“Afraid to be alone with me?” Sandrine asked, advancing toward him. Dane backed away until eventually his buttocks hit the edge of his desk. “Of course not.” But he was afraid. Because all he longed to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her again, and that could never happen.
Sandrine had the advantage. He’d backed himself up against his desk and was staring at her lips.
If Marta knew her rakes, he was fantasizing about draping her over his desk.
She placed her palms on the smooth mahogany desk. Just as Marta promised, his gaze dropped to the ample amount of cleavage she was displaying. She wriggled her shoulders a little under the pretense of rearranging some papers.
His gaze heated, and his lips parted. Now Sandrine was the one picturing being laid across the desk and kissed by those firm, commanding lips.
“I—I like your desk,” she said breathily.
He cocked his head. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your desk is so very large.” She ran the tip of her finger over the edge of the desk, stopping inches from his thigh. She felt like she sounded ridiculous, but she’d come this far, so she followed Marta’s instruction, hopping up onto the desk, which wasn’t very comfortable. “So many weighty matters must be decided here. Upon this very large, very important desk.”
His eyes had gone smoky and intense. Heturned to face her, placing his large hands on either side of her bottom. Marta hadn’t said anything about being trapped by him against the desk. Now how was she supposed to wriggle away easily and leave him staring at the petition?
“My... desk likes you, Sandrine,” he said huskily. His lips drew closer. The heat of his body surrounded her. Her thighs parted of their own accord, and he stepped forward, pressing her against the hard surface of the desk.
She couldn’t remember her next maneuver. Couldn’t think of anything except his long, lean body touching her, his strong arms bracketing her, his lips so close. She could lift her chin and kiss him. She longed to taste him, feel his tongue inside her mouth again. She could lie back, drape herself across the surface, and ask him to have his wicked way with her.
The petition. Squalton Manor. Think like a rake. Bring him to his knees.
His lips were nearly touching hers now. She waited one beat. Two. And then she made her move.
Placing her petition on the desk she jumped down and slipped under his arm, making her escape. He was left leaning over the desk, arms braced on either side of the petition. He turned his head.
“I do hope you’ll consider our petition, your lordship,” she blurted before making a run for the door. Once she was safely outside the room she leaned against the wall, catching her breath.
She heard a soft chuckle emerge from his study. Had she disarmed him?
He’d definitely disarmed her.
She’d been seconds away from losing sight of any goal other than being ravished by the handsome, infuriating Lord Dane Walker.
Francesca and Marta were waiting for her when she arrived back at Mrs. McGovern’s rented town house.
“How did you fare?” Francesca asked.
“Did you disarm him?” Marta inquired.
“I’m not sure. I think it might have worked? Everything happened exactly as you said it would. He was staring at my lips, and when I wriggled my shoulders he stared at my bosom.”
“Of course he did. He’s a rake.”
“And then when I complimented his desk and hopped up to sit upon it, his eyes went all smoky and he placed his hands on either side of me.”
“Oh my,” Francesca said. “And then what happened?”
“I almost forgot about the petition. He was so powerful standing over me, and honestly I was the one longing to drape myself across his desk.”
“Oh, Sandrine, I do hope you didn’t succumb to that temptation!” Marta said sternly. “You were there to control him, not the other way around.”
“I remembered that just in time, and when he leaned forward to kiss me, I came to my senses, placed the petition on his desk, and ran away.”
“Good girl.” Marta nodded her head approvingly. “You’ll be a Pink Lady in truth before long. Trust me, he’ll read your petition. And he’ll think about you the entire time.”
“I hope it works. He said he already has an interested buyer for the property, and I nearly lost my temper but I kept myself calm.”