Page 14 of The Scandal You Started
Rayna
Why is he looking at me like that?
Ever since she’d told Lord Norland her name, his honey-coloured eyes had taken on this dark, sleepy smokiness, and his pupils had expanded, almost consuming the entirety of his irises. Not to mention, no matter how much she pushed, he was refusing to release her, his hand massaging her waistin such a slow rhythm it was almost as if he were doing it subconsciously. And he wore the faintest, drugged smile too.
If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said—
“You have a beautiful name, sweetheart,” Lord Norland purred.
The blatant suggestion in his deep, rich voice stabbed through Rayna’s midsection, releasing a torrent of prickling understanding.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Thatwas the expression and timbre of a horny man.
Great! The bloody damned marquess had gone from wanting to kill her to wanting her full stop. And fuck, it was wrong on so many levels, but her body was reacting to the clench and release pattern of his caressing hand, softening and warming right between her thighs.
It was a quiet tingle, but it was very much shockingly present when it wasn’t supposed to be.
She had to defuse the situation immediately before it escalated past control.
His control.Not hers. Because no fucking way was she ever going to let herself lust for a Study. No matter how good-looking he was.
Rayna locked her elbows with renewed purpose, trying to break out of Lord Norland’s hold, but it was near impossible.
The man was huge, his body all hard, powerful muscle against her. At five-foot-four, she was neither small nor tall, but her gaze only came level with his sternum, and the breadth of his shoulders was ridiculous. He wasn’t quite barrel-chested, but he was sturdy and wide, and his arms were as dense as steel beams. If he enveloped her in them both, she would have found herself completely buried against him with no escape route. Heck, one arm had her feeling like she was fighting to move three tonnes of weight.
He was strong. Dangerously, irritatingly,deliciouslyso.
No! Not delicious.Not that.
Realising she was losing what little energy she had left trying to free herself, Rayna gave up pushing. She had no choice but to rely on Lord Norland’s embrace to keep her steady as she breathed like she’d been running for miles.
He’d come very close to causing her some serious damage. Thankfully, she was still able to swallow and speak, which was a good sign, but her throat was definitely going to be sore for the next day or so. Ash would have to examine her to make sure though.
“Let go of me,” she rasped.
“Hmm,” he hummed almost to himself, a mischievous twinkle dancing through his eyes. “I have been considering doing so with all your impatient squirming. But if I may be honest, I have no real desire to release you.” His mouth tipped wolfishly as he lowered his face over hers. “You feel ever so exquisite in my arms, sweet Rayna.”
A blush bloomed on her cheeks for reasons Rayna would never be able to explain, and it grated on her nerves that he’d managed to elicit such a response from her. It had to be as a result of the situation, so damn baffling that it’d rewired her emotions into all the wrong sockets.
That would explain the soft fluttering just above her sex too.
With the way his grin widened in smug satisfaction, she knew he’d noticed her pinkened skin, which churned her embarrassment into gnawing frustration.
“I must admit, though, while I am pleased that you are now here,” he continued, “I am very curious to know what brought you to my holding cell. Did someone send you here?”
She lifted her chin stubbornly. “Let me go, and I’ll explain.”
One of his brows quirked with feigned consideration. “You make a tempting offer. But I would prefer to listen to your answer while still holding you.”
A low snarl formed at the base of her throat, but she shoved it back into the fragile cage that housed her temper and let out a slow, silent exhale.
Be nice, Rayna. He’s a Study, and he’s been locked up for two weeks, remember?
Yeah, well, he nearly fucking killed me so…
“I haven’t completely recovered from what just happened, Lord Norland,” she said firmly in a bid to rekindle his earlier remorse. “I need to sit down.”
