“Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all.”
“Excellent.” Mr Daventry stood. “I shall leave you to pursue new lines of enquiry. I’m taking my wife to the theatre tonight. Leave a note at the Hart Street office if you encounter a problem at Somerset House.”
The gentleman bid them good day and left.
Mr Chance resumed his breakfast and poured them both fresh coffee.
A relaxed intimacy flowed between them. Isabella was used to eating alone, used to her mother waking at noon and spending the next two hours bathing. That she should feel so at ease with a man proved an interesting development.
“I bought you new boots,” he suddenly said. “You cannot navigate the treacherous road ahead with flimsy soles.”
No one had ever considered her welfare. His generosity left her floundering. “That’s very kind, but you must let me reimburse you once I’m settled.”
He raised a hand in protest, the diamond in his signet ring sparkling amid the morning sunlight. “I’ll not hear of it. They’re a gift. You wouldn’t have had to walk the streets for hours if we’d been working together on the case.”
“I hid amongst the shrubbery for two hours,” she admitted.
“That explains why I had to pick leaves and spiders out of your hair before putting you to bed.”
Isabella almost choked on her coffee. She had not imagined it after all. “So you did carry me upstairs.”
“You were so tired, Mrs Maloney didn’t want to wake you.” He offered a devilish grin. “I dried your feet, too. I’d have stripped you down to your shift, but I’d not remove your clothes without your permission.”
“A rogue would have taken every advantage,” she teased.
He was more of a gentleman than he cared to admit.
“If you want my hands on your body, you must say so.” His compelling blue eyes caressed her across the table. “I don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to me. I’ll not touch anything that isn’t mine.”
Oh, she’d had a glimpse of what it was like to be owned by this man. To be at the mercy of his wicked tongue. To feel the imprint of his hands on her buttocks. To be branded with the heat from every hard muscle.
“Then be assured, I cannot give you the permission you seek.” How could she? She had not escaped Mr Griffin and the Conte di Barasian just to fall at the last hurdle. “You won’t ever own me, Mr Chance. No man will.”
His confident smile said he didn’t believe her. “Yet you haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss. You forget I own a gaming hell. I’m skilled at reading signs. You’ve looked at my mouth many times during breakfast, madam.”
She’d thought about kissing him more times than she should. Indeed, she enjoyed this man’s company so much he was dangerous on every level.
“You have crumbs on your lips. I wasn’t quite sure how to tell you.” She took her napkin, reached across the table and dabbed the corners of his sensual mouth. “Now, there should be no more confusion.”
Mr Chance captured her wrist, his thumb stroking the delicate skin. “At the club, I’m known as the King of Diamonds. Although I’m cunning when it comes to decision making, I move slowly towards my goal. I’m an excellent negotiator and know how to make a woman want me.”
Isabella didn’t doubt him for a second. She could outwit the best seducer, but she was powerless against him.
Still, she arched a brow. “I’ve lived with a master game player. I’ve seen every trick, every device known to man.” And yet she wanted his hands on her body, wanted to feel close to him in ways she could not explain. “I value honesty, not falsehoods. I’ll take the truth over deception. It’s why you’ll never win, no matter how tempting the bait.”
The wild glint in his eyes said she’d just challenged the devil. Doubtless he could feel the rapid beat of her pulse. That’s why he exuded such confidence in his ability to get his own way.
He released her and relaxed back in the chair, a figure of masculine dominance. “If you’ve finished eating, shall we visit the mortuary?”
She raised her hem a fraction and wiggled her stocking-clad toes. “I cannot go anywhere without my new boots.”
Mr Chance inhaled sharply, his gaze hot and intense as it drifted over her ankles. “I shall enjoy this challenge, Miss Lawton. I shall enjoy it immensely.”
Though loathe to admit it, she relished his attention. “And yet you don’t strike me as a man who enjoys bending to a woman’s will.”
“Where you’re concerned, madam, I find I’m quite flexible.”
