The man arched a brow, his expression curious and slightly amused. The lack of concern in his manner was enough to annoy her to the point that she felt herself capable of speaking freely.
“I know you’ve no genuine interest in me.” He immediately opened his mouth to protest, but she spoke first. “Appreciating my appearance is not the same thing.”
His mouth held a smile, though his brows dipped briefly in consternation. “I’m aware the two are quite different,” he managed before she continued to speak over him, knowing that she needed to get her piece said while she possessed the courage to do so.
“Then I’d prefer we do away with the unnecessary flattery and false flirtation and get to the true point of this”—she made a twisting gesture with her hand—“apparent pursuit you seem intent upon performing.”
He stared at her a moment, making her feel even more uncomfortable than she already did, before he casually crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. “And what is the true point?”
“The necklace.” Her bluntness seemed to surprise him enough to drop his devil-may-care façade for just a moment. The shift was flickeringly brief, but she saw it. Theintensityshe sensed in him for that second caused a fine tremor through her body and a trickle of delicate sensation along her nerves. She tensed the muscles of her abdomen in an attempt to contain the sudden flutters in her belly.
She’d clearly landed on the truth, though she wasn’t entirely pleased to have her suspicion proven correct. Though she had become rather fascinated by the mystery of the necklace and how it had come to be in his possession, it was not at all pleasing to confirm where his interest truly lay.
“I also recall,” she continued frostily, “that you promised you wouldn’t approach me any more on the subject.”
“That is true.” With an audible inhale and a long sigh, he glanced away from her as he ran a hand through his hair. He appeared reluctant to go on. But resigned. Then his eyes dropped back to hers, intent. Focused. “Unfortunately, the matter has taken on a more complex dimension that requires a bit of urgency.”
Eleanor stared at him, her blood sparking with a mix of alarm and undeniable curiosity. “Speak plainly, my lord.”
His gaze sharpened and the muscle at the corner of his jawbunched. “The situation has gotten dangerous.”
She resisted an urge to snort. “I get the sense you and danger are frequent companions.”
“I’ve gotten myself in and out of a spot or two,” he replied with a smile and a shrug.
Doing her best not to be softened by his boyish charm, Eleanor pressed, “Dangerous, how?”
Shifting his weight, he sighed and looked away as he set his hands on his hips. It was clear he didn’t want to tell her.
“Are you seriously not going to explain yourself?”
Crystal blue-green eyes shot back to hers. “I’m tryingnotto involve you.”
She arched her brows in a dubious look.
“Any more than is absolutely necessary,” he added hastily.
There was no holding back the snort that time.
“I know,” he admitted, his voice lowering. “I shouldn’t be here and I’m sorry. But I’m out of options.” He glanced back to the house. “Hopefully, anyone watching will assume our interactions are strictly social and will not suspect any deeper meaning to our private conversations.”
Eleanor was silent for a long moment as a frisson of alarm trickled down her spine. She got the sense he was not talking about the haute ton when he mentioned people watching. And she couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that he’d once again proven that his interest was merely a method of subterfuge.
“No one will believe you’re courting me,” she noted in a flat tone.
His bright eyes found hers again swiftly. His stare pierced. “Why not?”
Eleanor sighed in frustration. She didn’t want to explain how the world had decided she was not worth the effort.
With a tug of his brow and a curl of his well-formed lips, the viscount took a step closer to her. Eleanor held her breath as her bodyerupted in a riot of sensations.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to convince them,” he murmured, then lifted one hand to lightly brush his knuckles along the edge of her jaw.
The flutters in her belly went wild and her chest squeezed tight. She closed her eyes against his sparkling stare.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
The touch of his hand dropped away.
