Page 29 of Noble Scoundrel

“I’d pay you,” she said. “Generously.”

“Hmm.” Mason rose to his feet and walked slowly around the desk until he was standing in front of her. Leaning his hips back against the desk, he crossed his arms over his chest. It was a risky move to put even half of his weight on the frail furniture, but he wanted to see how the woman would react to his closer proximity.

To her credit, she did not step back and never once shifted her gaze from his.

Brave little thing. Or stubborn. Probably both.

He smiled. And something unreadable flickered across her fine features.

“What makes you think I’d be qualified for such a position?”

Lifting her chin, she replied, “Your part in rescuing my brother from the criminal gang demonstrates your capabilities in the face of dangerous adversity. And you’ve already proven to possess a certain loyalty to my brother.”

“I’m loyal to no one.”

She ignored him again. “You’re familiar with this city and its dangers, and you’re well-known to its inhabitants—if not personally then by reputation. If anyone were bold enough to challenge you directly, I suspect they’d be handled as efficiently as Mr. Boothe was.”

He gave a rough snort. She’d clearly thought the matter through, but if he had to guess, he’d say Lady Katherine had not come easily to this decision. He didn’t blame her.

Taking a moment, he swept a lingering glance over her slim form. She remained still beneath his brazen perusal, as though she knew his intention was to discomfit her and she intended to endure it. When his gaze lifted back to her face, he noted the firm press of her pretty lips and the tiny sparks of fire that flickered in her steady gaze.

“Aside from a generous wage”—he lowered his voice suggestively—“what does the position afford me?”

He noted the slight clenching of her jaw before she replied. “It would get you out of this monstrosity of a house.” A pause. “Obviously, you’d need to reside with us.”

“In Mayfair?” He snorted a laugh. “That’d be a sight.”

“You couldn’t properly protect Frederick from anywhere else.”

The tone of her voice suggested she wasn’t completely comfortable with that aspect.

Good.

“And you?” he asked.

Dark brows furrowed. “What about me?”

“Will you also be under my protection?” Without conscious intention, his voice shifted into a more intimate tone. He was rewarded by the slight parting of her lips and a fleeting glance at his folded forearms.

“I don’t need protection.”

“You might,” he suggested thickly.

Though her pupils expanded a bit at his words, she quickly recovered to arch one imperious brow. “From you, Mr. Hale?”

When he responded with a smile, her attention fell to his mouth.

His heart kicked hard against his ribs. Lust—heavy and strong—flooded his body. He’d been playing with her before, trying to unnerve her. But now, his focus became suddenly very serious.

He replied in a heavy murmur. “Definitely from me.”

“I’m not a timid sort, Mr. Hale. You don’t frighten me.”

The haughtiness of her tone inspired another rush of heat. He unfolded his arms to curl his hands over the edge of the desk on either side of his hips. The feel of the smooth wood somehow helped him calm the thickening of his blood. Holding her gaze, he replied simply, “I should.”

He finally saw a flicker of shock in her expression though her voice when she replied was hard and strong. “Is that a threat? Are you saying you’d force yourself on me?”

“No, dove. Never. I’m not that type of villain.” He grinned. “But it might not take long before you wished I were.”

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