Chapter Two
T he woman stilled in Evan’s grip, though her chest still rose and fell with quick, irritated breaths. Her eyes flashed, and the muffled sounds escaping from under his hand made it clear she wasn’t planning to stay silent much longer.
“Do you always have to make things so difficult?” he muttered, his grip on her tightening slightly.
She grunted, trying once more to twist away from him, her body shifting against his in the cramped space.
“Stop that, ” he warned, leaning his head down toward her, their faces far too close for comfort.
The woman shot him a furious look, her eyes narrowing to slits.
“You are being ridiculous,” Evan whispered.
Her response was another muffled grunt, and this time he could just make out, “Let me go.”
“Not a chance,” Evan said, his voice low and firm. “Not when being caught like this would lead to a scandal neither of us can afford.”
Her glare sharpened, and though she stilled her body, the tension between them felt like a tightly wound spring. Evan couldn’t deny the odd thrill of it—the fire in her, the way she refused to submit.
Evan exhaled quietly, straining to hear whatever was going on outside their little closet. The voices outside had faded a bit, but the men were still lingering near the library shelves, searching for whatever book had brought them here. Just a bit longer , he thought, trying to stay focused.
The woman shifted again, pressing against him. Her movement caused a soft scuffling sound, and Evan tensed, his hand tightening over her mouth.
Her eyes blazed in response, her entire body stiff with fury. She clearly wasn’t enjoying being manhandled— not that I am enjoying this either, Evan thought dryly.
It was strange—most women who encountered him were all too willing to make themselves known, especially in such an intimate situation. But this one, whoever she was, seemed to be more interested in fighting him off than swooning. She had not even paused to introduce herself, and that left him off-balance.
Another noise escaped her throat, this one slightly muffled, but the meaning was clear enough: You will regret this.
Evan rolled his eyes. Miss, this is not how I’d planned to spend this evening, either.”
She shot him a glare that could have melted stone, but she didn’t try to speak again.
Just as he began to relax, thinking they might be in the clear, the woman shifted her weight again—this time brushing her lips against the edge of his thumb as she exhaled. It was a slight, unintentional touch, but it sent an unexpected jolt through him.
His body tensed, and he clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the sudden awareness of how close they were. This wasn’t the time to be distracted by... whatever this was.
Finally, the voices outside began to recede, the men moving farther away from the closet. Evan loosened his grip on the woman ever so slightly, though he still did not release her.
“We are almost clear,” he whispered, leaning in just enough for her to hear. “You will be free to scold me all you want in a moment.”
She gave him a pointed look, the promise of retribution clear in her eyes. Evan nearly smiled—her spirit was something else entirely.
But before either of them could relax, the woman turned her head, her voice sharp as she spoke into his hand. “How dare you?—”
Evan’s reflexes were quick. His hand clamped back over her mouth, firmer this time. “For heaven's sake, stop talking,” he hissed. “I have no intent of getting a special license tonight.”
Her eyes widened in outrage, and before he could react, she bit him.
Evan yanked his hand away with a muffled grunt, staring at her in disbelief. “You bit me!” he whispered, his voice mixed with shock and amusement.
“And I will do it again if you do not stop acting like a rake,” she hissed, her voice low but fierce.
Evan rubbed his hand, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“You deserve far worse,” she shot back, her voice laced with venom. “This is all your fault!”
“How is this my fault?” Evan demanded. “For all your talk of finding a young lady alone with a man, you were the one running around by yourself without a chaperone.”
“Because I had to stop you from ruining her!” she nearly yelled at him.
“Do not make me cover your mouth again,” Evan warned her.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed, stamping her foot. “And I demand you tell me where my sister is hiding at once!”
“Ahhh... so that is who you were so desperate to keep away from me!”
“You pretend to not know her! You cannot seriously think–”
“Tell me, why is it that you think I would be interested in your sister?” The Duke challenged. “One shrieking, stamping, biting hellion is quite enough for me, Miss…?"
“ Lady Minerva,” she snapped, her temper flaring again. “Lady Minerva Bellington, to be precise.”
“Lady Minerva,” he repeated, his tone softening slightly. “I assure you, I have not been meeting your sister—or anyone else, for that matter. I came to this library to escape the ball, not to conduct some secret rendezvous.”
That was all true. But now, standing in a tiny supply closet, inches away from a spitfire of a woman who seemed ready to burst, he wished he’d stayed at the insufferably loud ball instead.
Minerva’s eyes flickered with doubt, but she wasn’t ready to let it go just yet. “How do I know you are not lying?”
Evan shrugged, the barest hint of a grin tugging at his lips again. “Believe what you wish. But it is the truth.”
Her breath came quicker now, her brows pulling together in a mix of frustration and anxiety. “This would never have happened if you had not interfered. I should be out there, finding her before it is too late!”
“Too late for what?” Evan asked, his amusement fading as he caught the note of desperation in her voice. “What exactly are you trying to stop? I hardly think she is planning on... er, giving herself to someone outside of wedlock.”
“No! Nothing like that!”
“Then truly I am not sure what you believe she will ruin.”
Minerva’s hands clenched at her sides, her face paling slightly as she struggled to keep her composure. “Her reputation. If she—if she kisses him, everything will be ruined. And now, because of you, I am trapped in here while she is out there, doing heaven knows what!”
Evan frowned, his confusion deepening. “Wait—this is about a kiss?”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Yes, a kiss! Something that could ruin her, something you, of all people, should know well enough about.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but the words did not come. The men outside were still lingering, their low voices murmuring about the book they couldn’t find. Minerva looked like she was about to lose her mind entirely, twisting her hands with increasing frustration, tapping her foot annoyingly fast.
Evan watched her, and despite the absurdity of the situation, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her panic. She clearly believed she was on the brink of some great disaster, though he couldn’t quite understand why.
“You are worked up over what she wishes might happen,” he said, his voice low but steady, trying to calm her down before she exposed them. “I doubt it is as dire as you think.”
Minerva spun on him, her eyes blazing with indignation. “You do not understand! My sister is... she is different. If word gets out, it will destroy her. She will be ruined, and all because I was not there to stop it!”
Evan raised his hands in mock surrender, though his tone remained light. “I am not saying it is nothing. But a kiss is not the end of the world, especially if no one catches her.”
She glared at him, clearly not appreciating his attempt to minimize the situation. “For a man like you, perhaps not. But for women like my sister and me, reputation is all we have.”
Her words hit him with unexpected weight, and despite his usual nonchalance Evan felt a flicker of guilt. He had spent years cultivating his own reputation as a rake, and it had hardly cost him anything.
Before he could respond, Minerva let out a shaky breath, running a hand over her hair. “I need to get out of here. I need to find her before?—”
“I am sure you will find her soon. But you need to calm down first, unless you want to be the one ruined instead. It would be a sure way to keep the ton’s attention off your sister.”
She tried to look up to glare at him again, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger. And for the first time, Evan saw past her bravado. Beneath the fire and the sharp retorts, she was scared.
But he did not let that thought linger. There was still too much to resolve, and the men outside were starting to move again.
If they were discovered now, the scandal would be disastrous, far worse than anything polite society had whispered about in recent years. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
In contrast, Evan remained calm and collected, leaning against the door of the closet as though they had all the time in the world. He tilted his head, regarding her with a curious look. “Are you always this wound up?” he asked, his voice laced with mild amusement.
Minerva shot him a glare that could have scorched the sun, but there was something frantic in her gaze, something that told him she was on the verge of losing control completely. Her breathing had grown uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly as if she were fighting for air. She wasn’t just upset—she was in the throes of full-blown anxiety.
“You risk drawing attention with such commotion,” he whispered, his voice low but firm. She barely seemed to register his words, her fingers now trembling slightly as she held her arms around herself. I need to distract her, fast, or she will shriek and undo us both. Evan watched her for another moment, calculating, then smirked, leaning in just enough to ensure she could hear him clearly.
“Is it really as life-ending as you think?” he asked, his tone light, almost playful. “If your sister, or perhaps you for that matter, were to share a kiss?”
Minerva froze, her breath hitching audibly. For a split second, her wide eyes locked onto his, and Evan saw the fire return to them—if only for a moment. Her anxiety seemed to pause, suspended between her initial panic and this new, scandalous notion he’d just planted.
She opened her mouth, clearly ready to retort, but the words did not come right away. Instead, she took a deep, shaky breath. “That—” she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper, “is entirely inappropriate.”
Evan shrugged, entirely unbothered by her disapproval. “Inappropriate? Perhaps. But hardly life-ending. Unless, of course, you are one to get worked up over nothing.”
Her cheeks flushed, a deep shade of crimson that even the dim light of the closet couldn’t hide. “You are impossible,” she muttered under her breath, though her panic seemed to ease just a fraction, replaced now by irritation—something far easier for her to manage.
Evan smirked again, satisfied that he had successfully redirected her anxiety. “Impossible? I have been called worse.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, though she quickly pressed her lips together as if refusing to let herself react to his teasing.
But Evan could sense that her mind had shifted away from the potential disaster outside the closet and onto the man standing right in front of her. It was, admittedly, where he preferred her attention. With the threat of actual ruination and scandal nearly gone, Evan began to wonder if there could be an unseen benefit to this whole fiasco. Perhaps all Minerva needed to calm down was a kiss of her own.