Page 28 of His Duchess' Wicked List

He reached out a hand, trailing it down the side of her face in a slow, seductive way, his eyes never leaving hers. Maddie shuddered at the touch. She was already on fire for him. Her whole body felt like it was turning into molten liquid.

She was in as much danger as she had ever been. It was like her body was a traitor. Why was she having so much trouble resisting him, when her mind told her it was imperative that she did?

She forced herself to take a step back, breaking the contact. He didn’t look offended at all. He just smiled in that maddening way of his, walking to a small cabinet in a corner of the room, which she saw contained bottles of liquor.

“A drink?” he asked in a mockingly polite voice.

Maddie shook her head firmly. She had already had a glass of champagne at the garden party, and there was no way she was going to consume anything else strong.

Apart from the fact that it was only mid-afternoon, and she would certainly be well into her cups if she did, she didn’t want to lose control around him. She needed her wits about her.

“As you wish,” he said, pouring himself a small glass of brandy, and then sipping it thoughtfully. “Well, what do you think of the place? You haven’t told me yet.”

Maddie gazed around the room again. “I think it is tasteful. Exactly as I would decorate a lair if I was ever to have one.”

He burst into laughter. “Indeed! Well, you are quite welcome to peruse it and take any ideas you like for your own.” He sipped his drink, gazing at her pensively. “You have been trying to avoid me. I know it. That is why you have been clinging like a limpet to my cousin for the entire afternoon.”

Maddie glared at him. “I havenotbeen clinging to your cousin! He asked me to take a walk. It would have been abominably rude to refuse. That is all.”

He kept staring at her, sipping his drink, not saying anything. The air had shifted slightly in the room—the playful banter was gone. He seemed angry… or something else.

Her jaw dropped. Was it jealousy? Was the Dukejealousthat his cousin was paying her special attention?

To her surprise, her heart surged with sudden, inexplicable joy. For if he was jealous of his cousin, it might mean that he actually liked her a bit, rather than just playing a game with her for his amusement.

But as soon as the thought occurred to her, she rejected it. He wasn’t jealous in that way. He didn’t harbor any finer feelings for her. He was just used to getting his own way, and he saw his cousin as an impediment. That was all.

“Perhaps,” he said, his face set in a hard line. “But regardless of that, youhavebeen trying to avoid me. You have been running away like a frightened hare every single time I get close to you.”

She exhaled slowly. “Of course, I have been trying to avoid you! You disconcert me. I never know what you will say or do. And I do not want anyone else to notice that you are behaving in an unseemly manner towards me.”

“I thought you wanted to be a rebel.” He tossed back his drink, before setting the glass on the cabinet. “I thought you wanted to experience life beyond the strict confines of your position. Why do you care what they think?”

“Because I do,” she burst out, infuriated beyond measure. “Because I must! A lady’s reputation is paramount. I would be ruined if anyone suspects what is going on between us—if they even suspect the half of it.”

He shrugged. “There can be fun in ruin,” he drawled, his eyes like flint. “There can be fun in running away from everything that has ever been expected.”

They were like wary cats, waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

“Maybe foryou,” she shot back, her heart pounding. “You have the privilege of rank and your sex. Everyone expects a gentleman to sow his wild oats. Everyone turns a blind eye. It is vastly different for a lady. Oh, why do I have to explain to you how the world works?”

“You do not have to explain it,” he said curtly. “I know how the world works very well, indeed. That is why I do not give a fig about it and am determined to live my life exactly as I please.”

Maddie scowled at him, so furious she could barely contain it. There was such casual contempt in the way he spoke to her. But at least she understood him perfectly now. He had just uttered his life philosophy—his credo, which he clearly lived by.

Hedidn’tcare about her at all. The playful banter was just manipulation, designed to soften her up, to get what he wanted from her. This was therealDuke of Everly speaking—a man who took what he wanted, when he wanted, and didn’t care who he hurt in the process.

He didn’t care if they were caught and her reputation was ruined. Apparently, she just had to take that on the chin if it happened and deem it alark. While he sauntered off into the sunset, completely immune from damage.

Suddenly, it struck her forcibly that he might take what he could from her, andstillnot give her back the list. He had claimed he would, but how could she trust him at all when he was such a man? He had already stooped to blackmail, after all, in order to get what he wanted.

“I must go,” she murmured in a withering voice. “I should never have agreed to come here at all. Good day.”

She turned to leave, to rush out of this room—hislair—and out of these quarters entirely. But suddenly, there was a hand on her arm, spinning her around. Before she knew it, he had his arms around her, arching her back, bending her to submit to him, as if she were a mere twig.

Instinctively, she put her hands on his chest, to push him away. They were both panting hard. His grey eyes were glittering fiercely, and she was shocked to discover that she could feel his hardness pressing against her, quite insistently.

Oh, Lord.How have I gotten myself into this appalling situation?

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