“Yes.”
“You’re not desperate?”
“No!”
“Appearances would beg to differ—”
“I’m here.”Pere lowered her tone, her anger creating a smoldering fire in her chest as she took slow, deliberate steps toward him.“And I’m in a room, mostly alone… with you.”Pere watched as his expression shifted to one of wary confusion.“And as I have stated, clearly, before, I’m not trying to trap you… am I?”
“Lady—”
“Am I?”she repeated, pressing her finger into his chest.
The wool of his coat was warm beneath her glove; beneath that, his heart beat a traitor’s rhythm—quick, unsteady.
“You are… very close,” he whispered, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes and back.
“You are too, and I’m not impressed.And furthermore, I’m not desperate, Lord Hawthorne.Because if I were, you can imagine how my brother would react.”
Pere watched him wince, his eyes flickering to the door and back to her.
“You see my point.”
“I do,” he answered, his tone all butter and silk.“But I’m afraid you don’t see mine.”
“Enlighten me.”She removed her finger from his chest and narrowed her eyes.
“All it would take…” he whispered the words and took a small step toward her, closing what little distance between them remained.“Is one word from me as well.One… kiss, one touch.”
His voice caressed the words, and Pere resisted the urge to sway toward him, get lost in his magnetic gaze as he watched her, studied her, worshiped her with his attention.His breath smelled faintly of coffee and mischief.
“And?This is everything we already discussed.”She hitched a shoulder, pretending to be unaffected by his proximity.“You do take a while to make your point, sir.”
“I am making it,” he whispered.“One moment, and I can tell your brother that you’ve been compromised, ruined for anyone else.And it won’t matter if I lie, because the damage to your reputation will be already done.”His head angled slightly, his gaze searching her eyes.
Pere licked her lips.“This is everything I’ve heard since I was young, Lord Hawthorne.I hate to disappoint you, but—” Her words were cut off completely, and all thoughts evaporated as Lord Hawthorne’s lips captured hers, quite literally.
One moment she was proving her point, the next she was caught—and rather than struggle to get free, she decided being caught was rather delightful.
She melted into the warmth of his kiss, her body tingling with a rush of something hot coursing through her as his mouth taught hers to return a kiss.His wicked tongue teased her lower lip, then retreated as he slowly withdrew, ending the kiss as quickly as he’d started it.The parlor spun gently, like a music box winding down.
Pere’s eyes fluttered open—when had they even closed?Blinking, she tried to think through the haze of the kiss to make some sort of sense of everything.Her mind was slow to recover, and she both marveled and hated the fact that he knew it; his expression flickered from understanding to a slightly smug grin, then back to a serious frown.
“And that… is why you are innocent.You gave me an opportunity, and I took it.Any rake will do the same, so stay away from Ramsford.Or else he’ll give you more than a kiss; he’ll give you his name and take your fortune.”
Pere’s heart hammered at his words;she hatedhow they rang with truth.
Her mind worked quickly, and she found the one fault in his words.“Was.”
“Pardon?”He frowned, his gaze sharpening as he regarded her.
“Was… innocent,” she articulated, watching as understanding and something akin to horror flashed across his features before he quickly hid it.
“Was,” he answered, bowed.“I’ll take my leave.”He snatched his cane from the chair, the silver head catching the light like a guilty wink, and all but fled out the door.
Pere took a deep breath and moved to the sofa and took a seat.Her knees were weak and her heart still hammering.
“Was,” she whispered.
