Winter's Kiss (Howertys #3)

Chapter 12: Playing With Fire

Sitting in a comfortable chair with a glass of brandy as he waited for Nick to arrive, Gabriel debated his sanity in asking the young woman to come to his room. Meeting her somewhere less private would probably be better, but he didn't want to risk anyone finding them and turning their sham engagement into a real one. If nothing else, no one would come to his room this late at night, so they should be safe.

A soft knock on his door had him back on his feet and across the room in moments. The sooner he had Nick inside, the less risk of someone seeing her in the hallway. Opening the door, he quickly ushered her inside before closing it behind her. His greeting lodged in his throat as he turned around to discover that she was in a nightdress, covered by a modest dressing gown. But even so, it was... Disconcerting. Yes, that was definitely the word.

A braid hung over her shoulder, the tip dangling over her chest. He forced his thoughts away from the knowledge that only two layers of thin cloth lay between him and her skin. It wasn't like him to struggle like this.

"Why are you in your nightdress?"

"The maid would have been suspicious if I'd declined her help."

He nodded. As much as he found the sight of her distracting, she made a good point. He was glad that he'd chosen to keep his waistcoat on, only divesting himself of the coat, or their meeting would have felt far too intimate. Watching Nick as she walked around his room, taking it all in, he walked over to his small desk and grabbed his brandy. He could do with a fortifying drink.

The room wasn't overly large, but it felt smaller than normal with Nick inside as she moved around, picking up a trinket here, a miniature portrait there. The dim light of the few candles aided the intimate atmosphere and illuminated her pale pink dressing gown. Holy hell, he should have just met her in the library and hoped for the best.

Finally, she turned around to look at him with a mischievous smile. "Are you planning to seduce me?"

He almost choked on his drink. "I beg your pardon?"

She raised a dainty shoulder in a shrug. "I've heard that bachelors usually try to seduce young ladies when they bring them into their bedchamber."

Smiling wryly, he set his glass down and raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Well, these are not what I would call normal circumstances."

"So you're not planning to seduce me, then?"

"No." But God, did he want to. That little upturned curve at the corners of her mouth was taunting him.

"Under normal circumstances, would you have?"

He gave her a suspicious look, not entirely sure where she was going with this. Did she know how desperately he wanted to take her in his arms and repeat the kiss from their first meeting? "Did you want me to?"

She smiled. "No, I'm just curious."

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed, both relieved and frustrated. "No, most definitely not."

"Why not?" she asked, her lower lip pouting now. "Don't you find me attractive?"

If he'd still had his drink, he was certain he would have choked for real at that moment. "You're very attractive," he said slowly, his words measured. "But I don't seduce innocent, young women."

"Oh, I see." She gave him a long look and then grinned mischievously. "So I have nothing to worry about then."

"No, you're quite safe." As for his own sanity, he wasn't sure. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her. This teasing would drive him mad. Reminding himself of the reason he asked her to join him in the first place, he nodded towards a piece of paper on his desk. "One of my men discovered that your friend, Wyndon, is indeed in quite a lot of financial trouble. His father ran the estate into the ground before he passed away, and Wyndon has been desperately scrambling trying to make up for the deficit since he inherited the title."