Page 56 of Devil in Her Details

Protest rose sharp and swift. Escape that fool by marrying another? Dagger’s throat went dry, and it was hard to swallow. “Don’t let other people dictate your future.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t believe I will.”

Dagger let out a deep breath. “And just so you know, you’re not that difficult to read.”

She turned her head slightly. “Oh?”

“You say what you mean. You just don’t say all of it.”

“And what is it,” she said carefully, “that I haven’t said?”

“That you’re frightened. Not of that fool, I mean. But that you can’t simply make him stop.” He kept his eyes on the outline of her face. “There’s a difference between handling a man and being unable to be rid of one.”

“Seems like you know something about that.”

“My uncle is one of those men,” Dagger admitted. “Still can’t handle him. Still can’t get rid of him.”

She was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Is that why you do what you do?”

“Partly.”

“And the other parts?”

Dagger bit back a smile. “Are none of your business.”

She made a small sound of disbelief and shifted against her pillow to face him more fully. “You say that, and yet here you are. In my bed. I think I’ve earned the right to know.”

“Go to sleep, lynx.”

“How did I know you were going to say that?” she muttered, burrowing her face deeper into the pillow.

“The less you know—”

“The better for me?” she finished for him. “Such a Dagger thing to say.”

“You’re returning to your life soon, so yes, it’s better. And I am Dagger.”

“You know, you big, bad panther, this is my life. I’m already in it.”

True enough. “A moment of your life,” Dagger corrected. “You’ll have many more after this. Moments that have nothing to do with Brighton or Calvington.” Or me. “Sleep.”

“Fine,” she said a bit exasperatedly. “I won’t bother you anymore. Sleep well, Mr. Panther.”

Dagger’s lips lifted before settling into a flat line again. She could never be a bother.

You sleep well, too, little lynx.

His mission to steal as many kisses from her as possible? He should really reevaluate that.

It was a fool’s mission. He knew that. A man like him had no business wanting a woman like her, and even less business acting on it. But then, he had never been particularly known for good sense where it counted. He’d take what he could.

And he’d let her go when the time came.

There was no other way.

Chapter Twelve

Lilly stared at the man sitting across from her cleaning his daggers with avid interest. A row of them already lined the tea table. So far, except for waking up to this man in her bed, still behind the rows of pillows she’d stacked between them, everything was shockingly ordinary. Except for the part about the daggers. But everyone had their vices, did they not?