Page 6 of Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses
“I don’t really see that’s any of your concern.”
“He’s a spendthrift.”
“And you’re not?”
“I don’t lose at the gaming tables.”
“Well, that’s certainly a trait every woman highly covets in a man.”
“It should be if it’s your money with which he’s gambling.”
“Your brother is advising me. I don’t need you to do it as well.”
“My brother doesn’t move about in the same...questionablecircles that I do.”
“Yet Somerdale does?”
“On occasion.”
“Why do you care?” she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.
“You’re part of the family now. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. Any gentleman who seeks to make a fool of me will find himself regretting it.”
He grinned broadly. “Oh. And how will you accomplish that? By writing a stern letter to theTimes, calling him out?”
“By shooting him someplace he’d rather not be shot.”
He laughed. “With a pistol?”
“Or a rifle. My family is in the firearms business. Surely you’re not surprised to discover I’m proficient in using both.”
“Perhaps I am a little. I’d never really given it any thought.” His eyes warmed. “What other things don’t I know about you, Miss Hammersley?”
The pressure on her back was subtle, yet she was very much aware of the fact that they were a little closer. She should have objected, but she welcomed the nearness. From the moment she’d been introduced to him at the theater, he’d intrigued her. “First, tell me something I don’t know about you.”
“That I can see the thrumming of your pulse at your throat and would very much like to feel it against my tongue.”
Chapter 4
Christ. Had he really just said that? Rex was correct. Andrew needed to stay not only away from her, but far, far away from her. She was too innocent for the likes of him, and whenever he was near her, he seemed to misplace all rational thought.
Those beautiful green eyes of hers widened and her pale pink lips parted slightly, but the distance between them was narrow enough that if he lowered his head, he could press his mouth to hers and slip his tongue inside without meeting any resistance. Unless, of course, she was carrying a pistol upon her person. He very nearly asked.
“You’re attempting to shock me,” she said tersely.
Dear God, how he wished that was all it was. Instead he wanted to lift her into his arms and carry her up to his old bedchamber, lay her out on his bed, and ravage her until dawn. He wanted to know the taste of her, every inch. Her mouth, her throat, her breasts, the sweet haven between her thighs. He yearned to sip them all at his leisure, to take her slowly and wickedly, to hear her sighs and moans filling his ears. He’d told Rex he found her dull when in truth she was the furthest thing from dull he’d ever known.
“Does Somerdale not make such claims?” he asked lightly.
“Of course not. He is a gentleman.”
“A boring one at that, then.”
“You know, my lord, if I didn’t know better I’d almost think you were jealous.”
He scoffed, a bit too loudly, as the couple nearby glanced over at him. “I’ve never been jealous in my life. That particular emotion is reserved for those who seek permanence in a relationship.”
