Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Win
I’ve got a problem.
Honestly, that’s to be expected. Life is full of them, and I’ve had more than my fair share.
But tonight’s problem is completely unexpected and irritating as fuck.
The issue? I can’t keep my eyes off Katarina.
The woman is sin in that dress, and she shines more brightly than all the other women attending combined.
She’s not even trying.
If anything, she’s been attempting to hide against the wall all night so as not to be seen.
As if she could ever pass for a demure miss or a wallflower.
From the moment she appeared at the top of the stairs, I knew I was in trouble.
Is this her plan? Is she attempting to seduce me so that she can bend me to her will?
I don’t bend, not even for beautiful women, but for her… I might allow myself to be seduced.
I shake my head, disgusted with my own thoughts.
It’s a shit idea. I haven’t been with another woman since Rebecca’s death. Sex is a distraction, a base urge that keeps me from the real tasks at hand.
And a physical relationship with Kat would be so much worse than trite, and meaningless. Katarina is the daughter of the man I’ve sworn to kill, and she’s got an agenda of her own.
She is the last woman I should ever consider for an affair.
But that dress is…killer.
And she makes all the rest of the women here appear as though they are little girls.
Yesterday, she was many things, but afraid was never one of them. And it’s no wonder.
The sight of her body, the scars, I know that Katarina understands pain and suffering. She knows strength too.
Maybe even more than myself.
When I inherited the dukedom, it was on the brink of collapse. I needed money. Massive quantities of it.
I carefully chose properties to liquidate, then sent my brothers to America to begin building an empire.
Their skill has been irreplicable, and I won’t take their successes away from any of them, but I’ve had my hand in every decision, including the one to partner with Katarina’s brother.
I’m a man who makes the big decisions, and I do so with calm and foresight.
Which is why I know my attraction to Katarina is worse than a problem. It’s a potential disaster.
She stands near the table heaped with refreshments and attempts to look bored. But twice I see her look at the group of men she’s near, like she’s…
Is she interested in one of them? The urge to break his fingers, whoever he is, pulses through me.
So stupid. I’m here to find a bride. Secure my line before it’s too late.
I don’t expect to find love. I don’t even want lust. I’ll just settle for a woman who doesn’t require…too much.
And who can tolerate my nature.
One of the men in the circle notices Katarina. Tall, dark, and handsome, he focuses in on her and breaks from the group, moving toward her. He stops when he’s in her space, his body just inches from hers, as he leans down to whisper in her ear.
I see her shake her head, her height making her visible despite him standing between us.
My feet start moving of their own accord.
He reaches out, his fingers wrapping around her upper arm as he shifts even closer.
Katarina tilts her chin, listening to whatever he’s saying.
I stalk closer, some urge I can’t set aside driving me forward.
I slow my feet long enough to find an explanation for why I’m interrupting. She’s an important part of my plan. I need her focus and her attention.
She can’t be drawn away by some upstart. And she definitely can’t find a man who wants to play her hero.
All set in my mind, I approach, stepping right into their intimate circle. “Kat.”
“Win.”
“Your Grace,” the man takes a definite step back.
I smile then, not a real smile, showing all my teeth. He takes another step back.
Katarina notches up her chin, narrowing her gaze at me. “Don’t be a cad.”
Grabbing her elbow, I start steering her out of the ballroom. We need a word and here is not the place.
She lets me pull her out of the ballroom, across the entry, and into a small sitting room at the front of the house.
It’s dark, and I don’t bother to turn on a light. “What are you doing tonight?”
“What are you doing?” she parrots back.
“Behave.” I grit out through clenched teeth. I haven’t let someone irritate me like this since I was a boy.
“For you? Nope. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be wooing some unexpecting lamb? Finding your next wife?” Even in the dark, I see the curve of her pleased smile. Does she like goading me?
From dragging her in here, the strap of her dress has fallen down her shoulder. I reach for it, sliding it back up, the silk of her skin so soft under my fingers.
“I think I’d rather devour you,” I grit back, irritated for reasons I don’t want to explain.
“Oh my,” she feigns fanning herself. “Don’t frighten me so.”
A noise, that sounds distinctly like a growl, rips from my throat. “Don’t tempt me.”
She stares into my eyes, pausing for a moment and then two, before she answers, “Is that the problem, Win? Am I tempting you?”
I reach for her then, her jaw between my thumb and forefinger, my fingers fanning out on her neck. “Is that your plan? Tempt me? Make me your instrument?”
“My plan? I thought this was your plan. Me on your plane, me in this dress…”
Fuck. She’s right. And she’s fucking out-maneuvering me…again. If I wasn’t so pissed, I’d be impressed.
I dip my face until my nose is an inch from hers. That’s when her eyes dilate and her breath hitches.
Is she attracted to me or afraid? Slowly, I push her chin higher. “Then be a good girl and—”
“Oh. I’ve never been one of those.”
My cock is already hard, but at those words it throbs. Grabbing one of her wrists, I raise it up above her head, opening her body to me.
Her back arches, her torso pushing against mine. My lips are a fraction of an inch from hers as I growl out, “Behave.”
I know I’m being an ass. This is not an embrace meant to tempt but to intimidate.
“I think you ought to be saying that to yourself.” Her champagne breath fans my face, smelling delicious and enticing. “I was minding my own business when you dragged me in here.”
Damn her. I ought to kiss her. Wrap her legs around my waist and show her who is in charge.
But I’ve got her jaw in one hand, her body against the wall, her hand above her head, and she’s looking up at me like we’re on a Sunday stroll.
I drop my hand from her chin and, quick as lightning, grab her other wrist, bringing it up to the first, easily holding them in one hand.
I’ve got them high enough that she’s up on tiptoe with nowhere to go. I know what I’m doing. I’m forcing submission. Proving my superiority when she questions it at every turn.
But that is when she gasps, her eyes dilating again.
And this time I know it’s fear. I’m frightening her.
It’s what I wanted, but in this moment, I can’t continue. I can’t rule her with fear. It’s too cruel. She’s known too much pain, and I don’t want to add more.
I ease back my grip on her wrists, but I keep my chest pressed to hers as stare down into her eyes. “You should go back to your room.”
“Fine.”
She’s right. One-word answers are annoying.
I let go and she quickly skirts past me and makes a dash for the door.
I know from start to finish I’ve done this all wrong.
I hear the tap of Katarina’s heels as she makes her way up the stairs.
I exit the sitting room just as she reaches the top step.
She pauses for one second, looking back over her shoulder, her green eyes stormy as they meet mine. And then she disappears.
I almost call her back.
I almost apologize.
But I’m not a man who does either. And Katarina is just a pawn.
But even pawns have the power to ruin a game if one is not careful.