Page 15 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
She expected him to say something, anything. But instead, he remained silent, not taking his eyes off of her. She hoped to see a flicker of shock, surprise, even recognition in them, but his face was devoid of any emotion. After all, he was a skilled card player. That skill certainly came at the expense of many an hour spent at the card table.
He waited for her to continue, an act that proved that despite her being the one talking, he was in control of the conversation through mere silence.
“With that knowledge in mind, I would like to make a proposition,” she continued to unravel her daring idea, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. Every word felt like a burden as heavy as a mountain, refusing to roll off her tongue smoothly, but rather all at once, like an avalanche. “Three months of secret companionship, with me becoming your… mistress, in exchange for the extinguishment of my late husband’s debts.”
The seconds stretched into an eternity as Anna awaited for his response, but instead of words, all she could see was the look of shock in his eyes. Her heart pounding, she held her breath, wondering if she had just saved herself or signed her death sentence.
Chapter 8
Alexander thought he hadn’t heard her well.Companionship? Mistress?
It was impossible. It had to be his own dirty mind creating implausible scenarios, while she herself had said something far less shocking. However, the moment he locked his eyes with hers, he knew the audacious proposition was indeed true. It was not a figment of his own imagination. He swallowed heavily before echoing her own words back to her.
“Three months of… companionship?” His voice lingered in the air around them, to what she simply nodded. He had purposefully ignored the word “mistress.”
A surge of skepticism coursed through his veins.It’s the rumors,he thought. It had to be. And he was far too clever not to see through the veil of societal rumors that had driven her to such lengths. While he had been more than aware of the stories circulating through thetonregarding him and his… nightly pleasures, he had never lifted a finger to either confirm or dispel these rumors. He simply did not care what thetonthought of him. It was not worth the hassle of his attention.
He tilted his head as he took a closer, more introspective look at her.My goodness, she is breathtaking,that voice inside reminded him. To be quite honest, he couldn’t understand how such a beautiful, well-spoken, well-mannered lady came up with such a shocking proposition.
He considered it beneath her, but he would never say it aloud for fear of offending her. That was the last thing he wanted to do, as he knew well that her being there, with such a bold proposal, took courage. In fact, she had more courage than many a gentleman he had come to know.
For that alone, she deserved his respect. That was why he knew he had to employ a different strategy. He had to question her motives, and through that, force her to do the same.
“Is this only about the debt?” he asked as a pregnant pause filled the air around them.
“Why does it matter?” she snapped back, obviously not expecting to be questioned about her choices and decisions.
He raised a brow. It was not in him to be obedient without questioning the other party. “How could it not?”
“We will both get what we want.” She hastily explained things from her perspective, her lower lip quivering barely noticeably. She was in utter control of herself, yet another respect-worthy trait. “Reasoning matters little when both sides are satisfied.”
“Both sides, you say?” he continued, more and more amused with each passing moment. “Then you must believe the rumors you have heard about me?”
“I, um…” she started, but her words got entangled inside her own mind. Her cheeks blushed a fervent, nervous red, which only seemed to make her more desirable.
He wanted to press his palm to her cheeks, to feel the heat emanating off of her. But he dared not touch her, no matter how much he wanted to. Perhaps, if he played his cards right, the chance for that would soon follow. The thought titillated him beyond description.
“You what, Lady Ravenscroft?” he inquired, taking another bold step toward her.
She was losing control of herself, and it drove him mad to know he had that effect on her. They were so close that their lips were almost touching, her gaze lifted to meet his. She stood in perfect measurement with his body. All he had to do was wrap his arms around her and pull her close. It would have been so easy to do. After all, that was what she had come to him for, no?
“I’ve heard of the rumors, yes.” She nodded, her nostrils flaring in rebellion. She didn’t want to agree with him, yet she had to. It was all beyond amusing, beyond erotic.
He grinned at her perplexed expression. “That wasn’t what I asked.”
“How am I supposed to know whether something is true unless I have witnessed it myself?” she snapped back, her lower lip quivering even more as she spoke.
She was not as bold and determined as when she had come. She had far less control of herself, of her emotions. And he relished seeing her like this, because this was not rehearsed. These were her real reactions. He wondered how uninhibited she was relinquished of the confines of her clothes.
“Your proposition proves otherwise,” he reminded her, trying not to think about her naked. “You would not be offering… what you are offering, unless you believed at least a little in what you’ve heard.”
“Well… is it?” she asked, endeavoring to turn the tables, but he could see right through her guise.
“Is it what?” he asked playfully, taking his time, his eyes caressing the curves of her breasts and waist, then quickly flying back to the small heart shape of her upper lip.
“True,” she pointed out.
“Does it matter?” he replied, unable to resist chuckling, as he was throwing her own words back to her. “I mean, if this proposition of yours has risen out of your own need to rectify a difficult financial situation, then it does not matter at all. However, if you have been pushed into proposing this by your belief in my… dark nightly agendas, then itdoesmatter.”
