Lady May would not meet his gaze. Nor did she attempt to escape the circle of his arms.
“I would look for you,” he said quietly. “Do you think I would not notice my irreplaceable aide missing?”
She looked straight at him, then, and he nearly forgot himself. “You could hardly be expected to comb through your secretpassages for me, mil—Your Grace.” Lady May’s awkward laugh pained him. “Your plate is full enough as it is. I am meant to alleviate your troubles, not add to them.”
How could she think that? Was he so fierce a figure that she did not believe a well-meaning word from his lips? “Nonsense. I said I’ll care for you, and I will. But, it seems I have already saved you,” his gaze snagged on the flimsy fabric of her nightgown once more, “from danger.”
Was there blush creeping into her cheeks, or did he imagine it? Was she maintaining the distance between them with the same difficulty he felt, or was she simply being professional?
Was it his want that he saw reflected in her eyes, or was it hers?
Ever since employing Lady May, he kept forgetting himself. They’d struck a deal, and that deal did not include ravishing her until she could not stand. Elias prided himself on his self-control. There was nothing controlled about his unbridled desire to seize the beautiful woman in front of him and fuck her until she came apart in his arms. He would have her slowly, at first, thoroughly delighting in every inch of her creamy skin, and then, once she uttered his name...
His thoughts threatened to spill out as he stared at her. If she knew what he was thinking... For the sake of them both and the job he employed her for, he had to get a hold of himself.
May could not believe her so-called luck. From thinking she’d die in the tomb of the tunnels to assaulting the man who manifested straight out of her dreams to save her… When the duke opened that door, she was too crazed to think, but, oh, she felteverythingas he shielded her from the fall.
She had to stay in control. It was so much easier to cope with the burning desire of her dreams when she knew they would never come to fruition. But when May felt the press of him against her, she crossed into the dangerous territory where things were real. Where the merest rise of his rock-solid chest robbed her of breath. Where the very idea that she might have caused the swell of him now brushing against her thigh... Oh, that unholy thought ignited her loins like kindling.
She had to escape it. She was not thinking as she reached for that window, her mind working tirelessly to put distance between them as every muscle in her body refused to cooperate. If she succumbed to his charms—a thought so wrong it seemed more right with each passing moment—there would be no going back. The future in her grasp would slip into oblivion.
Of all the people to place her trust in, was she really willing to risk it for a man who held unimaginable power?
“It seems I have already saved you… from danger.”
May’s heart thundered as she resisted the urge to wrap the remainder of her robe tight about her. He was a duke. Hewasthe danger.
A truly handsome danger. She could not help but stare as the moonlight fell across the duke’s figure. His ruffled night shirt was half undone, revealing his smooth, corded chest. She did not let her eyes stray any lower, choosing to safely admire his arms instead. With the shirt rolled up, the fabric was strained. He was muscular. Far more than she’d noticed before. Was the duke fond of exercise? What sort of exertion made a man of leisure look this good? She swallowed. That was a dangerous train of thought.
His dark hair was tousled sideways, partially obscuring his face. Something about him was different. It took her a moment to realize he was missing his glasses. Yet his gaze was as sharp and all-seeing as ever. How long had he been watching herlike this? Something dark swirled in his eyes, magnetizing and addictive. Then he smiled, banishing the shadow from his eyes, his lips stretching into a pleasant smile.
“You seem to have recovered from your ordeal. I should not keep you up further, not when you still have work… to do.”
It all came back to this: the job she was hired for. The one she was quite certain no longer needed doing. If only she could soothe his suspicions…
“What if the truth is that Lord Spencer is indeed poor and low ranking, but his feelings toward Lady Hannah are honest? Would you prevent your sister from reciprocating them?”
Wake up, May. You’re living in a dreamland if you think he would ever consider someone like you.
“If he truly has no other motive, and my sister is intent on choosing him... I will step aside, knowing my work is done.”
There was no trace of a lie in his voice. She could not help but lean forward, her hand going to his forearm without thought. “Truly? Despite his low standing?”
He cocked his head to the side, surprised. “One’s station is of no consequence in the face of true love. That is all I could wish for Hannah.”
Curse it all. She was this close to getting over her attraction to the duke. But whatever fortitude she’d gathered all slipped away at his answer. May bit her lip.
The duke leaned toward her, that devilish grin of his reappearing. “You will get paid regardless of the outcome, I promise.”
“That is not—that is not why I was asking!”
“Oh?” He stepped a fraction closer. “What is your interest, then?”
May turned her face away. “I did not peg you for a romantic, is all.”
“A pragmatist like me? I have other charms.”
She distinctly realized she’d left her hand on his forearm. “I am sorry to have taken up your valuable time. You are undoubtedly weary from the day’s exertions, and I…” She let her hand slide away but he neatly caught her hand in his.
