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"But you won’t"

And he didn’t Fear for her held him back, because she was his wife--his to please, his to enjoy, his to protect He would not lose her like he lost Em

His She was his

Now he need only convince her of that

When Gerard finally found the strength of will to leave his bed, he went directly to Spencer’s rooms, but did not find hi It was then he discovered his brother had departed soon after their row To say he orried would be an understateht before or who had spoken the words that so angered hiement of our na, Gerard went to his office and penned two quick notes One waited for Isabel, while the other was dispatched immediately He had planned to escort his wife to whatever events she had agreed to attend, and he’d looked forward to both her coued them Noas forced to scour clubs, brothels, and taverns to be certain Spencer did not land firmly into a puddle of trouble, as their mother claiht, as he waited for his horse to be saddled and brought around An entire afternoon of physical exertion had s and should the need come for fisticuffs, he was certain he would not be at his best Because of this, he prayed Spencer was not pursuing a fight, but si And of those two choices, Gerard preferred the latter Sated, perhaps, his brother would beinto the saddle, he urged his mount away from the house that was now a home and wondered how many more decisions of his past would hurt those he cared for

"What are you doing here, Rhys?" Isabel asked as she entered the parlor Try as she ht, she could not hide the irritated note in her voice To wake up without Gray was bad enough; to read his curt and vague runtlement

I must see to Spencer

Yours,

Grayson

She kne ued, and then made up over ale and women Well acquainted with her husband’s staence past him

Her brother rose from his seat on the blue velvet settee and sketched a quick bow Dashingly dressed in evening black, he was a reht "I am at your service, madam," he intoned in a comical imitation of an upper servant

"My service?" She frowned "Whatever am I supposed to need you for?"

"Grayson sent forand suggested I ht like to For if I did, surely I would be too weary toAnd in his gratitude for my escort, he would excuse me Indefinitely"

Her eyes widened "He threatened you?"

"I warned you he would giveyou away from him yesterday"

"Ridiculous," she ree," he said dryly "However, fortuituously I had plans to attend the Haaret Crenshaill be there"

"Another victim on your list? Have you, at the very least, spoken to this one before?"

Rhys shot her a dark glance "Yes, I have, and she was very pleasant So, if you are ready…?"

Although she had dressed for an evening out, she’d actually considered re at home to wait for Gray But that would be foolish He obviously wished her to go, since he went to such lengths to see her escorted She was not a young girl any longer, nor naïve It should not bother her one whit that Grayson had spent hours finding pleasure in her body, only to leave her behind for the evening Auntoward, she told herself

And she continued to reressed But when she caught a glimpse of a fae was discarded Mistress or not, a knot formed in her belly, only to be quickly replaced by a cold flare of anger

"Lord Spencer Faulkner is here," Rhys noted casually, as the young man entered the ballrooe of the dance floor

"So he is" But Grayson was not So he had lied to her Why was she surprised?

She studied her brother-in-law carefully, noting both the similarities to her husband and the differences Unlike her close rese physical falimpse of what their father must have looked like

As if he felt her perusal, Spencer turned his head and uarded heartbeat she saw so decidedly unpleasant, and then it was shielded with studious impassivity

"Well, well," Rhys murmured "I believe we have finally met a man who is truly immune to your charms"

"You saw that?"

"Unfortunately, yes" His gaze raked the throng before them "I can only hope that you and I were the only ones who--Good God!"

"What?" Alarmed by his shock, Isabel rose to her toes and looked around Was it Gray? Her heart raced "What is it?"

Rhys thrust his cha liquid nearly overwhelown "Excuseafter him

Rhys followed the triuests Almost as if she were a wraith, she went by unnoticed, an unre an unremarkable dress But Rhys was arrested He knew that dark hair He had dreamt of that voice

She left the ballroom, and moved swiftly down the hall He followed When she exited the ave up any effort to hide his pursuit and he caught the knob just as it swung away from him Her s

"Lord Trenton"

He stepped out onto the terrace, and shut out the sounds of the ball with a click of the latch Sketching a short bow, he caught up her gloved hand and kissed the back of it "Lady Mystery"

She laughed, and his grip tightened Her head angled to the side in what looked to be puzzlement "You find me attractive, don’t you? But you cannot reason why Quite frankly, I am equally puzzled"

A soft chuckle escaped hiate a little?" He bent slowly, giving her time to pull away before he brushed his lips across hers The soft touch affected hiely, as did her scent, which was so soft it was a ht air "I think a few experiht be in order"

"Oh my," she breathed Her free hand avewars She was not his type of fe Certainly he found her discourse refreshing in its frankness, but why he wished to toss up her skirts was a matter he could not reconcile She was too slender for his tastes, and lacked the full womanly curves he appreciated Still, he could not deny that he wanted her, and he wanted to know her secrets "Why are you out here?"

"Because I prefer here to there"

"Walk withher hand in the crook of his elbow and leading her away

"Will you flirt shamelessly with me?" she asked as she fell into step beside hiarden path and strolled The as unlit so they progressed slowly

"Of course I will also discover your name before we part"