Page 7 of My Dangerous Duke

“Calm yourself, Honey,” Xander warned, his voice low, and thick with caution as his eyes burned into hers. “And I will give you one chance to apologize for such ahorridaccusation. I am nothing like your father.”

Defiance reared up strong in Eleanor and she raised her chin higher. Pinned to the door or not, she was not about to allow him to frighten her. Despite the strange effect it was having on her, she kept her eyes on his and kept her gaze level and unflustered.

“Prove it is not true,” she countered coyly, flexing her fingers above his grip on her palms- another small act of defiance. “If you want your apology so badly.”

“You prove you are not like him first,” Xander answered challengingly, suspicion suddenly rising in his eyes. “You are his daughter after all, and like most ladies, I assume you want a rich husband. How do I know you were not complicit in your father’s schemes?”

She had no idea Xander had loosened his grip on her hands until one of them suddenly shot out, striking the man sharply across the face. Panic rose in her as she realized what she had just done, but something had snapped in her, and she raised her hand to strike him again. This time though Xander expected it, and caught her wrist easily before pinning it to the wall again.

“Do not do that again,” He warned her, the calmness in his voice scaring her more than the earlier anger. “I am finding this amusing but I do have my limits.”

Upon saying this, Xander released her wrists and took a step backward, allowing her to decide what to do next. Eleanor thought of going to her parents, of telling them what had just happened, but what good would that do? She would only be berated and punished; most likely even locked in her room until her wedding day. Instead, she chose to take a calming breath and gather herself.

“I am simply confused,” she said at last, finally bringing her eyes back to his. The now familiar flutter in her stomach returned, annoying her.

“About what?” He asked calmly. If he was still furious about the slap, he was not showing it.

“I am aware of your reputation, Your Grace,” she stated, trying to choose her words as respectfully as possible, “It is no secret that you relish your freedom and do not seek marriage.”

Xander nodded at this, and as he did so, Eleanor was sure she saw the briefest flash of an ugly purple bruise below the collar of his buttoned shirt.

“It is true,” he agreed, walking back to his cigar. “But it was always unavoidable. As the heir to my title, I knew it would happen eventually.”

“So why me, then?” Eleanor asked, following him back to the desk. “There are plenty of other ladies to choose from.Many much better mannered and better titled than me, and who actuallywantyou.”

The sudden bark of laughter that came from Xander as she said this last bit surprised her, making her pause.

“Oh, so you do not want me?” He asked, amusement written on his handsome face. “Truly?”

She gave him an exhausted look. The man obviously enjoyed bantering and she was growing weary of keeping track of how many directions the emotions of the conversation could go.

“Do not act like you want me, either,” she sighed. They were getting nowhere, and her parents were no doubt on the verge of coming to look for them by now.

“What if I did?” Xander asked, leaning forward in his chair, grinning from ear to ear. “What if I did want you?”

The question suddenly had a shot of embarrassing joy going through her, but she knew better.

“You play too much, Your Grace,” Eleanor huffed, turning away from him. As she did so she heard the clatter of objects being knocked over and then felt Xander’s hand once more close around her wrist.

She turned back to ask him to let go, but she was met with the most intriguing look. He was smiling, obviously amused, but there was also an earnest curiosity. Could he possibly be enjoying this conversation? Still holding onto her wrist, Xander put the cigar down and walked around the desk until he was standing just a finger’s length away from her.

“You do not know me, Your Grace,” Eleanor managed to whisper, feeling suddenly caught by his heated gaze.

“And you do not know me,” Xander replied, his tone matching hers, “And yet, we find ourselves in this situation.”

Strange but delicious shivers overtook Eleanor’s body as Xander’s hand slowly came up to her face. As the pad of his thumb gently caressed the bottom of her lip, she felt her heart begin to pound rapidly and felt the room around her spin. His touch lingered there only a moment before it made its way down her chin, and as his thumb swept over the delicate flesh of its underside, the rest of his hand formed a circle around her throat.

Despite knowing she should be frightened, Eleanor felt her excitement grow as his fingers slowly caressed and gently tightened around her neck. She knew she should speak. To tell him to move away, but the words would not form.

She looked at him imploringly, as if he could somehow help. But as he moved closer, and his chiseled lips grazed gently over hers, Eleanor felt a hot, tightening sensation in her lower belly, and she realized it washeshe needed help with.

“You are quite the interesting creature. You know that?” Xander’s barely whispered voice came from the depths of his chest, the tone of it making Eleanor’s legs want to buckle.

“And you are quite the devilish one.” She heard the words, and understood that they came from her- but they did notsoundlike her. She had practically purred the words, her voice dipping into a seductive tone of which she did not know she possessed.

A rumbled growl was all Eleanor heard before she felt Xander’s free arm wrap tightly around her waist, his lips taking full possession of hers. Need exploded through her entire body and hummed in her most intimate of places as she tasted his lips and felt his raw desire and passion on Xander’s lips, but instead of giving in, Eleanor pressed both hands against the duke’s hardened chest and stepped back.

Desire had nearly turned Xander’s grey eyes black, and the very sight of him, looking so flustered, so close to losing control, sent a shot of need through her so great that she nearly leaned forward again. But this man had not answered her questions, and no matter how devilishly handsome he looked, she was not going to give him the satisfaction of giving in to him.