Page 86 of The Pleasures of Passion
“He paid for his losses with a counterfeit twenty-pound banknote.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And that surprises you?”
“Some, yes. I’d hoped he might not be guilty. But clearly he’s in this up to his neck.” Taking off his coat, Niall threw it over the chair by her desk. “At the very least, he’ll probably end up standing trial and being transported abroad for his crime.”
“We knew that was possible.”
“Possible, yes. Certain, no. And now that I consider the result of such a scandal once it becomes public—”
“Oh. I see.” She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. He was starting to reconsider marrying her. She didn’t blame him, but still, it hurt. “I’ve made my peace with it, but I can see why it might giveyoupause. You won’t want to marry a woman who will drag your family through the mud.”
“What?” he said, clearly shocked. “That’s not what I meant at all. It’s you and Silas that worry me.” He strode up to where she stood near her bed. “I came here to tell you that if you want me to save your father from prosecution, I might attempt it. I can confront him with this banknote and tell him I’ll turn him over to the authorities unless he reveals everything about the operation. And then I can do my damned best to keep him out of it.”
“Have you lost your mind? You do that, and you risk making an enemy out of Fulkham! Or worse, being forced to keep working for him.”
He shrugged. “Not necessarily. I’m sure I could negotiate something with him.”
Her heart leapt into her throat. “No, you arenotdoing that.”
“It’s not foryour father’ssake, but yours and Silas’s. The way I see it—”
“Absolutely not! I lost you once. I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”
“You won’t lose me. We could work the matter out so that—”
She shook her head so violently, her unbound hair swung about her shoulders. “We’re not discussing this anymore. If you’re truly only concerned about me and Silas, then we’ll stick to the original arrangement.”
He got that stubborn look on his face that told her he meant to keep beating at this until he changed her mind, and desperation seized her. So she took a page from his book and did something outrageous to distract him.
She kissed him. Right on the mouth. With all the pent-up need she’d been feeling from the time she’d left him this afternoon.
He jerked back to grab her by the arms. “What the blazes are you doing?”
“What do you think?”
“But we need to discuss—”
“I don’t want to talk right now, and especially not about Papa.” She flung her arms about his neck. “I want to do this.” Then she kissed him again.
He froze, but only briefly before kissing her back so ardently that it made her swoon. He was such a luscious kisser, and tonight she wanted nothing more than to revel in his experience at seduction.
But cursedly he came to his senses and broke the kiss. Sweeping her with a quick, heated glance, he muttered an oath under his breath before putting her aside. “We have totalk.”
“Not now.”
“Bree—”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a rogue?” She planted her hands on her hips, perfectly aware of how the motion thrust her breasts forward, and reveling in the dark interest in his eyes. “Why don’t you behave like one?”
He gritted his teeth. “That’s not what I came here for.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“All right, so . . . perhaps I had that in the back of my mind, but—”
“Good.” Feeling every bit the Lady Rebel he called her, she grabbed his hand and drew it to her breast.
He let out a harsh breath. As if in a trance he rubbed her there, softly and silkily at first, and then with a firm touch that had her nipple tightening to a hard point.
