Page 39 (1/2)

‘No!’ she denied, even though every fibre of her was screa ‘Of course that isn’t what I was saying’

And then she sed Hard It was a fatal mistake

Tak’s eyes snapped to her throat, then locked onto her gaze, and it was as though she was laid bare and he could read every inch of her soul Could appreciate every last one of her darkest desires

All of which seemed to centre around him

‘You do want ht have believed that he had not truly thought so before That a part of him even welcomed the revelation

But then his expression turned hard, cold ‘I was given to understand that you don’t want a relationship with anyone It was one of the reasons I agreed to take you to the ball as my plus one’

She felt as if he had stamped his foot into her chest and crushed it down Later, when she actually thought about it, she still wouldn’t understand how she didn’t cruht there in front of him

‘You invited me as your date to the ball because it was mutually convenient We were each other’s buffers and we played our roles to perfection’

‘Yet now here you arewanting more’

She could feel the heat spreading across her neck, her cheeks, but she lifted her head and refused to be intiested I want more You are the one who insisted Nell and I couldn’t stay in our flat You are the one as so quick to open your door to us And you are the one who has been interrogating h you’re interested Perhaps Iis more a reflection of your state of mind than mine’

It had been a ruse An attempt to bat the proverbial ball back into his court Effie certainly hadn’t expected her words to elicit any reaction—and certainly not one that suggested her words ht them to be

She watched, fascinated, as he scowled, and his eyes glittered alid, even—in his seat Her words had hit a target she hadn’t even known existed

‘I’ht’ she breathed, almost in awe ‘You want me’

His h to intiround even as the blood roared in her ears

And then, unexpectedly, the frown cleared and he eyed her in a hich was far er