“Yes,” she answered, trying to sound calm.
“I wonder...” the Duke mused, slowly bringing his hand up to her face again. “Would you burn my flesh if I were to touch you?”
Despite the sudden, deep curiosity about what the man’s hands could make her body feel if he were permitted to do more than caress her jaw, Elara gritted her teeth and pressed her back even more into the door behind her.
“If you touch me, I shall scream,” she replied through clenched teeth. “Thatis what will happen. I am not some paramour of yours to play with at will.”
“Is that so?” The sound of intrigue rumbled from deep within the man’s broad chest. “I was rather hoping you might,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers.
The sound of his voice suddenly changed. It was still deep, almost animalistic. Yet there was a sense of wonder in his tone. Perhaps even a touch of desperation for her to be as she was. It intrigued Elara deeply. So much so that she did not notice at firstthat his hand had gradually drawn back toward her face, or that the very edge of his fingertips had made contact with her mask. His finger trailed slowly down her cheek and along the curve of her neck, and though she willed herself still, a shiver moved through her that she could not suppress.
“Tell me who you are,” he commanded, though there was no gruffness to his tone.
Elara swallowed.
“You do notneedto know who I am,” she whispered, feeling her panic start to grow. “This is a masquerade, after all.”
Another deviant smile twitched across his lips.
“Oh, but I do. I must know who dares speak to me so freely as you do,” he replied.
It was then that Elara felt her mask shift on her cheeks, felt his hand brush against the side of her face as he lifted it upward.
“No!” she exclaimed.
Her arms shot out before she could think of the repercussions, and she pushed at him. She expected him to fall back or at least stumble, but when her palms met hard slabs of warm muscle wrapped beneath a gentleman’s attire, the Duke did not even budge an inch. Instead, he barked out another laugh, used her twisting to his advantage, and removed her mask.
His laughter ceased immediately, however, and when Elara glared up at him, she saw he was no longer smiling either.
“You.”He gritted it, his lips sneering back with disgust. “What are you doing in my house?”
Chapter 3
“Do… do we know each other, Your Grace?” Lady Elara asked, her big, ice-blue eyes wide and innocent as she stared up at him.
Constantine’s usually iron stomach twisted with discomfort as he took in the young woman’s beauty. That raven-black hair. Those ice-blue eyes. He should have known she was a Mason. However, it had been years since he had been close enough to Evander and Adrian to visit their home and play cards, and their sister was never allowed in the parlor when they gathered there, so it made sense she would not know why he recognized her.
He remembered how she would constantly try to sneak in, listen to their conversations, and, on bolder occasions, sneak sips of their brandy. Her espionage was comical, perhaps even a little adorable back then, but not now. Not when there was bad blood between the late Evander Mason and Constantine’s younger brother, Augustus. Which, as the head of the family, meant bad blood between Constantine himself and their entire family. Whether she knew of the feud or not, he was not about to let those pretty blue eyes fool him.
“Do not insult my intelligence, Lady Elara,” he warned, tossing her mask onto the floor. “My amusement has expired since I discovered your identity. Now I ask again, what is the sister of the man who ruined my brother doing in my house?”
The innocent look in Elara’s eyes gave way to something else. Not quite fear, but perhaps a realization that her little ruse was over.
“I... Step back, Your Grace, and I shall tell you,” she replied, her tone cold but polite.
It was only then that Constantine noticed he still had her pinned against the door, their bodies so close they were nearly touching, and he could feel the warmth radiating from her much smaller body. Constantine drew in a breath through his nose. His mouth watered as he took in her light scent of honey and lilies, and for a moment, he lingered in their closeness. Then he took a single step back. The move gave her room to breathe while keeping him close enough that, if she tried to open the door, he could stop it.
Elara raised a brow at the small space he offered, and he almost smirked.
“You are not getting more than that until you answer my question,” he replied. “Do not forget, it was you who got caught, not the other way around, Lady Elara.”
That brow of hers sank back down, and if he were not so wary of her family, Constantine would have found her frown adorable.
“Very well,” she said begrudgingly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Again, Constantine could not help but cast a quick, sweeping glance down at her breasts. He might not like her family, butthere was no denying that she had a lovely figure, especially when wrapped in such exquisite crimson silk.
“I believe you have something to do with my oldest brother’s... disappearance. I came here to look for evidence. Since we are now face-to-face, it would save both of us some time if you told me what you did to Evander,” she stated matter-of-factly.
