“Zachary!”
The man’s gaze raked over his sister before shooting Julien a glare. “What the devil is going on here?”
Lady Elowyn stepped forward, floundering, “The duke was just . . . Ah, he was just . . .”
“Thanking your sister,” Julien announced for the wildflower. Thankfully, his body had deflated with the arrival ofher brother. “As you can see, your sister is still quite in shock by my appreciation, too.”
The man scowled. “I see. And what tough spot would that be?”
“An ill-thought-out scheme,” Julien said without hesitation.
“And just how did my sister help you?”
“Inadvertently, I’d say.” The man was as suspicious as they come. “Even so, I thought it would be remiss if I didn’t express my gratitude. Now that I have, I shall take my leave.”
The man stepped aside.
Heh. Julien strode from the drawing room, inclining his head as he passed him. He didn’t dare glance back. Couldn’t. If he did, his body might riot again. But he could feel her eyes on him. Imagined them too, just as heated as her brother’s.
Don’t worry, little wildflower.
This wasn’t the last she would see of him.
Chapter 5
Elowyn’s brows twitched as the duke disappeared without so much as a backward glance. Not even half a one. He simply left, as coldly as he’d arrived, as if nothing big, monumental, and earth-shattering had happened between them.
Ruthless, frozen barbarian!
Obviously, the kiss was not big, monumental, and earth-shattering for him. It might just be another proverbial stroll down Hyde Park for him!
I am at your mercy.
What mercy? The man had mercilessly robbed her of her first kiss in her drawing room in bold daylight! Elowyn stood frozen, still feeling the duke’s mouth on her lips. Still tasting him—a dark and absolutely dangerous taste.
Zachary muttered something beneath his breath, but she paid him no mind. Her thoughts were spinning in circles, trapped between two warring truths: That kiss had been magnificent. That kiss had been a violation. Had she just experienced the first kiss of her dreams just like that? She hadn’t even had time to consider the perfect setting and with whom, and yet it had been claimed and was over in mere seconds!
She’d imagined her first kiss in all sorts of ways. Moonlight. Candles. A private garden. Perhaps beside a shimmering lake. Her own drawing room had never entered her field of imaginary vision. This was not how she imagined her first kiss.
But what had she expected of the Duke of Mandeville? The man was all business.Shehad been the one to suggest akiss. The foolishness . . . She had traded her first kiss for what? Something she’d already planned to do? Outrageous! Yet, what was even more outrageous, was that she had wanted more. Even now, with Zachary present, indignation fuming through her veins, she wanted to kiss him again.
Which, of course, could absolutely, never happen.
If nothing else, she had already made an enemy of Lady Gabrielle. She didn’t want to incite something worse. She also couldn’t go against the duke. Who knew what wrath she might provoke with him.
Two equally impossible situations.
Rubbing her fingers hard against her lips, she tried to erase the sensation. It didn’t work. For her own sanity, she hoped she never laid eyes on that coxcomb again! Mortification heated the tips of her ears. She’d nearly called him handsome duke but had pivoted and called the man a haxcomb instead. She was such an idiot! Another reason to avoid him in the future. Hah. The man had never once lost the upper hand. In fact, Elowyn very much doubted he required her help at all. Most likely, he didn’t like to owe anyone, let alone a woman. Yes, that must be reason for his shameless behavior. Her brother, in fact, had the same trait—not liking to owe people favors.
Speaking of brother . . .
She eyed hers, who still glared at the door the duke had disappeared through, and sighed, drawing his attention back to her. One of the disadvantages of being the only woman in a household was overprotective males. Her brother wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been kissed, would he?
“How do youinadvertentlyhelp a man such as him?”
“Inadvertently.”
His look turned flat. “And he came to thank you simply for this coincidental help?”
