembling to say, “That, Mr Chance, was the devil’s disciple.”
ChapterNine
Isabella couldn’t breathe.
Her heart pounded so hard in her chest it would likely crack a rib.
The last time she’d locked gazes with the villainous Mr Griffin was through the crypt’s iron gate. The man had gripped the bars tightly, his knuckles white amid the blackness as he demanded she unlock the door.
She could still hear the clang of metal as he shook the gate violently while threatening to whip her with a birch. She could still picture saliva dripping down his chin as he shouted obscenities, could recall the mask of propriety falling to reveal the grotesque savage hiding beneath.
Her skin crawled as she remembered the way he’d touched her.
Too intimately.
Too forceful.
Her stomach churned, needing to cast up the horrid memory along with her morning meal.
“Forgive me, Mr Chance.” She brought him to an abrupt halt in the vestibule leading to the Strand. She faced him, seeking solace in his heavenly blue eyes. “This is probably the strangest request any woman has made, but would you mind holding me for a moment?”
He blinked in surprise but made no complaint about the task or the public setting. “It’s not the strangest thing a woman has asked me to do, but without doubt, it’s the most endearing.”
It usually took hours to banish the memories. Like an army of ants, they found their way through every nook and cranny. “A brief embrace should suffice.” Just a moment to know she did not have to deal with this alone.
Mr Chance drew her towards the tall Doric columns and wrapped both arms around her, a muscular barricade against outside forces.
“Breathe,” he whispered. “Your whole body is tense.”
She did breathe, inhaling Mr Chance’s alluring scent in the process—an aroma more arousing than soothing. Pressing her cheek to his hard chest, she closed her eyes and thought of their passionate kiss. Mr Chance hadn’t hurt her. He had not forced his attentions or taken anything she’d not wanted to give freely.
“Griffin is staring at us. Do you want me to speak to him?”
“Ignore him. Talk about something else.”
He understood her meaning and quickly provided the perfect distraction. “I have Mrs Maloney to thank for my love of the ancient world. She’d purchased a pile of books from a merchant who’d fallen on hard times. Among them was one detailing the rise of the Roman Empire, another about Ancient Egyptian landmarks, sketches of Abu Simbel.”
Isabella looked up at him. “Does she still have them?”
“No. I keep the books amongst my personal collection in my bedchamber at home.” A slow smile touched his lips. “Perhaps you might like to see them, touch them, examine them closely.”
Isabella found herself grinning. Mr Chance was charming and amusing and downright mischievous. “I’m not sure your brother would approve. He’ll not tolerate a Lawton under his roof.”
He captured her chin between his long fingers and brushed her bottom lip gently with his thumb. “I could sneak you upstairs, but you’d have to remain there indefinitely. No one need know. You’d be my special secret.” A sensual hum rumbled in his throat. “We’d dine together. Sleep together. Find adventurous ways to occupy our time.”
Mr Chance made the clandestine sound tempting.
For a month, it would be perfect.
But soon cracks would appear.
“What sort of adventurous things would we do?” she said, desperate to ignore her doubts and keep hope alive.
