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‘Stand. Take your dress off.’
She complied, removing her gown, and revealing that she had nothing on underneath.
Her body was lovely, her mons waxed clean, and normally, he would be feeling some sense of desire or excitement. He felt nothing. And perversely, she looked absolutely aroused by his complete uninterest. If only his uninterest were feigned. But it was not.
He could obviously proceed. But he was too furious. And the woman he needed to be dealing with was not here.
‘I’m sorry.’ He stood, walked forward and grabbed hold of her chin. ‘I’m not in need of your services tonight. I will still issue payment.’
‘Have I done something wrong?’ Whether or not hers was a desire to truly please, or concern she was losing a valuable client, he did not know. But it didn’t matter either.
That she made it impossible to tell was why she was so good at what she did.
‘The problem is with me. And I must go and sort it out.’ The money would be put on his ledger, and he would settle the account later. There was no need for anything quite so common as for money to change hands then and there. He walked out of the den of iniquity and on to the far too busy streets. Then he began the journey home. And he called himself every foul name he could think of.
He tore through the front door of the town house, intent on taking himself up to his bedchamber. And he saw that she was still outside.
He could see that sweet, white nightgown, which she had been wearing the night that he had come upon her in the swing.
She turned, eyes wide. ‘Seems a rather short visit to a brothel,’ she said, but her face betrayed her shock.
‘You have no idea how long such matters should take.’
‘Perhaps not. But given the severity of your manner when you left, I expected it to be a rather long night.’
‘And here you are.’
‘Do not flatter yourself. If you are suggesting that you think I was waiting for you...’
‘I would never suggest such a thing,’ he said.
‘Why are you here?’
‘Because,’ he said, taking a step towards her, ‘of you.’
‘What have I done?’
His blood was boiling now. And he knew that he should not move even one fraction of an inch towards her. But he did. He did, and as he did, his desire drew up tight inside him like a bow. And he was on the edge of control. Which did not happen to him. He was a man who prized control above all else. It was his linchpin. The most important thing to a man such as him. He could never afford to be out of control. Not ever.
‘Ask me your questions.’
‘I have no more questions for you. Except perhaps why you insist on treating me so poorly?’
‘You wish to know the secrets of the universe. You wish to inser
t yourself into my life. Do you wish for me to stop protecting you?’
He could see her running quick mental calculations. He could also see that she had no idea what he was asking. And it was not a kindness that he was doing it.
‘You wish to step into this role in William’s life. You wish to understand the world. You wish to be trusted to go to war. Then you tell me now. What is it you wish to learn?’
‘Everything,’ she said, the words exiting her mouth in a rush.
And then he reached the end of it. The end of everything.
And he took a step forward, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her up to his chest. He could feel her breasts pressed against him, lush and supple. And the way she looked up at him, her eyes full of wonder, did something to him that he could not adequately describe.
He could kiss her. But instead, he gave in to a much darker temptation. He put his hand on the back of her head, grabbed hold of the thick braid that hung down the centre of her back, and tugged, hard.
