“What is it you want of me?” he asked. “From the way you glare at me, you are not here for what most women want.”
She reached for her reticule and took out a slim slip of paper, advancing toward him near the fire. When she came close, he rested his elbow on the mantelpiece, trying to stand tall and keep as far away from her as possible.
“I hear you know many in the ton,” she said quietly, pushing the piece of paper toward him. “I wish you to help me find someone.”
“You wish for an investigator?” He laughed as he took the paper, well aware of the way she leaped back from him when she jolted at his touch.
Does she fear me?
The mere thought made him angry. He wished her to be as intoxicated as he was, imagining more of those kisses.
“I am not such a man.” He fiddled with the paper, not quite opening it.
“Yet you have other expertise that I require much more.” She looked him in the eye now. “You know what men desire, Your Grace. You know what charms women need to captivate a man.”
“Where are you going with this, Miss Voss?” He stepped toward her, drawing near out of his temptation. To his relief, she didn’t back away again but met his gaze, rather challengingly.
“I wish you to be a teacher,” she said plainly as if they were talking about the weather. “I wish you to show me how to… captivate a man.”
His brows shot up as his lips grew into a small smile.
“No. You wish me to teach you how toseducea man, am I correct?”
She didn’t answer but turned away, placing a hand on the mantelpiece as she looked into the flames.
Oh God. She wishes to be a seductress? Look in the mirror, Miss Voss!
He was entranced already, and he didn’t doubt many other men would be after a short conversation with her. Her quietness was enigmatic, those looks baffling, and her beauty a great distraction. He would have happily kissed her neck now, whispered in her ear that she could seduce him within seconds.
Stop it, you fool.
“I am no charmer.” Her voice was surprisingly firm. “Yet I am tired of sitting in corners and putting up with being in the shadows. I do not believe there is anything so wrong with going after what I want, and I know well enough what we want in life will never be handed to us on a platter. We have to seek it for ourselves.” She glanced back at him over her shoulder, her face half-lit by the firelight.
It made her red hair seem as if it were on fire. Rafe considered trailing his fingers through those locks, imagining how soft they would be.
“I will give you anything you want in return for your lessons,” she asked, her voice soft. “Anything.”
Rafe took a step back.
“Are you offering yourself to me–”
“No!” she snapped quickly. “I simply mean that I would givea lot,exceptthat,in return for this favor.”
“Hmm, tempting.” He toyed with her, smiling and watching as her face flushed red. If that had been her offer, it would have been more tempting than he ever would have admitted to aloud, but it was not to be.
I know what she wants.
He remembered what he had seen the other night at the ball, her tears when she saw Mr. Windham kissing another woman. On the paper in his hands had to be Mr. Windham’s name, and she was doing all of this in order to recapture Mr. Windham’s heart. A surprising jolt of jealousy shot through Rafe, and he crumpled the paper in his hand, stuffing it into his pocket with no intention of reading it.
“You have come to the wrong place.”
“I beg your pardon?” She turned fully to face him now.
“Maybe I do have the knowledge you need, Miss Voss, but it is not up for sale.” He shook his head and stepped toward her, coming so near that he was reminded of that kiss. It would be surprisingly easy to tell her of it now and to ask for another kiss, but he could not do it, not when she was doing all this to seek out Mr. Windham again. “I cannot do as you ask.”
He walked away, startled to find she followed him across the room.
“I—I have money. I can offer to pay you.”
