Page 4 of Unbound Duchess

“You are right,” she agreed. “I should not do such things with a man I do not know.”

“Glad you have come to your senses,” he quipped, pouring himself a fresh glass of whisky.

“But I could with you,” she quickly added.

The man jerked so suddenly that whisky sloshed down the sides of his glass.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, slowly bringing his gaze to hers.

“You do not find me appealing enough to kiss?” she countered, already braced to have her feelings hurt.

“I did not say that,” he said, setting the whisky bottle down with a thud. “But one brief conversation with me does not mean you know what sort of man I am.”

“You are a good man,” she said softly.

He chortled.

“You think so?” he asked bitterly.

Ellen took a tentative step toward him.

“We are in this room alone with no chaperone. You could have leapt at the chance to take advantage of such a precarious situation, yet you chose to warn me against such situations instead. I believe that makes you good.”

“I believe that makes you ill-informed and naive,” he snapped.

His condescending tone washed away any confidence Ellen had gathered, leaving her once more drowning in her insecurities, as usually happened when she was forced to interact socially.

“Of course,” she said lightly, not only ready to flee from the room, but from Judith’s crazy idea and the party itself. “You are correct. You know yourself far better than I.”

She began to flee, embarrassment and hurt flooding through her, but just as she was about to pass the armrest of the couch, the man moved with a quickness that startled her and grabbed her by the arm.

“Wait,” he hissed.

“Whatever for?” she snapped, pulling at his hand. His strong grip did not loosen, but it did not tighten either. He could hurt her, she realized with a growing fear, and she had been naive enough to allow it to happen.

“Forgive me,” he muttered, surprising her. “I should not have spoken such ill words toward your character.”

“You should not have,” she snapped back in agreement.

Ellen sucked at the inside of her cheek, feeling his words churn inside her.

“However,” she sighed, “you seem to be right. It was foolish of me to—even for the briefest of moments—believe I was safe with you. You are a stranger, and I asked something that was most untoward.”

His grip on her arm softened as his eyes—green, she realized in that moment—widened behind his simple black mask.

“Consider it another lesson learned,” she quipped. “And now, if you would, please excuse me.”

She took another step, but this time the man stepped with her hastily.

“Wait.”

His thumb smoothed over her arm, sending warmth blooming into the small place where their bodies touched. Ellen trembled slightly, surprised that such a small touch could make her feel so much.

“To feel safe is an important thing,” he whispered, his deep voice suddenly hoarse as his green eyes traveled not over her body, but over her masked face. It was as if he was trying to determine where the disguise started and the real her began. “And if you are going to have this supposed ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, it should be with someone with whom you feel safe.”

Excitement stirred through Ellen’s veins as the man took another step toward her; his much larger, firmer frame casting a shadow over her as he drew close. Ellen swallowed, feeling the heat of his body seeping into her as he drew closer than any man ever had before.

“Are you…” she rasped, feeling her body begin to hum with a foreign energy as she stared up at him, “saying yes to my request?”