Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
M addie felt like a cold hand had touched her on the shoulder, turning her to pure ice. The chair finally swiveled around. The figure within was abruptly illuminated by the solitary candle on the desk.
Dear Lord, it was the man from Hyde Park. And he was clutching something in his hand… which looked suspiciously like her list!
Maddie’s mind started to spin at a dizzying rate. Was she imagining it? But she must be imagining it! How could the devilishly handsome man whom she had been mooning over for the entire day be sitting here , in her dear friend’s study, drinking brandy and waving her list around as if it were a victory flag? Was she losing her senses entirely?
The man stood up, slowly unfolding himself from the chair. She watched him, as fascinated as a bird by a snake, as he walked slowly towards her. It was only when he was standing so close to her that she could smell his cologne that she snapped back to reality.
This appalling situation really was happening. And he really did have her list!
Maddie didn’t think. She simply reached out, trying to snatch it out of his hand. He laughed, in a lazy way, holding his hand higher still, so she was forced to jump a bit in a vain attempt to retrieve it.
“Give me back my list!” she demanded, outraged.
She didn’t care who he was, or why he was here. All she knew was that he had something that belonged to her, which she needed back, quite urgently.
“All in good time, My Lady,” he drawled in a dry, amused voice, those piercing grey eyes lingering on her face. “All in good time.”
Maddie blushed fiercely, feeling heat creeping up her face, like a fever. She stepped back, watching him warily. She was so overcome by the shocking situation that she staggered a little, reaching out and gripping the back of a chair to stop herself from toppling over entirely.
To her shock, the gentleman leaned down, in a quite deliberate way, taking her other hand. Slowly, he planted a soft kiss on it, with his eyes locked on her own the whole time.
Maddie jumped violently. A thousand tiny pinpricks of sensation leaped to life within her hand, coursing up her arm. She sprung back as if the hem of her gown had suddenly caught fire, blushing so deeply that her face felt as if it were about to implode.
“I believe it is high time we introduced ourselves,” the man continued in the same amused tone. “My name is Daniel Huxley, the Duke of Everly. And you are?”
Maddie’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t be Selina’s older brother, could he? Selina had talked about her brother, the Duke, from time to time. He was on a Grand Tour of the Continent, which had apparently stretched on for years, sorely trying their mother’s patience, who wanted him to come back. It had something to do with their family scandal, which Selina never talked about.
And her best friend had failed to tell her at all that her absent brother had finally returned home!
Selina had revealed, however, that her brother had the reputation of a rake. According to her, the ladies flocked like starlings around him. He had his pick, and he picked quite a few. Now that she knew who he was, Maddie didn’t find it surprising at all. She had never encountered a man with such raw masculinity and charisma. No wonder the ladies couldn’t resist him.
She still couldn’t speak from the shock of it all. Here she was, in her best friend’s family study, with a duke, no less… who happened to be the enigmatic older brother of that friend. And by some bizarre twist of fate, he had her missing list. How on earth had she managed to get into this truly dreadful situation? And how on earth was she going to get out of it?
A cold shiver ran down Maddie’s spine. He not only had the list, but he had in all likelihood read it. Why else would he have it in his hand? He knew what was on it! Conflicting emotions surged through her. Embarrassment, shame, guilt… as well as heightened arousal at being in such close proximity to the gentleman she had been daydreaming about the entire day.
He was just as handsome as she recalled—if not more so. In the flickering candlelight, he seemed to loom over her, exuding a sensuous energy that she had never felt before. And the scoundrel had taken the liberty of kissing her hand!
“The cat seems to have gotten your tongue, My Lady,” he drawled, his grey eyes sending off sparks of amusement, as well as something else, which made her stomach flutter with a thousand tiny butterflies. “Who are you?”
“I am Lady Madeline Cole,” she managed to stutter. “And that is my list. I dropped it today, in Hyde Park. I demand that you return it to me this instant!”
He kept gazing at her, in a speculative fashion, as if he was trying to work her out. As if she was a puzzle he was determined to solve. Maddie’s eyes flicked to the list, still secure in his hand.
Oh, Lord, what was she going to do if he refused to give it to her?
Daniel stared hard at the beautiful young lady who had stumbled into the study, babbling on about the list. It was as if he had conjured her out of thin air. He was just as shocked as she appeared to be at this bizarre twist of fate. But he was thinking quickly as to how he could maneuver it to his advantage.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered from their brief encounter in Hyde Park. She had changed, of course, from what she had been wearing today. Beneath her dark green velvet cloak, he could just see her slim but curvaceous body filling a long white silk gown suitable for evenings. His loins were stirring at the sight in a way that he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
She had finally revealed her identity to him, and now, he vaguely recalled Selina mentioning her new best friend, Maddie, in her infrequent letters to him over the past year. Were Lady Madeline Cole and Maddie, her sister’s new best friend, one and the same person? It would appear so, judging by how familiar the beauty was with his house, as well as the way she had been speaking to him when she had assumed he was his sister sitting in that chair.
“So, you are Maddie?” he asked, with a small smile. “You are the new best friend my younger sister has been telling me about in her letters?”
The lady took a deep breath, straightening her spine, looking him directly in the eye. His loins tightened again at the fierceness he beheld within the liquid amber depths of her eyes. The blushing, stammering girl of moments before had entirely vanished.
Oh, she is indeed magnificent . I must have her. And it is going to be delicious play seducing her. The thrill of the chase is almost better than the capture.
“I am Lady Madeline Cole,” she repeated, through gritted teeth. “The youngest daughter of the Marquess of Ollerton. It is indecent for you to address me by my pet name, as it is reserved for those who are close to me.” She inhaled again. “Just as it is indecent to read and withhold personal items, such as the list you are holding in your hand!”
Suddenly, she lunged again, trying to snatch the list out of his hand. She was quick. Daniel only just managed to evade the attempt.
He leaned down, so he was close to her ear, noting the smoothness of her skin, as well as the evocative scent of her perfume. Was it lavender? Or bergamot?
“There are things that are rather more indecent than that,” he whispered in her ear, delighting in the way she shuddered. “Especially when a lady wishes to do them.”
He straightened, looking at her closely, watching for her reaction to his words. She was blushing fiercely again, but she held his gaze, a determined expression on her face.
“The list,” she demanded, holding out her hand in an imperious manner. “If you please.”
He ignored her outstretched hand. She was biting her full, rosy lips in the most endearingly sensual way. He wanted to lean down and capture those lips with his own, resisting the impulse with difficulty. He didn’t want to frighten her away entirely. Lady Madeline Cole was a dish to be savored, and he fully intended to do just that… when the time was right.
“Since we are getting to know each other better, My Lady,” he said in a low, solemn voice, “I should inform you that I have the reputation of a rake.” He followed the announcement with a saucy wink, just to gauge her reaction.
He wasn’t disappointed. She gasped, quite as if he had slapped her.
“And why would I wish to know such a disreputable thing?” she scoffed, looking outraged.
He sighed heavily, then looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. “Well, it is on your list, My Lady.” He couldn’t help smiling as he read through it again. “There. I thought I had read it correctly. It is number three, in your own delectable handwriting— Kiss A Rake .”
She paled, then reddened, in quick succession. Daniel’s mouth twitched, simultaneously amused and aroused, almost beyond measure. He had successfully set the cat amongst the pigeons now. He wondered how she was going to react. Would she fight, or would she flee?
She writhed with mortification for a full moment, before squaring her shoulders, meeting his eyes in a challenging way. “Why would I need you for such a thing?” she retorted. “I can find a better option than you for that.”
He laughed with sheer delight. It was such delicious fun, sparring with her. He had her in the palm of his hand. Did she know it yet? Did she still think she could wriggle her way out of it?
He reached out, taking her hand, just for the sheer pleasure of feeling her flesh. It didn’t disappoint. The touch was like lightning, full of such promise that he almost couldn’t stand it.
Instantly, she tried to pull her hand away. He tightened his grip for a moment, before letting it fall. She was flustered again—her cheeks were pink, and her honey-brown eyes were sparkling. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as if she was having a hard time catching her breath.
He knew at that moment, without a shadow of a doubt, that she felt the same strong connection between them that he was feeling. He had a vast knowledge of how a woman looked when she was genuinely aroused.
He walked away from her and then sat down again behind the desk, placing the list on it. He knew the physical distance, after such alluring intimacy, was a provocation in itself. He wanted her to be burning for his touch, as strongly as he was burning for hers.
“Well then, My Lady, I have an offer to make you,” he said crisply, in his most businesslike voice. “I will return your list to you…” Her eyes instantly brightened, full of hope. “But it is conditional on two things,” he continued quickly. “In order to ensure my silence about it, these conditions must be met.”
Her face fell. “What conditions? What do you mean?”
He smiled lazily. “Firstly, you must agree to grant me a favor—whatever favor I ask for, whenever I ask for it.”
The lady was visibly shocked. “I see,” she said in a bewildered voice. “Well, I daresay that is not so hard. I can agree to such a thing, since you are doing me a favor as well.” She hesitated. “What is the second condition?”
He leaned on the desk, staring at her intently. “That you agree to check off all the items on this list with me… and only me.”
Maddie gaped at the man leaning on the desk, staring at her in such a provocative way. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined that he would say such a thing!
“All of it?” she managed to stammer.
He nodded briskly. “Indeed. Every single last item on it, My Lady.” He paused. “You have one day to contemplate my terms. Only one day.”
Maddie was mortified beyond words. It was bad enough that he had demanded that she cross off the third item on her list with him… but all of the items? Oh, how had she gotten herself into such a dreadful pickle?
But before she could respond, the door to the study suddenly burst open. Selina was standing there, looking perplexed, her gaze traveling from Maddie to her brother, who was calmly sitting behind the desk with the infamous list atop it.
“Maddie?” she said, her head tilted to the side, in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
Suddenly, it was all too much. How could Maddie explain to Selina exactly what was going on? She simply couldn’t. Not at the moment, at any rate. This shocking man was her older brother . And he was truly living up to his reputation. It seemed that he hadn’t lied—the man was the king of rakes.
“I am sorry, Selina,” she mumbled. “But I must leave.”
She rushed out of the room, not even saying goodbye to either of them, mortified beyond measure.
Jane was still waiting, as instructed, in the foyer, sitting on a chair and looking a little tired and peeved. “Milady,” she breathed, visibly relieved. “There you are.”
“Here I am,” Maddie said, barely able to speak. “Come along, Jane. We must go home.”
Once in the carriage, Maddie’s shoulders slumped, feeling as if she was on the verge of bursting into tears. It had taken so much strength to stand up to that rake, and she was sorely depleted.
And on top of that, it had been so hard trying to ignore her treacherous body, which had reacted wildly to his close proximity and his saucy, seductive actions, which she instinctively knew had been deliberate, designed to arouse and exasperate her in equal measure.
You have one day to contemplate my terms. Only one day.
His voice seemed to fill the carriage as she recalled his shocking conditions. He knew he held the power. He had the list, and he wasn’t going to surrender it easily. Apparently, he was going to make her work for it. And she had only one day to agree to his demands.
The pressure was intense. The thought of her list being leaked to a scandal sheet was enough to give her a conniption. Her parents would be so mortified that she doubted they would ever speak to her again!
Maddie put her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. What was she going to do?