His eyes tracked the streets, everywhere but her, his brain racing.
Escort her back.
Get a grip on his wits.
Continue on.
But it was in thatcontinue onthat his befuddlement lay. Continue onhow? Flirting? As they had been? Dare had never kissed a woman and continued on. He got the urge to kiss a woman, to seduce a woman, he succeeded, and he never looked back. He didn’t do entanglements.
Leonora was an entanglement.
A big, bright one.
She was such an entanglement she might as well sprout tentacles and latch on to him. He couldfeelthose invisible tentacles lacing around his limbs.
They threatened to choke him to death.
He let out a low chuckle, but it came out rougher than he intended. “Good, then we kiss and never, ever tell.”
She stared at him, bemused.
Dare cursed. That didn’t sound right either.
Fortunately, she nodded and said, “Heart must be looking for me.”
He stole a glance before looking away. Color once again infused her cheeks, and the sparkle that had left her eyes had once again returned. A relief.
Her situation . . .
He still couldn’t fathom how she could call Heart her brother in such a manner with a straight face knowing the truth. It might have reduced a lesser woman to a puddle of tears and hysteria. Not Leonora.
How admirable.
Ah, hell. Another tentacle.
She was dangerous to him in a way no other woman had ever been. Which, in hindsight, didn’t come as any surprise.The surprise was the depth of danger. That, he had never fully grasped.
Dare cleared his throat. “He should suspect thatyoususpect the truth by now, should he not?”
A small sigh. “I’m not sure. He can be quite dense at times. Though I have no doubt he will interrogate me once I return home.”
Of course he would. The man seemed to act first, his head trailing behind. Leonora certainly didn’t inherit her intelligence from him. “Interrogate him back.”
She tipped her chin, her gaze meeting his. “Interrogate him back?”
“Why not? He caught you red-handed in a place you’re not ought to be with a person you’re not to be with. You did the same.” Dare impressed even himself with his reasoning. And Leonora could best Heart in any argument, he was sure.
Her eyes lit up. “That is true.” Her lips pursed. “It’s about time I questioned Heart over his actions and got to the bottom of some of the truth.”
“Only some?”
“Whatever his reasons, I know he didn’t want me to get hurt.”
Dare had to agree. That man was protective and yet at the same time appeared to be at a loss. He couldn’t say he would have done anything differently had he been in his exact position. If an infant were dropped at his door? He shuddered. No, he couldn’t even imagine such a thing or what he would have done.
Donotget involved.
That he needed constant reminders spoke volumes. There was also the matter of Drake and situation with the duchess. His cousin wouldn’t say anything about what had happened between the two of them, but he couldn’t imagine that Lady Leonora would be embroiled in their affairs. Neither had anything to dowith Dare, and he was glad he hadn’t made a decision to help Drake.
