A Persistant Attraction (7 page)

“Yes, you did. But that is irrelevant. Tell me what you want.”

“You are insufferable.”

He thought the old Amanda had returned, but she began to fidget again, slowly stepping from one foot to the other. “Could we find somewhere private to talk?”

“You’d risk being alone with me?”

“Would you please try to be a gentleman just for a few minutes?” He smiled and extended his arm. “At your service.”

“Which door leads to the library?” she asked.

“The one on the left, but I know of a better place.” He led her to a small sitting room that was blessedly unoccupied.

“Shall we sit?” he asked, indicating the settee and surrounding chairs.

“No…yes. I suppose we should.” She sank onto the settee, looking angry and frightened at the same time.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. He’d never seen Amanda so off balance.

Finally, she looked up, and her deeply set violet eyes locked with his. “I accept.” She said the words with no intonation and a sad look on her face, as if she’d confessed to a heinous crime.

“You accept what?” He thought he knew, but he wanted her to say it.

“The offer you made the other night. Your help in exchange for…attempts at seduction.”

Her breath caught on the last word, and Rhys had to swallow rapidly. He’d certainly never expected her to acquiesce to his ridiculous demands. The events of the night before had apparently scared her more than he’d thought.

But no matter how tempting her words, he couldn’t agree to uphold such an improper bargain. “Amanda, I—”

She held up her hand to silence him. “I need your help. I still think it’s an indecent offer. But after what happened last night, I have to do something.”

“What happened last night?” he asked, pretending he didn’t know, digging himself into a deeper hole with his lies of omission.

Her cheeks turned red and her hands twisted in her lap. Could it be that she was more frightened by her response to his kiss than by the brush with death?

“I went to the tavern where I am supposed to bring the money. I thought I could watch for my assailant to come and try to identify him. Apparently, he’d hired men to watch me. They attacked me, but before they could harm me, three men came from nowhere and saved me. One of them walked me home, and…” The color had receded a bit from her cheeks. Now it returned in full force.

“And what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. He walked me home and left. But I can’t count on someone being available to rescue me next time. I had my gun and my knife, but I’m not strong enough to fight off several men. It makes me angry to admit it, but I’m not.” Rhys’s heart accelerated at the thought of Amanda alone in a fight, no matter how skilled she was. “You’re stronger than plenty of men I know. No one can win when they’re badly outnumbered.”

“The man who rescued me had two men with him, but I think he could have defeated all four of my attackers single-handedly.”

Guilt slithered in Rhys’s belly. “I doubt that. I’m sure he’s just as human as you or I.”

She sighed. “Perhaps.”

He had to make her understand that he would help her but he expected nothing in return. “Amanda, listen, I—”

“Please.” She looked dreadfully close to tears. He’d never seen her cry, not even when she’d been taken hostage by the men who’d wanted to kill Mark and her sister.

There was time to make her understand later. “I’ll help you.” Rhys’s heart beat accelerated, and blood pounded through his head as he realized what he’d agreed to. He would help her, but he would simply ignore the ridiculous clause about seduction. Or would he? She’d just given him permission to kiss her, to touch her.

Did he have the strength to turn that down? He was very afraid he knew the answer and it said very little for his sense of ethics.

Before he could make another attempt to explain that he would help her with no strings attached, he heard a thump outside the door. Most likely another guest was searching for a private spot. Nevertheless, he rose to his feet and placed himself between Amanda and the door.

“What’s happening?”

He put his finger to his lips to silence her as he reached under his jacket and felt the comfortable weight of his pistol. He’d finally weaned himself from carrying it

everywhere, but after news of Amanda’s attack and the new assignment from Farrington, he’d taken up the habit again.

He wanted to draw the weapon, but he stopped himself. There was no need to give one of his uncle’s guests heart palpitations. He motioned for Amanda to move behind the settee and approached the door.

He pulled it openly slowly. No one jumped out so he put his hand on his gun and leaned from the room looking quickly from one side to the other. Nothing. Whoever had been there was gone now.

Hearing movement behind him, he turned to see Amanda standing close enough to touch him. “Damn it. I told you to hide.”

“I wanted to help.”

“We need to get some things straight right now. I—”

“What’s that?” She pointed to the floor.

Curiosity trumped Rhys’s need to scold her. He picked up the object. It was a gold watch with a broken chain. He turned it over and saw the initials W.B.L. engraved on the back. He handed it to Amanda. “Does this mean anything to you?” She stared at the watch, turning it over in her hands several times. “Nothing comes to mind. When I get home, I’ll see if I can make a list of the men I’ve met in London to make sure none of them have those initials.” Rhys put the watch in his jacket pocket. He was about to resume his safety lecture.

But he saw movement down the hall, his aunt giving a few female guests a tour of the newly redecorated house. He quickly closed the door, hoping none of them had seen him or Amanda.

He motioned for her to follow. They exited the sitting room through a side door that led into the library. Once they were back in the ballroom, he turned to Amanda, intending to tell her they should leave the ball, when he spotted a man who looked familiar. Yet, he couldn’t place where he’d seen the man before.

He was wearing an eye patch, which Rhys surely would remember, but perhaps he’d not needed it when they’d met before. Something about his appearance raised Rhys’s

suspicions. Could he have been sent by Les Centimes? Farrington had said the man would likely be someone they would recognize.

He led a reluctant-looking debutante onto the floor. Rhys wanted to follow the suspicious character and see if he could discover why this man seemed so familiar. He took Amanda’s hand and pulled her toward the dancers.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice much too loud for discretion.

“We’re going to waltz.” He placed a hand on her waist and maneuvered her into the correct position.

“I didn’t agree to dance with you. In fact, you never even asked. We need to talk, to discuss how to take care of our…” she paused and looked around as if realizing others were close enough to hear, “…problem.”

“I have a good reason for keeping you here.” He tried to indicate his seriousness with his tone. It must have worked, because she made no further protests.

He tried to keep his attention on the man he’d spotted as he twirled Amanda in circles that moved them closer to where the suspicious character was dancing. But the feeling of her body so close to his distracted him. Once again, he was surprised by how easily she followed the music.

He fought against the heat her nearness sent through him, but his cock reacted anyway. Why did she affect him so strongly? It wasn’t as if dancing with other women brought his cock to attention, even those who were bent on seducing him, or those he planned to take to his bed.

He deliberately pulled her closer than was acceptable, longing for her breasts to brush against his chest and her thighs to rub against his as they had during their kiss the night before. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. But he resisted the urge and loosened his hold, letting the space grow between them.

He was in a crowded ballroom with a woman whose reputation he had no intention of ruining, a woman whose life was in danger. He was trying to identify a man whose plot might destroy both England and France. He had to get his baser urges under control.

He forced himself to watch the familiar man and to ignore the warmth of Amanda’s skin. Finally, the music came to an end. His instincts still screamed that he knew the man with the eye patch, but watching him more closely hadn’t triggered any specific memories. He would have make inquiries with his contacts tomorrow. Now he needed to see Amanda safely home.

“It’s time for us to leave.” He propelled Amanda in the direction of her aunt’s chair.

“We’ll tell your aunt you have a headache and I’ve agreed to escort you home.” Amanda scowled. “I have no intention of leaving. If my attacker makes an attempt here, it would be the perfect opportunity to catch him.” Rhys felt his face growing red. A few more days in Amanda’s company might just cause him to explode with a combination of lust and frustration. “No.” He barely resisted the urge to yell. “We need to find your aunt.”

“She’s not likely to let me leave with you.” Rhys laughed. “Of course she will. She secretly adores me.”

As Rhys helped her into his carriage, Amanda’s heart thumped in fear. She’d botched the entire conversation about his offer. She’d intended to appear aloof and sensual, the type of woman a man would want for a lover. Instead, she’d felt nervous, petulant and worst of all, desperate.

She silently cursed the situation that had put her at the mercy of such a rake. At least he’d agreed to help her. Now she could have the assistance she needed and learn more about the hidden pleasures of the bedroom while she was at it. Whether her heart would survive remained to be seen.

Rhys settled himself across from her and gave her a serious look. “Now that I have you alone, you’re going to listen to my rules for how this investigation is going to work.” Amanda resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t trust herself to speak without screeching, so she simply nodded.

“If I am going to protect you, then—”

She interrupted him. “I did not ask you to protect me. I asked you to assist me.”

“It amounts to the same thing.”

“No, it does not.”

“I can find the man who is after you. But in order to do that, I need to know that you are safe.”

“As you said earlier, I can hold my own with many men. I can shoot, use a knife and get myself into and out of tight places. I refuse to be left at home like some princess in a tower.”

Rhys closed his eyes and groaned.

“If I am so much trouble, then forget it. I will find someone else to help me.”

“I assure you, any other man you find will either insist on the same rules as me or he will be so overrun by your forceful personality that he will be of little use to you.”

“Are you calling me a shrew?”

Rhys ignored her. “You can tell me everything you know about this man and help me strategize the best way to track him down. When it comes time to do the actual tracking, you are going to stay home where you can be protected.”

“No.”

“Amanda, this is not negotiable.”

Amanda lifted the curtain and looked out the carriage window. As she’d suspected, they’d passed the street her aunt lived on. “Where are we going?”

“To my home.”

“I thought I could trust you to take me home.” He sighed. “We’re only stopping briefly so we have a private place to talk. I didn’t think you would appreciate the gossip it would generate if I entered your aunt’s house with you.”

She snorted.

He moved to sit beside her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and look at him.

“Amanda, I know you think I’m a scoundrel, but I have no intention of damaging your reputation. I intend to keep you safe without ruining your chances of making a decent match or bringing shame to you or your family.” She tried to ignore the flash of pain she saw on his face. “I’ve only stayed in London to help my aunt. I have no intention of marrying. After my sister is safely settled, I intend to go back to the country where I can forget about all the horrid people I’ve met here.

Refusing your advances has nothing to do with my reputation and everything to do with the fact that I don’t trust you.”

When she stopped speaking, she realized he was staring at her as if she’d sprouted a new head. She felt color rise to her cheeks. Why had she exploded like that? Only Rhys could make her lose control of her temper so easily.

“I’m sorry you feel that way. I don’t suppose I’ve given you reason to think otherwise, at least not lately. But you never know when you might meet a man who

changes your mind about marriage. I insist that we take the necessary precautions to keep our association quiet.”

He looked sadder and more solemn than she’d ever seen him. She couldn’t fathom his reaction. Anger she expected. And stubbornness. It stood to reason he’d want to do everything his way. She’d had to fight him when she’d insisted on helping in Mark’s rescue. Why would this be any different? But why would he be sad? She’d agreed to his terms. For the second time that week, her perception of him shifted.

Impulsively, she reached for his hand. “We’ll talk, and then you’ll escort me home?” He gave a thin smile. “Yes.”

When they were seated in his study, Rhys continued his lecture on protection and safety. Eventually, she grew too tired of his fussing to tolerate any more. “We’re not going to agree on this topic. Why don’t we discuss what needs to be done and argue later about who needs to do it?”

“Fine, but don’t think this discussion is over. I intend to do what you asked, and I can’t do that if you are constantly putting yourself in danger.”

“I’m not—”

“I thought you wanted to end this conversation.” She let out a slow breath and forced herself to unclench her fists. “I do.”

“Good. Have you received any notes other than those you’ve shown me?

“No. I thought I’d get one today, but I did not.”

“Is there anyone you or another member of your family might have angered enough that they would want to kill you?”

“No, unless my father has done something I’m unaware of. That’s always possible.” Rhys scowled. “Do you communicate with him at all?”