Page 30 of King of Rogues
“Check on the coach driver if you get a chance to drop by Gracechurch Street in the next day. I am sure he was alright, but we need to make sure our staff are fit for work.”
That was Monsale.
“I did happen to see him yesterday. He said the fall from the roof of the coach had only left him with bruises, but I will ask again.”
The other voice was Stephen.
“Alright. I had better go. I have a ball to attend this evening, and the third woman on the list to meet.”
Naomi hurried to the front door as the sound of footsteps on the stairs grew louder. She didn’t bother to wait for a footman to see her out, instead she reached for the handle and hastened outside.
“Naomi, tarry a moment, will you?”
Deuce. I was hoping to avoid him.
The Steele family carriage was waiting in the street, and she quickened her steps, desperate to get away. The footman barely had time to step down from the back of the coach and open the door before she was holding her hand out for him to help her climb in.
An arm suddenly appeared in front of her, followed by the imposing form of the Duke of Monsale. The footman took a hasty step back, moving out of the way.
“Thank you, I shall assist Lady Naomi,” said Monsale.
With a great degree of reluctance, she accepted his offered hand. Warm fingers wrapped around hers and a jolt of heat raced down her spine. She had been in such a hurry to leave Bridget and Stephen’s house that Naomi hadn’t had time to put her gloves on.
She gasped. Her gaze dropped to their joined hands. Monsale was touching her. Her mind immediately filled with visions of temptation, of the long nights she had lain awake and imagined how it would feel when he ran his fingers over her naked body.
She barely noticed her feet landing on the step of the carriage as she climbed inside. The mere touch of his fingers on her bare skin had set her mind in a whirl. Naomi dropped breathlessly onto the sumptuously cushioned bench. She was still trying to catch her breath when Monsale climbed into the carriage and pulled the door shut behind him.
Quick as a flash, he tugged the blind down, blocking them from the view of anyone who happened to be walking by.
“You and I need to talk,” he said. He banged his fisted hand on the roof of the carriage, and within a matter of seconds they had drawn away from the side of the street.
Naomi finally found her wits and voice. “What are you doing?”
She scurried across the other side of the bench as Monsale came and sat beside her. The more she moved away, the closer he came. In the end she found herself tucked up in the corner, with nowhere left to go.
“About this evening. This is a make-or-break moment for me. There is only one lady left on the list for me to consider,” said Monsale.
“I am perfectly aware of the precariousness of your situation. And while I am sorry to hear that neither of the first two candidates were what you were looking for in a bride, none of this is actually my concern,” she replied.
He shot her a dark look. “You don’t look the least bit sorry, Lady Naomi. And I am certain that you consider the subject of whom I marry to be very much your business. So perhaps you might want to consider giving up the lies.”
Her mouth opened on a surprised ‘o’. It wasn’t every day that a woman of noble birth was called a liar.
“Alright. I am not disappointed that you haven’t yet found the right one. But that is not my fault. If anyone is to blame, you should look closer to home.”
Monsale raised an eyebrow. “Really? I would have thought you had a great deal to do with the current bind I find myself in.”
Naomi shook her head. She was not going to be forced into making any sort of concessions to his pride.
He moved closer, his muscular thigh pressing hard against her leg. There may have been layers of clothing between them, but she sensed the heat and power in his body just the same.
Naomi closed her eyes as Monsale brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. She silently prayed.
Touch me.
The scent of his cologne now filled her senses. He was near. She dared not open her eyes for fear of meeting his. This was more dangerous than even last night had been.
A soft, warm kiss was placed on her forehead. It held the promise of a lover’s benediction. She shivered when the second kiss came, this time on the bridge of her nose.
