Page 72 of The Mech Who Loved Me
And Kincaid suddenly wanted to take thebastarddown.
"Work as a team," Kincaid told Charlie, lumbering to his feet, his braces holding him upright as he settled into a more defensivestance.
They moved together, trying to take Malloryn unawares. Punches hammered toward the duke, but he was simply never there. A hand caught Kincaid's wrist, heaving him in a wrestler’s throw, and he somehow managed to flip over Malloryn's back, landing on his feet. Charlie stepped in, trying to distract the duke, and Kincaid decided the only way to do this was to throw all hiscardsin.
He took the duke down in a dive, Malloryn twisting like a cut cat in his arms. An elbow slammed into his solar plexus, and then his jaw, and Kincaid saw stars as the duke rolled over him and landed a sweeping kick to Charlie'schest.
"Jesus." Charlie hitthemats.
Kincaid tried to lift himself off them. This was not working the way he'd planned.Everythinghurt.
"Where... the fuck... did you learn to fight like that?" Kincaid panted, hands on his knees, as he waited for Charlie to get tohisfeet.
"I was one of the heirs of a Great House." Malloryn was at least breathing hard. "The first time someone tried to kill me, I was six, for the only way to become head of one of the Echelon Houses is to either assassinate your way to the top, or present a duel to the death. My father was ambitious. I started playing with knives when Iwastwo."
"Well," Gemma drawled from the doorway. "I hate to interrupt the sweat session, however, there's been a note, and it says it'surgent."
Malloryn lowered his hands from their defensive stance. "Hadenough?"
Kincaid lifted his head from his slumped pose, then exhaled and nodded. "Yeah.Youwin."
Gemma clucked her tongue. "Which one of you two was foolish enough tochallengehim?"
Kincaid raised a hand, then reached out to offer Charlie a lift tohisfeet.
"In Kincaid's defense"—Charlie threw the words over his shoulder—"I was right there with him. Didn't know His Grace could handlehimself."
"Perhaps next time we can oil all three of you up, and let you have at it?" A sudden innocent smile decorated her full mouth, and her gaze slid over the three of them lasciviously. "But only if I get to let the rest of the ladieswatch."
Charlie flushed pink and scrabbled for his shirt. Both Kincaid and Malloryn eyed each other. The duke's smile had faded, and he was once again reverting back to his controlledpersona.
Pity. For a second, Kincaid had almost liked the bastard. Even if he was mercilessly beating the pairofthem.
"You used to be more fun, Auvry," Gemma murmured, crossing her arms over herchest.
Malloryn sighed, and dragged his shirt on, buttoning it up to his chin. "I used to be naïve too. Yes, even me. What have you gotforme?"
Gemma held up a small envelope. "I don't know. It's addressed to you, and I didn't think you'd appreciate it if Iopenedit."
"That's never stopped you in the past," Malloryn pointed out, snatching up the letter, and examining it. "You used to slide a hot knife under the seal, then re-melt the wax tosealit."
"Perhaps I learned my lesson?" There was something sad about her smile. "Maybe I'm not as fun as I used to beeither?"
Malloryn met her eyes, and Kincaid felt like an observer in some intimate dilemma. He knew there was history between the two of them, though he doubted it was romantic. Gemma had failed Malloryn once, though that was the extent of what Kincaid hadheard.
"Or perhaps that's what you want me to think." Malloryn snorted, and it broke the tension, even as he slid his thumbnail beneath thewaxseal.
"You're getting cynical in your old age," Gemmaretorted.
"That's what happens when one of your spies bugs your study with a recording device, and the rest of them have a betting pool on whether you're going to get your fiancée to the altarornot."
Kincaid grinned. "Well, some ofusstill know how tohavefun."
"So far you're in front, Your Grace," Charlie said promptly. "Though if the bride cries off, do let me know. I've got fifty quid ridingonit."
"Miss Hamilton's not going to cry off," Gemma said. "She trapped Malloryn into a betrothal, so she's hardlylikelyto...."
Kincaid's attention shifted away from the argument between Charlie and Gemma. The duke had opened the envelope, and he saw the sudden tension inMalloryn'sbody.
