“There’s nothing I can accept from you.”
“But there is something you can accept. I’m all ears, Lady Elowyn. It can be anything.”
He was all ears, but her heart was pounding inherears! Would she be forced to reveal her mission for the season to the duke? How silly she would look to a man such as him. But was there any other way? Rather than dwelling on her reluctance, she should focus on which item on her list she could use to divert the handsome devil’s scrutiny and avoid having him attach himself to her. That was the most important goal here.
Her first dance was out. That was too public. A tryst in the garden? No way. Her first ride through Hyde Park? Impossible. It might spark even more rumors than a dance. Husband? Correction. That was impossible. She could never fall in love with such an intimidating cold man.
But one of them . . .
One of them would be innocent enough, right? And reassure him enough? Also, severely intimate. Also, a grave, potentially ruinous mistake. But still the best option for the circumstances.
“A kiss,” she blurted before she could stop herself.
Elowyn.
Even her own conscience sounded scandalized.
Too late now.
***
In all his life, Julien had never had the hairs at the nape of his neck stand on end. Shivers swept through him, swift and merciless, and unfamiliar sensations skated over his body like lightning. From the moment she once again entered his line of sight, his awareness of her had been supreme. There was nothing about her he didn’t notice. The tiny crease that formed between her brows when she was uncertain. The quick flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat. Not even the faintest smudge of macaroon crumbs at the corner of her mouth missed his view.
A kiss, heh?
Unbidden images flashed through his head.
He ruthlessly shoved them out, fingers twitching as he considered what to do with this little beauty before him. Her face had instantly flamed alongside those words. He had to give Lady Elowyn credit. Her gaze never faltered. If it weren’t for all the other small tells belying her nervousness, he might have believed her wholly confident in her request. If not for that, he would have laughed at her gall to request a kiss after she already witnessed an attempt to entrap him once.
But he sensed no ulterior motive.
He did, however, sense something. Something that made a vein tick at the corner of his eye. Something he didn’t like. His mouth curled up in a sneer. “A kiss. Is that why you followed Stagbourne?”
Her eyes flew so wide they might have been two twin moons. “How do you know about that?”
“There’s little I can’t uncover when the matter interests me, Lady Elowyn, and this matter, as I’ve said, more than interests me. So? If you have Stagbourne in your sights, why ask for a kiss from me? Or is that the best payment you could come up with? I must admit, I find myself intrigued. What are you thinking in that head of yours?”
A pinched look crossed her face. “I have no one in my sights. If you must know, I was going to ask the earl to dance.”
Interesting. Julien’s mind raced.
Ask Stagbourne for a dance . . .
Askhimfor a kiss.
A wallflower going wild, perhaps?
No. She didn’t seem like a wallflower to him. A wildflower, perhaps. Wrath’s concern about “rumors” intruded upon his mind. Not exactly unfounded. This wildflower appeared to be on the road to scandal, too. Rumors might spark yet. But then, Julien didn’t mind. Let them speculate. Let them whisper that the Duke of Mandeville was calling on Lady Elowyn Price. If Dansbury or his niece thought they could manipulate him through scandal, they’d failed to understand one fundamental truth: he’d already survived worse. Their little schemes were shenanigans. Trifles. Annoying trifles, but ones he would crush entirely.
“I think I see.”
Her lovely face turned skeptical. “You do?”
“A dance. A kiss. What’s next after those two?”
Shock flashed in the pool of her blue eyes, confirming his suspicion. “W-What? There’s nothing after.”
“Little liar. Keep your secrets but forget Stagbourne. I will fulfill your every wish.” Except marriage. He could fulfill every wish except for that one. However, Julien wagered that was the last thing she would want from him.
