Page 29 of The Duke's Hellion

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It wasn’t thedress. Sam kept telling himself that. It wasn’t the pale pink against her snow-colored skin. It wasn’t the femininity of the colors and the cut that draped itself down her bosom and around her waist. And it wasn’t just the way she moved with grace and intention. It was the woman underneath the dress. Sam bit the inside of his cheek, tempering the groan that clawed at his throat.

Her in his arms. Her against his body. Her fear. Subsiding.

Something had tethered itself between them, and he resented every inch of that rope.

Mimi stood in front of Roger. Damn him. Moving her soft pink lips. Laughing. The sound laced through him, compelling him to take a step toward her. He needed to stay away. He needed a distraction.

Thank God one had come in the form of a letter this afternoon after the swooning event. His cousin had arrived and was making himself at home, and Sam was only too grateful to have his most treasured possession at Chris’s house in his hidden safe. Chris, the man of secrets. It only made sense that he had a hidden dungeon with a hidden safe and a hidden access code. It was the reason Sam had left his possessions with him rather than risking leaving them at his own house.

Speaking of the sneaky (but trustworthy) bastard, Chris sauntered up. “You look like you’re about to call him out.”

“You must have mistaken me for my father,” Sam ground out. His father had called out one too many duels, ultimately resulting in his untimely death. Though, could one call it untimely when a man had engaged in over a dozen duels?

Chris took a sip and stared at Mimi and Roger over the rim of his glass. “Not sure how I could mistake you for him. You’re nothing like him.”

“Truly, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Sam’s heart flopped over at the compliment. Usually he wasn’t one to get twisted up in emotions, but there were too many flying about his head, like flies hovering around a pile of cow dung, for him to keep his distance. He had to swat at least one of them. And Chris’s fly was the one.

“I’m sure I’ve said it before.”

“I would remember.”

“Well,” Chris slapped him on the back. “Perhaps it’s just too obvious then. No one wants to be the one to state the obvious.”

Sam just grunted in reply. He wasn’t sure he could trust his words. Was it true that no one equated him to his father? It seemed unlikely, but he was hopeful, given how much time he spent trying to remake a name and an image for himself.

“You think people should state the obvious more often then?” The only thing Sam could see was Chris’s profile, so he couldn’t fully decipher the expression he wore.

“I think people should say what they want to say.”

Chris turned to face him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Sam’s eyes were on Chris and Mimi simultaneously. Chris was calm, shoulders relaxed, and a little smirk toyed with the corner of his mouth. Mimi was laughing louder than was probably necessary, given Roger’s blank expression and Nobi’s curious face. What the deuce was so funny over there? Was she trying a new tactic to secure Roger’s attention?

Chris’s eyes narrowed while he raised his glass to his mouth. A slow sip and swallow, followed by a repeated inquiry. “Are you sure?”

“Damn it, man. Of course, I’m sure.” Sam raked his hands through his hair as he watched Mimi’s hand land on Roger’sforearm. Fire pulsed through his own arm. Demanding. “If I didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t say it. And if you mean something you should say it.” Chris gave him a quizzical expression, but Sam wasn’t finished with his little rant. “Say what you want. Obvious or not. Perhaps it’s not as clear as one might think.”

“Perhaps.”

Silence filled the space between them for a beat before Chris continued. “Perhaps…I had more faith in you. I thought you were the most intelligent of us all.”

Sam scoffed. Mimi’s fingers were touching her lips. Covering a laugh now? That was new. Or wiping a few droplets of her drink from her mouth?

“Ah…so you think so too?” Chris asked.

“Well, I didn’t say it.”

Chris chuckled. “We may be in agreement, but that doesn’t make us both right. I’m rethinking my assessment of your intelligence.”

Sam could feel the blood boiling in his system. What was Mimi doing now? She was standing far too close to Roger. Nobi should say something. Someone should say something. It was obvious what was happening. He would just have to be the one to step up and take action before something truly scandalous could happen.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he started to say to Chris.

“Oh. I think I’ll join you for this,” Chris said, suppressing a cough.

Chapter Twelve

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