Edmond folded his arms across his chest, not even considering the possibility of a lie. Brianna had been one of the few people who had always managed to determine which twin was which.
“Comfortably tucked into his bed, I should imagine,” he drawled. “You know how devoted he is to country hours.”
She froze at his words, her ivory skin paling to a sickly white.
“He is still at Meadowland?”
“Yes.”
“But…” She scowled in genuine anger. Obviously she was not at all pleased to discover Stefan was not in London. “You are pretending to be the Duke. Why?”
He narrowed his gaze. This woman had already managed to wreck his evening of interrogating his dastardly cousin. On top of that, she had very nearly destroyed his charade—and had stirred the coals of his desire to a fever pitch. It was time that she explained her damnable presence at such a nefarious event.
“Actually, I think the better question is what the devil a supposedly respectable young lady is doing attending a Courtesan’s Ball,” he corrected.
She did not cringe or cower as he had expected. Instead, she planted her hands on her hips and glared at him with flashing green eyes.
“I have no intention of answering any questions until I know why you are pretending to be the Duke of Huntley.”
“You are mistaken, ma souris.” Using his considerable height and weight to his advantage, Edmond backed the tiny woman against the wall, his expression hard with warning. “You will answer my each and every question, and you will do so this moment.”
The pulse at the base of her throat fluttered with obvious fear, but she grimly refused to give in to the inevitable.
“You cannot make me,” she hissed.
In spite of himself, Edmond could not deny a tiny surge of respect for her refusal to be intimidated. He had made grown men crumble with one withering glare, and yet she stood her ground.
Brianna Quinn might still be intruding into places that she did not belong, but his usual desire to throttle her had become a very different desire.
One that included having her spread naked on that nearby bed as he tasted every inch of her ivory skin.
“Surely you have not forgotten how dangerous it is to challenge me?” he husked, shifting to press the hard muscles of his thighs against her. He choked back a groan at the feel of her delicate, perfectly curved body beneath the heavy cloak. “I can never resist a dare.”
She shuddered, her eyes darkening with awareness. “Let me go, Edmond.”
A taunting smile touched his lips as he deliberately rubbed his aching erection against the soft swell of her stomach. The realization that she was not indifferent to his touch only intensified his surging need to be inside her.
“Tell me what you are doing here, or I will open this door and announce to the entire ball you are in attendance.”
Expecting her to falter beneath the threat, Edmond was unprepared when she lifted her hands to give him a sharp shove. He felt it no more than he would the brush of a butterfly, but it was enough to distract him so that she could slide away and walk toward the door.
“Fine, prance me in front of the entire crowd if you desire, I have nothing left to lose,” she said, tossing off the cape to reveal the pink ball gown that was cut to expose the soft curve of her breasts. Seeming indifferent to Edmond’s heated gaze locked on her plunging neckline, she yanked open the door and turned to glare at his distracted expression. “But be assured that, as soon as I am revealed, I will scream loud and clear that you are no more than an impostor.”
It was a bluff. It had to be, Edmond told himself as he stormed to her side and waved his hand toward the door. No woman was foolish enough to willingly toss away her future with such disregard.
“Let us test that theory, shall we?” he said smoothly.
Her chin tilted as she stepped into the hall. “Let’s do.”
Hearing approaching footsteps, Edmond had no choice but to grab her arm and yank her back into the room. He slammed shut the door and turned the lock, before turning to her with impatient fury.
“Have you taken complete leave of your senses? You will be ruined,” he hissed furiously.
Brianna wrapped her arms around her waist, her face pale. “Unless I can convince Stefan to help me,
I am already ruined.”
“What the devil are you talking about?”