“I was trying to protect you. And I said none of those things.” Why did she insist on twisting his words?
“Your meaning was clear. As for your desire to protect me. From what? From the possibility that someone might actually want me?”
“From Halston specifically. He’s a?—”
“Yes, you have made your opinion of Lord Halston quite clear. And I have already told him I would not see him again. I shall grant you that he did strike me as a rather unpleasant fellow.”
Nathaniel raked a hand through his hair. “Good, I am glad. He was no good for you.”
“Or perhaps you did not want me near him because you dislike him so much. You do rather put your desires first.”
“I most certainly do not, and you know that. There is no need to be spiteful.”
“I am not spiteful. I tell the truth. You have been desperate to be rid of me. You even sent me out of the house into the dower house. Pray, why do you want me out of your house so badly?”
The question caught him off guard. “What? You wanted the dower house! You schemed to have Lady Appleton abandon it for the time being.”
“You fought me for the dower house, then suddenly insisted I move there. You’ve avoided me for days now, communicating only through notes like I’m some distant acquaintance. You are hosting a ball specifically to find me a husband, so I’ll leave. If it’s not because you find me entirely resistible, then what is it?”
“You wanted the dower house—” he repeated, aware it came out feeble.
“That’s not an answer. Why have you been so distant? Why won’t you even look at me properly anymore?”
“I am looking at you.”
“You know what I mean.”
He did know. And he could not explain it without revealing everything he’d been trying so hard to hide. The way she affected him. The way she’d begun to matter far more than was safe or smart or convenient. The way he could not make up his mind about whether she was using him or not.
“This isn’t… We shouldn’t be?—”
“What? Speaking honestly? Heaven forbid.”
The argument was escalating, and they were moving closer without realizing it. Her color was high, her breathing rapid. She was magnificent when she was angry.
“You want honesty?” he said. “Fine. You’re impossible, Evelyn. Absolutely impossible.”
“And you’re a coward.”
The words hit him like a physical blow. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. You’re a coward, Nathaniel Sinclair. You hide behind duty and propriety and your precious reputation because you’re too frightened to?—”
“To what?”
“To admit that ….” She stopped, as if uncertain what she had planned to say.
They were standing very close now. Close enough that he could see the rapid flutter of her pulse at her throat.
His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Her breath caught.
The space between them seemed to crackle with energy. Heat radiated from her skin, and her lips parted slightly. He wanted to kiss her. The desire was so strong, his hand rose without his being able to stop it, resting against the side of her head. His thumb stroked her cheek, and his lips parted as her eyelids flickered.
He was leaning toward her, drawn by a force stronger than reason, when the library door burst open.
“Oh!” Lady Charmaine Avery stood frozen in the doorway. “Oh my. I was looking for—that is, I thought this was?—”
