Page 30 of Noble Scoundrel

Disbelief and indignation blazed in her eyes. “You dare to insinuate—”

“I dare.” Straightening from where he’d been leaning against the desk, he lowered his chin and held her gaze with his as he took a slow, measured step toward her. “That and more.” He repeated his words from their first meeting.

Mason took another step. Then another. He didn’t want to frighten her. He wanted to get closer. A lot closer. He wanted to breathe her scent and soak up the elegant fire that burned steadily inside her.

And for the moment—whether due to pride or uncertainty or, he hoped to God, something else entirely—she was allowing it. With eyes wide and fine jaw clenched, she watched him approach.

“Remember how it felt when I had you caught fast against me?” he asked. “Your hands locked in mine. Your breath swift against my throat. Remember the heat of our bodies? The hard thrum of anticipation?”

They stood now with no more than a couple inches between them. Lady Katherine’s head was tilted back as she continued to meet his stare. The woman was bold. Fearless. Lovely.

“I do. Vividly,” she admitted darkly.

Mason wanted to touch her. His hands ached to do so. His fingers twitched with the desire to slide beneath the fall of her thick hair and curve around her nape to hold her in place for the ravenous fall of his mouth. He wanted to palm her arse and drag her up his thigh until her legs wrapped around his hips.

He wanted to be inside her.

“Remember how you trembled against me?” he asked roughly.

She swallowed before replying. “I remember quite well. If I trembled, it was due to anger and frustration.” The words were firm, but her lips were soft and full.

Mason reluctantly shifted his attention from her gorgeous mouth to look into her eyes. “Liar.”

The word sounded like a caress. And he meant it that way. When she didn’t refute him, he smiled. Perhaps the lady wasn’t as resistant to the attraction between them as he’d expected. The thought lit a fire of anticipation inside him.

But then she stiffened. Her stern eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. “Do not presume to know my mind.”

With a tilt of his head, he offered a roguish grin. “You’ll admit to wanting me eventually. And when you do, I’ll have you naked and in my bed before you can take your next breath.”

Instead of responding to his declaration with shocked affront or virtuous fury, she tilted her head and eyed him with an arched brow. “Do you think to dissuade me with such rakish talk?

“Just being honest.”

“You’re a shameless scoundrel.”

He chuckled. “I am. Best you accept that. I’m not like your fine gentlemen. Never could be in a thousand years.” He spread his arms wide. “What you see is what you get, duchess.”

Her flickering gaze swept over him from head to toe. Across the width of his chest and the reach of his arms, down the length of his torso and then his wide stance. There was no way she’d be able to mistake him for anything other than what he was—a street fighter from the rookery, a bruiser who’d lived his entire life by the fist.

He brought his hands to his hips—waiting for her to take back her offer and rush from the room.

Finishing her perusal with a slow inhale, her eyes found his again.

He clenched his back teeth, knowing his gaze had to be running as hot as his blood by then. But her direct focus didn’t falter.

Instead, she set her head at an imperious angle. “What I expect is a loyal, capable bodyguard who will ensure Frederick’s safety until the threat has been addressed.”

She still wanted him? The woman was damned difficult to scare off. “You’ll pay dearly for the likes of me.”

One of her brows arched to a perfectly subtle effect. “I’ll pay whatever it takes to ensure my brother’s safety, Mr. Hale.” Then her lips curved ever so slightly. “Triple. Remember.”

Mason smiled in return, acknowledging her reference. But then she stated her offer for a weekly salary and he nearly choked on his tongue. The rate she was willing to pay for an indefinite period of time told him more than anything just how wealthy the Blackwells were. And how important her brother’s safety was to this woman.

Taking a moment to conceal his surprise, he countered with a figure nearly double what she’d named. “And a budget for expenses.”

There was only a slight pause before she nodded. “Agreed.”

It was an obscene amount. Far more than he’d ever expected her to agree to. He still wasn’t clear why she’d decided to consider him for such a role, but he was seriously considering accepting the offer.

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