Page 124 of Debtor’s Daughter

Henri looked up to find Alex’s grey eyes upon her and shivered. She could see a steel core in those eyes, the heart of a man who could be ruthless and cold-hearted if the need arose.

“May I be frank with you?”

She nodded, as unease rippled down her spine. “Yes, of course.”

Alex looked at her, apparently choosing his words with care. “My brother is an honourable man, Henri, but ... he is a man, like any other.”

Henri frowned, perplexed and feeling more anxious than ever.

“I am in no doubt of either your feelings for him or ... your character,” he said, and she felt her heart pick up a little more as she wondered what exactly he meant by that remark. “I am also certain of the regard in which he holds you.” He gave a grim smile. “That much has become obvious, the poor bastard can hardly look at me anymore. If I didn’t know him better, I might fear for my life.” He gave Henri a pitying look, who was by now extremely alarmed and wondering where this was going. “My dear girl, he’s so jealous I can see the desire to murder me in his eyes.”

She gasped and then found she was laughing as he in turn snorted at her delight on hearing this information.

“There is no need to look quite so gleeful at the idea of my cold corpse at his feet,” he muttered. “Anyway, the point I am trying to make is ...” He smirked and obviously decided he had to spell it out as his next words shocked her to her core. “Henri, he wants you in his bed. No matter he feels he can’t have you, he wants you more than anything.”

Henri felt the blush creep up her neck and settle to blaze upon her cheeks. This was not an appropriate conversation to be having with her fiancé - about his brother. But nonetheless she wanted to know what he was getting at.

“And so?” she said faintly and then felt her blush increase as Alex’s eyebrows rose to the heavens.

“And so,” he repeated, with clear impatience. “And so, you must seduce him!”

“Oh,” she said, though her voice sounded faint and rather a long way off. Her mind had drifted back to the night in the cabin, to the feel of Lawrence’s hot mouth closing around her breast, the evidence of his desire hard between her legs. She felt suddenly breathless and everything below her navel seemed to clench with an aching desire to run to Lawrence this moment and do exactly what Alex suggested.

She started as Alex sighed and spoke again. “Do you think you can manage that?” he demanded, scowling at her and clearly doubting her abilities.

Mortified, both by what she had been thinking in his presence and the idea he thought her incapable of seduction, she returned his scowl with one of her own.

“I think I might be able to manage it,” she snapped, gaining herself a look of amusement and watching as he fought not to smile at her annoyance. He cleared his throat.

“Well then ... good. Because if you can, I feel there is no way Lawrence will leave.” He frowned then. “And if he tries to pass you back off to me after using you in such a way, then … Well then I shall have to take things into my own hands,” he said, with such an icy tone that Henri felt quite alarmed.

No, she would have to do this herself. She would use every method in her power to make sure the blasted man stayed here, with her, where he belonged.

With that in mind she made her excuses, only too eager to be free of the earl’s presence after that conversation and hurried off to find the one woman whose advice she most desperately needed.