Page 84 of My Rogue, My Ruin
Archer stared at her, a muscle starting to tick in his jaw, his eyes going glacial. “Absolutely not. I won’t have you risking your neck for mine.”
“It is our only chance,” she argued. “We will leave separately, and you will follow the coach. Once he attacks, you will be able to catch him.”
“No.”
“You needn’t worry for my safety. I will have my pistol with me, and as you are well aware, my marksmanship is excellent.” She said the last with a smile, one that faded at the violent look on his face.
“No.” Archer rose in slow motion and walked to where she stood on the other side of the desk. She stared up at him, refusing to give up on her plan as they faced each other nose to nose. Her breathing hitched at his nearness and the clean scent of his freshly scrubbed skin.
“No,” he said more gently. Archer leaned down as if he meant to kiss her, but a moment before their lips touched, he turned away to return to his seat. Brynn felt bereft of him, her body utterly desolate at the loss. He met her eyes, his voice a pained rasp. “The imposter has a tendency toward violence. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
His whispered words made her heart clench. Archerdidcare about her. She had wondered after he had touched her so intimately; Brynn was new to navigating the waters of seduction, but not naive. She had no illusions that the duke loved her, though she also knew he wouldn’t be so adamantly against her plan if he didn’t care for her a little. That tiny knowledge gave her a boost of much-needed confidence.
“That’s it, then, we are agreed.”
“We are not.”
“Archer.”
“I forbid it.”
She smiled at him, despite the low warning in his voice. “We are not yet married, my dear duke, and as such, I do not require your permission, nor am I forced to obey your wishes. Should we escape the gallows and agree to swear by our marriage vows, I will endeavor to be youreverobedient wife. But until then, my will is my own.”
She almost laughed at his look of shocked incredulity. “Now eat. I shall take myself for a stroll where I will declare to all and sundry my intention to wear the Bradburne diamonds to the Kensington crush. Wish me luck.”
Impulsively, she walked around to the side of the desk and placed a swift kiss atop his head, not noticing the hand that snaked around her waist until she tried to step away. Brynn swore under her breath. She should have left, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it without touching him just once. Unable to move with his hand clamped around her, they stared at each other in charged silence. Brynn could see the turmoil in his eyes, and, without thinking, she leaned down and sealed her lips to his.
Archer reacted after a half beat of frozen surprise, sweeping her into his lap and claiming her mouth with desperate urgency. His tongue dueled with hers as she dug her fingers into the soft linen of his shirt and pushed her breasts tight to his chest. She was as greedy for him as he was for her. The interior of his mouth tasted faintly of whiskey and mint. The combination was intoxicating, and she clung to him, unable to get enough.
What was it about this man that made her want wildly indecent things?
All it took was the press of his lips and the reckless thrust of his tongue, and Brynn found herself ready to capitulate to anything. He made her weak, and yet, in his arms, she’d never felt more powerful.
After a long interlude, Archer lifted his head and stared at her in baffled wonderment. “What am I going to do with you? You are infuriating, maddening, impulsive, and so damned stubborn it takes my breath away. I cannot deter you from this foolhardy plan?”
Brynn stared at his face, her heart in her eyes. “No,” she said softly. “You cannot.”
“Why?”
Her answer was the same as the one she had given him before, although this time her voice trembled with the force of the emotion behind it. “You know why.”
Archer may not love her, but Brynn knew that what she felt for this man was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was all-consuming, exhilarating,terrifying, and it filled her body and her heart to bursting. She didn’t know if it was love, but she did know that if anything happened to him, her life would be forever altered. She couldn’t imagine seeing him punished for crimes he did not commit. Brynn would do whatever she could to prevent that from happening.
Archer didn’t speak as he pulled her toward him, cradling her head in the hollow where his shoulder met his chest. She fit perfectly, her body molding itself to his. Brynn didn’t speak, either, but she could feel their heartbeats aligning, and that felt more perfect than any words ever could.
Brynn stood in the front sitting room at Bishop House and smoothed her gloved hands over the layers of the emerald green chiffon. The gown she’d chosen for the Kensington Ball was a favorite among all her dresses and gowns for the season, and she’d wanted to save it for a truly special evening. She hadn’t imagined that such an evening would include catching a thief and a killer.
Braxton had just announced the arrival of the duke, and her palms were fairly sweating.
This was it. There could be no turning back now.
Her parents had declined the invitation to the Kensington Ball in favor of another that they had previously accepted and had already left for that affair. Unfortunately, Gray had been charged with escorting Brynn to the Kensingtons’ and representing the Dinsmore name, which had left Brynn scrambling to concoct a diversion to keep her brother occupied untilaftershe’d left for the ball—alone. Of course, Archer would be trailing her on horseback, so she would not truly be alone. It would seem that way to only the imposter, should he have heard the rumors that the Bradburne diamonds were out and about for the evening.
She took a deep breath and glanced at herself in the beveled glass. Her hair had been twisted into a loose chignon with a few strands left free to fall in heavy ringlets down her back. The style displayed the Bradburne diamonds to perfection. The ostentatious gems glistened at her throat, the last tier falling into the hollow of her breasts.
Mary, one of the undermaids, had outdone herself with the elegant hairstyle. Lana had not been at Bishop House when Brynn had started to prepare for the ball, and for good reason. She had whispered a desire to travel to the ball alone, without alerting or alarming Gray, and Lana had promised that she would see to it. So far, her maid had been true to her word. Brynn had not seen hide nor hair of her brother or her maid since late morning.
Brynn, too, had played her part well and had flaunted her intent to wear the priceless necklace yesterday at a tea hosted by Cordelia and her mother. Not one invited lady had declined, including Archer’s sister, which meant the tearoom in Lady Vandermere’s home on Grosvenor Square had been overwhelmed with women, young and old, all of whom sat agog while Cordelia accounted her lurid tale of the attack on her carriage in Hyde Park.
