“No, of course not,” she replied, offering a knowing look.
“If he should find himself in need of a position, I’m only too happy to aid my friend by offering him employment.”
“And what of helping to persuade him to marry Fanny?” she asked.
He could have lied, but he’d never been a deceiver, and he found he was reluctant to become one now, even for revenge. Yet, he could not very well tell her he intended to seduce her and bring her to scandal to pay back her grandfather. He caught Anne’s gaze and held it. Desire was there, which had nothing to do with revenge. That would simply be a benefit.
“I’ll speak to him about the possibility of marrying the lady,” Simon said, “but I’ll not make it a stipulation of the position I’m offering him. And my mentioning the notion of marriage to Lady Fanny hinges upon yer agreeing to let me teach ye to dance, since ye claim not to know how. What say ye?”
A deep crease appeared between her eyes. “Whyever do you have such a burning desire to teach me to dance?”
“Because,” he said, being as honest as he could without telling her everything, “I have a burning desire to seduce ye.”
Seven
It was hard to think properly with Simon’s extraordinarily compelling gaze locked on her. Absurd thoughts careened into one another, shocking her. Did he want to seduce her because he wanted to add her fortune to his, or did he want to seduce her because he found her attractive? Heaven above, it hardly mattered! She was not going to let Simon seduce her.
“Anne?”
She blinked and shivered at his silken tone. The man likely could seduce a rock if he wanted to. She’d need to be exceedingly careful not to let her guard down. “Let me get this straight,” she said, hoping she sounded prim and not flustered, because she most certainlywasflustered. “You will only bring up the subject of Lord Rutledge marrying Fanny if I agree to allow you to teach me to dance?”
“Aye,” he said, the word rolling off his tongue in a most sinful way.
Anne suddenly felt burning hot. Oh, how she wished she had a fan. No, no, actually, it was by God’s humorous grace that she did not. For if she had one, she would have used it, and it certainly would not do for Simon to know he’d made her feel like swooning by merely uttering the wordaye. Her reaction was positively disgraceful.
She started, overcome by a revelation. Her purpose was not to simply warn debutantes away from rogues; her purpose was to help rogues reform themselves. She felt her mouth pull into a grin. She was going to have to change the name of the Sisterhood for the Ruination of Rogues to the Sisterhood for Reforming Rogues!
She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and thrust out her hand. She was going to beat this rake at his own game. When she was finished with him, he would be honorable and perhaps he’d even open his heart to giving and receiving real love.
Suddenly, she felt Simon’s hand brush down the slope of her cheekbone like a caress. Her heart galloped ahead as their eyes locked. She stared at him and realized he had flecks of gold in his gaze. When had he moved so close to her that she could see the variations of color in his eyes?
“I’m pleased my desire for ye is making ye grin,” he said, the words seeming to rumble up from deep within his very broad chest.
She had to swallow hard to find the ability to speak. “It’s not that,” she said, aware she was not telling the whole truth, yet he did not need to know that. “Something you said made me realize something about myself.”
“Ah,” he murmured, smiling wolfishly. “Ye desire me, as well?”
“Certainly not,” she lied. Her weakness was her secret, and she intended to take it with her to her grave.
“Well, then what have ye realized?” he prodded, his warm breath fanning over her face. She went to put distance between them and her back met with his unmovable arm. Apparently, he had slyly slid it behind her earlier.
Oh, what a clever, clever rogue, he was. She absolutely had to focus. “I have realized you have me trapped.”
“Aye, Anne, and I sincerely hope it will not be the only time ye must do as I wish in order to get what ye want.”
Her ears hummed with the loud beating of her heart. Simon had a unique ability to make her body react. She prayed he did not realize it. “I will allow you to teach me to dance, but that is all I will allow,” she stated firmly.
“I want to kiss ye, Anne,” he said, his boldness causing gooseflesh to sweep over her entire body.
She had to stop this nonsense. She tried to sidestep his arm, but his fingers curled firmly around her waist, prohibiting her movement. Frustrated with her continued inability to control her reactions to him, she blurted, “Why are you intent on seducing me, Simon? Do you need my fortune? Or do you simply want to add it to your own?”
His eyes widened, and he appeared honestly shocked. His arm stiffened against her back, yet he did not move it. “I neither need nor want yer fortune,” he said. “Is it truly so hard for ye to believe a man would want to seduce ye simply for ye and ye alone? Yer wit and yer beauty make for a very enticing combination.”
It was as if Simon had delved into her secret thoughts and discovered the one thing she had long hoped for but had abandoned. A spark of her old, foolish dream lit within her, even though she knew Simon was speaking only of seduction and not of love. Still, after years of feeling less than desirable, to have this man, the Adonis, tell her he desired her for simplyher… Well, it made her heart skip several beats. She was not made of stone, after all.
“You are an excellent wordsmith,” she said. “I am sure years of practice seducing women has honed your talent. Bravo, Simon. If I were a foolish woman, I would believe—”
Cutting off her words, his lips captured hers in a demanding, ravenous kiss. She thought briefly to pull away, but then a tide of ecstasy washed over her as he traced the crease of her mouth with his tongue and parted her lips to delve inside. He tasted of whisky and seduction, and left her mouth burning with fire. Her senses reeled, and her knees weakened, as she wantonly returned his kiss while promising herself that this would be the only time she allowed such a thing. Yet, her passion was being roused with a swiftness that shocked her and scared her, given her lack of desire to resist him.
