"That is utter bollocks."
"No, it's true. From the time I was a child, I've been getting into scrapes. I've had more tutors than you could count on both hands, yet I cannot claim a single accomplishment." Her shrug was nearly obscured by his jacket, which dwarfed her and made her look like a little girl in a game of dress-up. "I don't know why I thought I could suddenly transform into a paragon."
"You can do anything you put your mind to." He hated that she thought differently, hated that the world could crush her spirit. Her beautiful exuberance. The need to protect her clawed at his insides. "If you had truly wanted Portland, you would have figured out a way to snare him," he said. "Or any one of those fine prancing bastards."
She swiveled and looked fully at him. Her expression made his breath catch. "But I don't want Portland," she said softly, "or any of those gentlemen. I realize now that I don't give a damn what thetonor anyone else thinks. For the first time, I know whatIwant."
Words seemed to stick in his throat. "What is that?"
She came closer to him, her eyes luminous. Captivating. "Adventure and passion, for starters. I've started writing again, you know, and this time I want my life to inspire my work."
Adventure and passion. He swallowed. Aye, he could give her that.
"I want to live without regrets." She stopped in front of him, the tips of her slippers nearly touching his boots. "I want to experience everything I've ever dreamed about and more."
A smile curved her lips, and in that single, awesome moment she transformed before his eyes. From lovely girl to a sultry, bewitching woman. A siren of indescribable power.
"I fear I would shock even you with my true wicked nature," she said.
"Wicked, you say?" He cleared his throat, trying to think. It was difficult, seeing as how all the blood had drained from his brain and gone straight to his cock. "Wickedness is my stock in trade. Trust me, nothing you could say would shock me."
Yet he froze when she lifted one palm then another to his chest. Her light touch burned through his waistcoat. "So you would not be shocked if I said… I desire you, Gavin?" Her bottom lip caught beneath her teeth. In a trembling voice, she confessed, "That I'd want to be with you, even without the wager?"
Arousal knifed through him. White-hot, alarming in its intensity. In spite of loyalty to her brother, she wanted to be with him… He forced himself to inhale and exhale. "Not shocked, no." He ran his knuckles softly along her cheek. "Grateful, definitely."
That caused her to grin. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, with a bold feminine desire that washed heat over his insides. He'd been with lusty women before. He'd fucked women who screamed with pleasure and demanded more. But this was different. He'd never feltdesiredas he did now. As if he was more than just a randy beast, an obliging cock. A handful of gold.
As if Percy wantedhim. Just... him.
Her hands slipped under his waistcoat, making his heart pound even faster. "Before we go on," she said, "I wish to clarify a few matters. About our bet."
"Yes, buttercup?" he managed.
"I assume you're not willing to forfeit at this point?"
Instantly, suspicion and mistrust mangled inside of him. Instinct whispered in his ear:Is she trying to manipulate you, use your attraction to her to get what she wants?Though he told himself Percy was not capable of such underhandedness, his jaw tightened.
"I am not," he said flatly.
"Can you tell me why? It's not only about the money, is it?" Her eyes searched his. "Gavin, I just want to understand..."
He dragged a hand through his hair. Mayhap trustwaspossible for him after all, for he believed her sincere intentions. A small part of him even considered telling her about the past; the wiser and larger remainder balked at the notion. Her ties to Nicholas Morgan were too strong, her bond to Gavin too tenuous. When it came down to choosing, at this juncture he knew where her loyalties would lie. He would not risk losing her or compromising his well-laid plan for revenge.
"I always collect my debts. That will not change," he said.
I do not know how to make it change.
For a minute, she said nothing. Sudden panic gripped him. Would she walk away? Leave him to his own devices? Anger followed swiftly. Like hell she would. He'd never let her go—
"Well, I'm not going to forfeit either," she said, popping a button free on his waistcoat.
Relief and desire spun his head. "So where does that leave us?" he rasped.
She slid another button free. "At a standstill in the matter of my virginity. However, according to the terms of your truce, there is much else to explore. And I want to." Her tremulous smile curled in his chest. "I want to make the most of the next three nights with you, Gavin—"
He didn't let her finish. He couldn't.
With a growl of pure need, he captured her lips. She tasted of nectar and sunshine, everything he'd ever hungered for. And she yielded her sweetness so readily. Her lips parted, her tongue welcoming him inside her warmth. Nothing in his life had come without a struggle, a price. Yet Percy, who had every reason to distrust him, to despise him, was offering him her luscious self. Did sheknowwhat a gift that was?
