Page 49 of Devil in Her Details

You let him into your chamber!

Well, she could hardly deny that.

A panther on her bed . . .

Somehow, for some reason she dared not examine, she’d fallen into a deeply forbidden attraction with this panther she could never ever call hers. So why did that make her feel so disappointed?

The corner of his mouth hitched up. “Want to touch?”

*

Her glare was immediate.

“Urgh. Never mind,” she muttered, marching up to him, her gaze inspecting every inch of him.

“Never mind what?” Dagger asked, smile widening, loving her eyes on his body.

“Never mind means you don’t know what to never mind,” she retorted, leaning over to inspect the side that had gotten hit with a stick, his gaze falling to her pursed lips before slowly trailing back up again.

“See? It’s nothing.”

“How’s this nothing? It’s a nasty purple bruise!” She reached out to trail a finger lightly over his injury.

Dagger shut his eyes, his fingers digging into the bedding.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

His eyes opened to meet hers. She hadn’t moved back, and the soft light of the room caught the side of her face, the soft curve of her mouth. Dagger held himself very still, digging deep to hold back from kissing her as his fingers tried to breach the mattress. “No.”

“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.” His gaze dropped to her lips again. He wanted to claim them again. Drag his tongue over their plump and soft surface. Scrape them with his teeth until she shuddered against him.

Dagger’s brow furrowed, a thought occurring to him. “You live alone? I didn’t spot any servants when I entered.”

“You mean when you broke in.” Her gaze lifted back to his. “Just how did you enter my house?”

Absurd question. “You think a locked door can keep me out?”

She harrumphed. “It’s supposed to keep you out.”

“Don’t you have any servants?” Dagger redirected instead of acknowledging the true thought lodged on his tongue. Nothing can keep me out. He didn’t dwell on that thought too closely. It wasn’t about locks or doors or the particular layout of her Brighton house. It was about her specifically, and he was self-aware enough to know it, and wise enough not to follow that thread any further than he already had.

“I have three trusted servants with me, but other than feeding me and ensuring I have clothes to wear, I leave them to their own devices, and they leave me to mine.”

Dagger was pretty sure that wasn’t how things normally worked in an aristocratic household. Three servants? “Where are they now?”

“I was in no mood for people underfoot, so I gave them the day off.”

In this house, three people could hardly be considered having “people underfoot.” He didn’t like that she was alone. “I’d have thought a lady couldn’t travel without all her comforts.”

A scoff. “You don’t know many ladies, do you?”

“I know two. Three with you.”

“Oh? Now I’m curious.”

Dagger shrugged. “Their circumstances are different from yours.”