Page 52 of Dukes Are Forever
Adele hammered at him as he swept her back into his arms. Too late. She was caught now.
"I wouldn't waste the bullet!" She couldn't resist trying to escape. She was so damned angry. "You lied to me."
"I wasn't certain if you were working for the enemy," Malloryn finally snapped. He turned her toward him and Adele kicked him, stubbing her toe against his shin.
"Me?Working for your enemy? What did you think I was? Some kind of spy?"
An icy, impenetrable look came over his face. "I—"
She couldn't help herself. She laughed right in his face. "Then I'm not the only idiot here, it seems. Perhaps you were too clever for yourself? How does that feel, Malloryn? Talking yourself around in bloody circles every time you meet someone? Questioning their loyalty. Standing there alone—"
"That's enough." She'd scored a point though.
"Is it?"
"I think," he stated, "that I don't know half of what goes on in that pretty little head of yours. You decimated Lord Abagnale when he tried for your hand. You had me bound at the altar before I could even blink. You set up a black market trade among the debutantes of the Echelon, running hemlock rings to them beneath the noses of suspicious mamas and blue blood lords everywhere—"
"So it makes sense I would be working for thevery menI despise?" Adele countered. "The elite lords of the Echelon who want to take the world back to the days when they ruled it and the rest of us were just prey?"
Malloryn froze.
"I don't think you were thinking at all," she taunted, wriggling furiously. "Let me go."
"No."
Adele struggled harder. "Let. Me. Go."
"No."
"I see the barbarian has managed to stake its claim on you!"
"That's enough."
Adele fought to free herself.
"I said, that's enough." He slammed her back against the wall, breathing hard as he captured her wrists above her head and pinned her there.
There was no way to escape. He was stronger than her. Faster. His temper thoroughly roused. The pair of them glared at each other.
"You are a fool, Your Grace."
His eyes narrowed even further, which somehow seemed impossible, but he was clearly thinking again. "You wanted a child."
There was no way in hell she was admitting any ofthosethoughts to him. "What I want is for you to get your hands off me, right this instant."
"Yes, but we don't always get what we want, do we, Adele? Now what?" he taunted. "Are you going to hemlock me too?"
"I only had one dose."
"Poor Herbert." His lips kicked up.
"Poor Herbert, my foot."
There was only one weapon left to engage. She meant to escape, but it was clear her husband overpowered her physically. Which left only her mind. And—
Adele kissed him.
There was a moment of frozen shock as Malloryn absorbed the action without responding. For a second she thought he was going to reject her, that it had all been one stupid game to put her in her place, and make a fool out of her—
