“Am I wrong? Should I give it to a man in a room of Covenant Garden or wait until I’m kept in a beautiful house on Hyde Park? Should I wait and find a lord who will take it from me for a hefty bag of coins? And do you think that he will care more for me than you?”
His eyes flared then. “No,” he said, with shocking clarity. “The fact that you understand the world so well, Cat… it’s terrifying and wondrous. And I wonder how exactly you got this way.”
“By being a member of my family,” she replied evenly, “And reading every single book in the library. With a brother like mine and the books I’ve read? I understand the way of the world far better than most young ladies of my set.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” he ventured.
She nodded before whispering softly, “Now, be a man of your word and kiss me.”
Chapter 4
The thoughts and feelings rushing through Garret were perplexing. He was not accustomed to taking the innocence of a young woman. It was certainly not his line. He’d never seen the appeal that some men saw in virginity and the taking of it.
And yet here he was in his chamber with a young woman who was all but demanding he do so.
She had made a good argument.
Garret could not, in good conscience, tell her that she was being innocent or naive. Though he felt certain she was both to some degree. He understood the point of what she was saying. As he gazed down at her, he grabbed the linen from her and wrapped it about his waist, hiding the growing hardness of his cock. The evidence that his body did not seem to care about his finer scruples.
He paused.
“I’m not a white knight,” he said firmly.
“Good,” she replied, her voice determined as she leaned towards him. “I should hate it if you were. Besides, I didn’t say that I thought you a white knight. I simply said that I thought you were a good man. And you are prevaricating, Your Grace.”
Bloody hell. Was he truly going to do this? Was he a villain himself, justifying his actions? “I am prevaricating because I refuse to have your wounding on my conscience.”
She laughed, a deep delicious yet slightly bitter sound. “You already do.”
He blinked, astonished by her honesty and the power of it. “I beg your pardon?”
She licked her lower lip as she studied his mouth as if she was trying to figure out how to avoid all this nonsense and cut to the carnal chase. “Youknowthat you have thrown my life into disarray. I agree that it was my brother’s actions that caused you to call him out. But you clearly never considered the ripple that such a jolt would cause.”
She tilted her head to the side and dared, “Now, do not be afraid. I did not think you would be afraid.”
“I am not afraid,” he retorted.
But he was.
He was so careful about his actions, but he was not necessarily agoodperson, as she said. He did good things and took the right actions. But there was something dark in his heart.
And as he stared down at her, his inner devil told him to take her. To not look back, to not think twice. After all, she was offering herself to him. Why should he not?
He could not. At least, not yet.
There was one last thing he had to try. One last thing he could do. Even though the truth was that there was something deep inside him coiling, longing to have her. The boldness of her, the fierceness of her.
It spoke to him in a way that nothing had ever done before.
The very fact that she had snuck into his house, the audacity, the courage. He was in awe of her, and that awe inspired an emotion he could barely name.
“You said you wanted to go and live in a cottage by the sea,” he offered. “I can do that. I can do that now. I can give you money. I can direct my solicitors to ensure you have a fund every year. And you and your sister will be without risk or harm.”
“No,” she said tightly.
“No?” He queried, though he was not surprised by her firm denial.
“I do not wish your charity, sir.”