Page 3 of Her Duke of Sin: Lady Be Wicked
“Giving me a splendid display of your charm,” she said sardonically. “It doesn’t have the effect on me that you are hoping for.”
Juliet ignored him and started up the stairs. She hoped he would follow and she could be done with this chore, but she couldn’t be certain without glancing back. Luckily, she didn’t have to. She could hear the thump of his footsteps on the stairs behind her. When she reached the top, she paused briefly for him to catch up to her.
“I don’t think you’re being honest,” he said in a light tone.
“Regarding?” She turned to him and lifted a brow. “Not that it matters. I’m always honest. I don’t believe in lies. Once one starts telling a fib, it becomes increasingly more difficult to keep track of the untruths one may have spouted.”
She turned away from him and began walking again. Why had they assigned him a chamber so far away? Oh yeah, she recalled why now. They had put him in the family wing, so the temptation of having all those women falling at his feet, and him taking advantage of the opportunity they presented wouldn’t cause a scandal at the house party. Lady Wyndam wanted everything to go well during the celebration of her grandson’s upcoming nuptials.
“I mean, you’re not as unaffected by me as you would like me to believe,” the duke said. Humor filled his tone as he spoke and that vexed her. “You like me. Admit it.”
“I never said I disliked you,” Juliet replied in an even tone. He was definitely insufferable and arrogant. He didn’t think anyone wouldn’t be inclined to fall at his feet. Well, she was not one of the many women ready to disrobe for his pleasure.
“You did not have to,” he said in a husky tone. “You implied it. But I do not believe you.”
“Why is that?” She snorted. “Because you are the notorious Duke of Sin?” She stopped at a juncture in the hall that separated into two different corridors. “Let me be clear. I will not be one of your many conquests, Your Grace. We will not be friends. We won’t even be considered acquaintances. I have far more respect for my reputation than to fall victim to a rogue like with a reputation as well-known as yours.”
“There it is.” He grinned. “That contempt that you’re barely hiding.” The duke sighed. “And thank you.”
What the hell for? “Pardon me?”
“You should ask for forgiveness.” His lips tilted into a wicked smile, and hell that did affect her. The man was far too handsome and the blasted rogue knew it. His hair was dark as the sin he was known for, and those eyes… They were a blue-green that reminded her of the sea on a warm summer day. A woman could get lost in eyes that dreamy, but she wouldn’t. The last thing she wanted to do was lose herself in a man. Especially one as unreliable as the Duke of Sinbrough. “But I do have to wonder one thing…do you wish to find a different sort of rogue to spend your time with.”
She chose to ignore that question. It would only lead her into a much larger trap than the one she’d already walked right into. Instead she stated, “I’ve done nothing that I need to beg forgiveness for, Your Grace.” She kept her tone cool and without emotion. She didn’t want him to realize that he affected her at all. That man would take advantage of every single one of her weaknesses. Juliet could not allow that to happen.
“You believe that, don’t you?” he sighed. “What a tragedy.”
Juliet started walking again and rolled her eyes as they moved down the hallway. She wished he didn’t have a room in the family quarters. That meant there was a chance they would cross paths again. Especially since her own chamber was down the same hall as his. Why hadn’t she realized that sooner? “Does it matter what I believe?”
“I suppose it depends on your perspective,” the duke said. “But as long as you admit you’re wrong, I think we can let this go.”
She closed her eyes briefly and prayed for patience. Lord, save her from conceited men and their need to be right in all things. “All right, Your Grace, if you insist. You’re correct and I am mistaken. Can we move on from this topic? I am no longer certain what we are discussing anymore.”
“I’ll remind you,” he said. “Since you are so forgetful.”
“I am not,” she said in an exasperated tone. “You’re infuriating.”
“And you’re breathtaking,” he told her.
She threw up her hands and nearly growled in frustration. They had to reach his bedchamber soon or she would not be held responsible for her actions. The duke was the worst sort of gentleman. Entitled, overconfident, and an arrogantly gorgeous man… She wished she didn’t find him so bloody attractive. “Are you finished?” Juliet asked.
“Not quite,” he said in that wicked tone of his. “I’ve only just begun.”
That was what Juliet feared. They reached the end of the hallway that hadn’t seemed so long before. “This is your bedchamber.” She gestured toward the room. “I hope you find it suitable.”
“And if I don’t?” He lifted one of those elegant brows of his. “Will you rectify the situation if I discover it is objectionable?”
She ground her teeth together to prevent herself from yelling at him. Juliet did not shout at guests. It was unseemly, and she had manners. Darn it. “Please, take a look.” She motioned toward the door. “And if it truly does not meet your exacting needs, I’ll find a bedchamber that does.”
His lips tilted upward, and it nearly took her breath away. The man had dimples. They shouldn’t have made him more appealing, but they did. She shouldn’t have met his gaze either. Juliet regretted the action immediately. There was something there in his eyes that stunned her stupid. He made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world and she alone could satisfy his every desire. That was a potent combination that spoke to her soul. She mentally shook it away or she would launch herself at him and that would be a grand mistake.
He leaned down and said in a husky tone, “Are you going inside with me to inspect it?”
Juliet swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. The rotten scoundrel realized desire pooled in her and wanted to take advantage of her weakness. “I’m certain you can complete that task without my assistance.”
“But can I?” He moved even closer to her. “You’re so competent, and I’m a wastrel. What if I make a wrong decision?”
“Then you’ll have to find a way to suffer through it,” she said in a curt tone. “Do you really believe the bedchamber won’t meet your expectations, or are you only trying to make everything more difficult for me?”
