Page 26 of The Duke Meets His Match

“What’s a pretty one like you doing in the gardens alone tonight?” A pox-faced man asked. He was dressed well, probably gentry, but the strong odor of alcohol wafted from him.

“I’m not alone, sir.”

“You have a protector, then? I shall outbid him,” he said with great bravado. He tried to take her hand, but Chloe slipped away. During their ownership of the Peacock Print Shop, men had tried to proposition each of the three unmarried proprietors. Chloe had experience with over-amorous customers. But the crush of people tonight unnerved her, and she frantically scanned the crowd to find Henry, Eliza, or Huntingdon.

Just as fear began to take hold, a strong hand grasped her arm. She whirled to find Michael towering over her.

“This way.”

She had no trouble following him. Even in a crowd, his presence was compelling. Men and women parted at his size and the air of command that exuded from his tall frame. She assumed he would take her back to the supper box, but he led her away from the throng of people and down a gravel pathway into the gardens.

Her step faltered. “Where are we going?”

“We need to talk. Alone.”

Chapter Ten

Panic welled in Chloe’s chest. “I don’t want to be alone with you.” She couldn’t trust herself near Michael. The pull of attraction was too strong. Then there was the issue of Lady Willowby. He’d gone off in one of the private hedges with her alone. Did he think he could be with the voluptuous widow and then attempt to seduce Chloe as well?

He abruptly stopped to face her, and she nearly collided with his powerful body. “Did you kiss Henry?”

She bristled at his tone as much as his question. “That’s none of your concern.”

“Did you kiss him, dammit?” His tone was harsh, his expression like granite. A muscle ticked at his jaw.

“Did you kiss Lady Willowby?”

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“Do not flatter yourself, Your Grace.” She pushed away from him, widening the space between them.

“How long will you convince yourself that we aren’t meant to be together?” The hoarseness of his tone was like a hot caress across her skin.

“Your arrogance is astounding.” She spun around, intending to flee, but her slipper caught on a rock and she stumbled. He latched onto her wrist to steady her, and the simple touch nearly buckled her knees.

“It may be wrong, but I’m honest enough to acknowledge the attraction between us. Are you brave enough to acknowledge it as well, to admit the truth?” At her silence, satisfaction glinted in his coal eyes. “I’ve never forced a woman into my bed, and I won’t start now. Will you be my lover, Chloe?”

A tremor inside her heated her thighs and groin at his erotic offer. She wanted to yield to the burning sweetness that seemed captive within her. She fought it.

“It’s not possible.” Her voice sounded weak to her own ears.

“Why? You do not strike me as the type of woman who prefers flattery and false praise. You would tire of any man who spews poetry and writes sonnets about the shade of your lips or the blueness of your eyes.”

“You misunderstand. What I want is to be more than a man’s mistress.”

“I’ll give you everything.”

Everything but a wedding ring.

I refuse to spend a future worrying about money or security or if he’ll leave, she vowed. I’ll never allow myself to become a victim of a man’s abandonment again!

What she felt for Michael was desire. Lust. Nothing more could come of it. Certainly not a future. If she gave her innocence to him, she would lose the most valuable thing she possessed for her future husband. And after Michael tired of her, she’d be left behind with a few trinkets and a ruined reputation.

The man saw her only as a pickpocket. A thief. Someone out for Henry’s title and fortune. A woman who’d been with other men.

Regret seared her chest. No matter how hard she tried, she’d never be good enough, would she?

“You want a ring?” he asked.