“Has she?” he noted softly. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Thetonloves to gossip.”
Her lips twitched. “I have discovered that readily enough. It is a shame they have decided to target you. I have found that mostof the time rumors are unfounded. It is speculation mixed with entertainment that causes such an uproar.”
He paused and looked at her directly. “Would that were true in my case, Miss Givenwald. But when it comes to my reputation, I have earned every black mark that has been thrust upon me.”
CHAPTER 3
Dominic didn’t know why he’d spoken so boldly. He hadn’t meant to frighten Miss Givenwald away by his easy acceptance of his dark character.
And yet…
As much as he feared he’d overstepped his bounds by revealing the truth, he hadn’t been prepared for the spark of interest that lit up her blue eyes when he admitted his transgressions. He thought she might have quickly made her excuses to get away from him. The fact that she didn’t was somewhat… curious. However, his alternate persona, Avalon, leader of the East End underworld, immediately found her absolutely intriguing. His cock stirred with interest, and he had to fight the urge to drag her to a shadowed alcove where he might test the limits of her acceptance.
As he studied her, he saw that her cheeks had turned slightly pink, her lips parting as her breathing deepened. If he had to hazard a guess, she was also wet between her thighs, the thought of his villainy somehow exciting her.
In theTimesarticle he’d thought the qualifications he’d listed had been perfectly apt for a duke looking to turn hiscircumstances around. He figured it was what the matchmaking mothers of society would want to hear. The idea that any rake could be reformed was a temptation not many could resist and with words like kind, devoted, and forgiving, he would no doubt uncover a lady who would run a smooth household and do her duty without complaint.
Of course, he would quickly find such a mundane life boring in the extreme, but it wasn’t as though outward liaisons weren’t commonplace. He wouldn’t set out to take a mistress, hoping that the wife he selected would have more than enough characteristics to keep him entertained outside of the bedroom, but with the lot he’d encountered this early in the little season, he had little hope of that.
Until he’d spied a blond angel among the crowd.
But then, it could be she wasn’t an angel at all, but a vixen sent to scramble his senses and appeal to his baser urges. Avalon was certainly impressed.
“Have I shocked you into silence?” he murmured, hoping to learn more about this paragon of society who appeared as though she wanted to run toward the danger, rather than away from it.
“Not at all.” She shook her head, and as she tilted her head, he could see the pulse beat at the base of her creamy, slender neck and he had to clench his fists to keep from placing his lips there and sucking until she bore his mark for all to see.
“Then you would be the first,” he added smoothly.
She shrugged a delicate shoulder, and then she reached into her reticule and withdrew a fan and began to wave it lightly in front of her face. His nostrils flared with the scent of prey. There was no doubt in his mind that should he decide to seduce this woman she would not deny him, nor would she make for poor bed sport. He could easily imagine her shapely body spread out on his coverlet, and sliding his length, inch by glorious inch, into her warmth as she pulled him deep inside her body.
“What was that, Your Grace?”
Faced with those sparkling blue eyes, he nearly spoke the truth, that he’d uttered a curse because his trousers had grown rather snug. He was grateful for the cool autumn air and the greatcoat he wore that concealed his hardened manhood. “I was merely remarking on the time,” he said swiftly. “I have an appointment that I cannot miss.”
She looked disappointed, but it did not last long. She returned with a bright smile that did nothing to ease his discomfort, “Then I shall bid you good day, Your Grace. I’m sure we shall see each other again with what few amusements there are to be had in the city at the moment.”
He inclined his head to her. “Undoubtedly so, Miss Givenwald.”
As he left her side, he was grateful for the cool air that struck him the moment he exited the museum. He drew a restoring breath and exhaled heavily. It had been a long time since any woman had left him feeling so out of sorts. Even then, those sensations had been mild compared to the fire that lit his blood around Miss Alexandra Givenwald.
Lexie.He had heard that was how she preferred to be addressed and it suited her. It was a sultry name for an equally appealing woman.
Like his dealings with the Blue Boys in Whitechapel, there was not much in London that escaped Dominic’s attention. Although the duke and Avalon were two very different men on the outside, they were all part of the same personality. Dominic had always had the same stirring nature that Miss Givenwald seemed to have. Perhaps that was why he seemed so drawn to her.
He had never felt like a duke, although he'd been properly schooled in how to run an estate and dress and act appropriately. On the inside he’d always had a wild and rebellious nature and creating Avalon had been the outlet to allow his deepest desires to escape. It was what had driven him to begin adifferent life that did not resemble the one he’d been born into at all.
But if he hoped to take up the reins of his birthright and honor his brother’s memory in a title that should have been his, Dominic knew it was imperative that he cease all ties with the East End before his enemies discovered his true identity. He had the threat of the journal in his possession, but he knew there could come a time when it was no longer a deterrent.
Thankfully, Amos was turning out to be a worthy ally and he had no qualms in turning the order of the Blue Boys over to him or his son, Devon. Either would make a leader he would be proud to acknowledge, because while they fit the devious characteristics needed to keep the gang in line, Dominic knew they were also bound by honor and justice. They would not act rashly or without due cause. It was the same principles that Avalon had set into place, and he was grateful they would be adhered to when he was gone.
Unfortunately, his work wasn’t over yet. He still had a few things that required his personal attention and until they were settled, he had to ensure that his interest in Miss Givenwald wasn’t overly noted.
Pity, because he was quite eager to deepen their acquaintance at the earliest opportunity.
He was nearly at his carriage when a young lad rushed up to him. “I ’ave a message for ye, guvn’r.”
Dominic quickly surveyed the area around him, but when he didn’t feel any strange prickling of warning rise on the back of his neck, he accepted the missive and handed the boy a shilling. The lad happily took it and scampered away as Dominic opened the note. He recognized Amos’ handwriting instantly.
