Page 19 of An Inconvenient Duke

Dani held the music box tightly to her chest as if she could magically embrace Elise through it. Without a thought except that she desperately needed to show her gratitude, she rose onto tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Only a brief and chaste touch, to show what she couldn’t put into words.

But he startled and turned his head. Her mouth unexpectedly caught the corner of his. He inhaled sharply against her lips at the accidental contact. Suddenly, that touch to the cheek had become so much more, and despite herself, a yearning thrill sparked inside her.

He tensed beneath her hand that rested on his shoulder for balance as she lowered herself. But the hard muscle under her fingers felt so solid and strong that for one desperate moment, she didn’t want to step away. She wanted to step into his embrace and absorb his strength.

His hands went to her arms to steady her—no, to steady both of them as they stared into each other’s eyes, both momentarily stunned.

Her cheeks flushed as she stammered out in embarrassment, “I didn’t mean to…kiss you…like that.”

“Damnable shame, then,” he murmured deadpan, which made her flush turn absolutely burning.

“My apologies. I was overcome.” What she’d just done was wholly inappropriate. Yet she couldn’t stop herself from rising onto her toes again, this time to bring her mouth to his ear and whisper with little more than a hint of a voice, “Thank you…so very much.”

She stepped away to place the box onto the mantelpiece, turning her back so he couldn’t see the emotions on her face.

Good heavens. She’dkissedhim. Oh, she’d truly gone and proved herself a goose this time! Put herself into foolishness up to her neck.

Oddly, though, she couldn’t find it within her to regret it.

By the time she’d gathered herself and turned to face him, she’d managed to put a smile into place, and his own shocked expression had been squelched. As if nothing at all had happened, as if she hadn’t just had her mouth on his. But tension flared between them, and she remained by the fireplace, where she could easily grab the poker and hit herself over the head with it should she be so idiotic as to attempt to kiss him again.

“I hope that means that you’ve accepted my apology,” he drawled.

She nodded, although suspicion nagged at her that his mission to wring answers from her was far from done.

“Shall we start over, then, as if we’d never waltzed?” He sat casually on the arm of the settee. Although she knew that he was now attempting to be nothing more than her best friend’s older brother, he looked so perfectly like a rake in that position that her pulse spiked. “Perhaps you’ll be willing to give me a second chance at tomorrow’s dinner.”

“Perhaps.” Her fingers plucked at her skirt, that old nervous habit she’d had since she was a girl. Fitting, because she’d been nervous around him since she’d been in braids and never more than at this very moment. “Although I might find that you’re just as poorly behaved at dinners as at parties.”

His sensuous lips curled into an amused smile, which did nothing to take her mind away from wondering how it would feel to kiss him again. Arealkiss this time, too, not an accidental one. One that the raffish soldier in him would enjoy. “Ah, but at dinner, I’ll be surrounded by chaperones who’ll be there to keep me in line. Including your aunt.”

“You don’t know Auntie very well.” She arched a brow. “She’d be thrilled to be part of something shocking. More fodder for her stories.”

“Then we must be on our best behavior. I’ll promise to behave if you do.”

Hmm…wishful thinking on his part or a direct lie? Yet she answered, “Agreed.”

His smile didn’t lessen, and she sensed a hardness in him that gave her pause. As if he wanted her to promise to a lot more than simply that. But she couldn’t. No matter how much she wanted to ease his grief and her guilt.

He stood. With a polite nod, he made his way to the door. “Until tomorrow, Miss Williams.”

Then he was gone.

Dani’s knees gave out, and she sank slowly onto the settee. Gripping the armrest, she gulped down several mouthfuls of air to calm her pounding heart and stop her shaking.

Although it had been an accident, she had no business kissing him like that, no matter how kind he was to give her the music box, no matter how chivalrous to apologize…no matter how dashingly intriguing he’d looked in his riding clothes, his dark hair mussed and curling against his collar like that, his muscular thighs so well defined underneath his breeches—

She groaned. Oh, she was an absolute goose!

And if she wasn’t careful, her goose would be good and cooked before this was all over.

Seven

What the devil was she up to?

From a dark corner in the back of the crowded Golden Bell Tavern, dressed inconspicuously in the plain work clothes of a warehouse porter, Marcus watched Danielle as she sat at a little table positioned in front of the grimy windows. She’d been there for almost half an hour, and he’d been right here since shortly after she’d entered, following her inside and keeping watch. And doing his damnedest to figure out why she was here.

This wasn’t the haunt of any gently bred miss. Not the daughter of a baron. And certainlynotalone.