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Her gaze dropped, her frown deepening "You’re a better person than I"

"I’ve seen revenge, Rosa So many times and in so many different ways I’ve pulled the bodies out of the Thae is a cold, lonely place, and it consu else left but bitterness and ashes And it always affects so many more than the people involved" He scratched at his jaw "I don’t think I was ever furious Hurt, yes Frustrated and afraid I’ll even adh I never took action on it" He took a deep breath "My father was a brutal a When I walked out of the Ivory Toith only the clothes on h plan of what I would do, I felt free, for the first time in ht them, find some sense of justice in the world"

Rosa stared at hiotten in her hands

"And now," he said, sitting back in his chair, "I do believe you owe me some buttons Three to be precise, for you asked three direct questions" He saze drop to the inch of che to be half naked if you keep this up"

Eleven

"I’ve changed my mind I don’t want buttons I want hooks"

"Hooks?" Her corset Rosalind’s hands stilled

"Hooks," he repeated firmly

"Playing for high stakes now, sir" The words were breathless She couldn’t believe that he was doing this What on earth had she been thinking, to ever call him cold?

And why the devil had she started this?

If you start this gah her She’d never felt so excited in her life

What are you doing? He’s a blue blood But her thoughts on what constituted an ene to fracture She couldn’t look at this ers, and call hi like the Echelon

As if of their own resolve, her fingers slipped the first hook on her corset Then the second and the third Lace parted with a soft whisper; it was the palest of pinks, so creamy it was al the straining hooks to part A dangerous path she walked, but the rashness in her was overwhel She couldn’t control this She wanted hihs ith it

"My turn," he said, shifting in his chair "How did you meet your husband?"

The equivalent of a dash of cool water to the face Guilt was athe baser side of one’s nature "Nathaniel worked for the London Standard He interviewed me for an article on one of my previous employers and asked me to dinner We were married a week later by special license"

"How rash of you"

"Why are you so fascinated with my husband?"

He couldn’t answer that; Rosalind saw the truth in his eyes though and her heart dipped Lynch wanted her And not just in his bed He was beginning to soften toward her, his eed It should have been a triu at hiotten one of the cardinal rules in manipulation Don’t ever fall for your opponent She stood on the edge of the precipice; she couldn’t stay cold against the onslaught of this

Yes, I can I will Her lips co her out of her shock His hands dropped, and she stared hungrily as the second button on his pants emancipated itself

Concentrate She was here for a dah breath for her breasts to heave Those gray eyes locked on her

"Indeed"

Rosalind licked her lips "You said you were on the hunt for huh he’d been staring at her breasts, his eyes leaped to hers and she wondered if she’d taken that one step too far This was not the type of ht forget himself, but he was no fool

"One or two," he said

Curse hi at her like that But at least the answer gave her hope Su a sainst the tight corset, the dusky tops of the over the frill of lace

Their eyes locked He sed Hard

"Your turn," she pro a hand over his ain "What’s your favorite color?"

Rosalind sht now, I believe it is gray" Her lips parted… Did she dare? Yes "I’ some trouble with my hooks, sir Would you help erously "Rosa," he warned

"You did say you would finish it," she whispered

One long, drawn-out ht she’d pushed hi the s for her

Black and white pawns spilled everywhere and Rosalind sucked in a sharp breath as he parted her knees with his, kneeling on the edge of her chair His knee trapped her skirts, pinning her "I think you wanther face to his "You are a devil of a woman"

"The hook, sir," she whispered innocently

"So I see" His gaze dropped, his spread hand sliding over the curve of her breast "Such a difficult task I understand why you couldn’t ers and the corset gaped

Her nipple slid free of the lace edging Lynch sucked in a sharp breath Rosalind couldn’t