Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (52 page)

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utopia where workers were treated fairly, where children did not risk limbs scavenging cotton droppings from under machines.

Those days were far away and probably beyond her lifetime, which might be a short one if she wasn't careful.

As much as her body yearned for Stockport, she had no business giving him her trust
carte blanche.
And really, Brandon had no business giving her his. He was in this game up to his neck and she wondered if he realised how deeply he played these days.

She could not allow him to develop a connection to her. It would be too dangerous for them both. She would end up dead.

He would end up hurt if he developed a connection to her that could be traced or an attachment of an emotional nature. That was putting the cart before the horse. They had never spoken of love or affection last night or ever.

But sometimes sex did crazy things to a relationship, creating the illusion of something being there that wasn't.

Neither one of them could afford that delusion.

The solution was simple. She needed to leave. She dressed rapidly, thrusting legs into her breeches and arms through her shirt. Her hands fumbled on the buttons in her haste. She hoped her absence would send a message. There was no need for him to come

for her and offering futile explanations for things that didn't need to be explained.

Drat it, where was the other boot? Nora knelt on the floor and bent to peer under an armoire. There it was. She reached out and grabbed for it with a hand. But she was out of time.

'As lovely as your

looks in those breeches, I am sure

I can find something more suitable for my betrothed to wear.'

A familiar male voice broke the quiet of the room.

Damn that boot. If the boot had been handy when she was dressing, she would have been out the window. Now, she would have to face Brandon. From the sound of it, he was not pleased.

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The last thing she needed right now was a male caught up in some primal sense of protection for the woman he'd bedded.

'Don't get up.' Brandon's voice held a dangerous tone. 'It's the perfect position for spanking, which is what I'd like to do to you right now for even contemplating leaving.'

That was the sound of cold fury. Nora shut her eyes and took a deep breath before rising from her ignoble position on the floor.

Her acerbic wit failed her, so she opted for silence, countering his anger with crossed arms and a defiant pose. She waited.

Brandon stared at Nora in disbelief. After Jack left, he'd come upstairs, expecting to find her still abed, still drowsy and on the brink of fully awakening. If he had waited a minute more, she would have been gone.

It was quite a blow to his ego to find that, while he was contemplating some level of serious commitment with a woman, the woman in question was contemplating escape out of a two-storey window. The whole scenario was worthy of a Lane farce: an Earl, rich and handsome, able to have any woman, made sport of by the only woman he wanted.

Brandon shut the door behind him and met her stare evenly.

He was gratified to see she was at a loss for words. 'What did you think you were doing?'

'We both know I'm not really your intended,' she said at last.

'We're the only ones who know that.' Brandon folded his arms and settled against the bed post, entrenching. 'You cannot simply make such a claim in front of witnesses and then walk away, leaving me to clean up the mess. How am I to explain your disappearance or live down the scandal of broken nuptials? It's hardly fair to me.' He tried to sound cool, neutral, as if he weren't furious at finding her in the midst of leaving.

'I am sure you'll think of something. Tell them you discovered I was a woman of loose virtue and that I misled you into believing I was something I was not.' Her tone was punishingly

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devoid of any warmth. They could have been strangers for all that her tone implied. Brandon hated it.

'I don't lie well.' Brandon pinned her with his gaze. 'You are not a woman of loose virtue, but a woman of more honour than any person I've ever known. As for the bit about pulling the wool over my eyes, I resent the implication that I might be capable of being hoaxed. It reflects poorly on my manhood, to say nothing of being highly unbelievable. I fear Witherspoon and others would smell a rat. After all, I am the Cock of the North. I know my way around women, adroitly.'

Nora rolled her eyes. 'Then it's settled. We should definitely let people go on believing in our little deception for the sake of keeping your precious manhood intact.'

Brandon felt a smile crease his lips. This was better. He would rather joust with her wit than shadow-box her silence.

'If there has to be any deception involved, I'd rather deceive others than deceive ourselves

'What is that supposed to mean?' Nora fired back.

'You want to walk out of here and pretend last night or the first night didn't happen.'

'For the record, I wasn't going to walk out of here, I was going to climb. And pretending they didn't happen is better than what you want.' Nora bent to tug on her boot.

Brandon smiled wickedly and advanced towards her, making it difficult to look at him and put her boot on at the same time. 'Tell me, what is it that I want?'

Nora gave up on the boot to meet him squarely. 'You want to believe last night meant something, that you are under obligation to protect me.'

'That is

enough. Protection is an issue we must consider. Witherspoon is set on capturing The Cat. We can't risk him discovering The

identity.'

Nora

caution infusing her tone. 'This is my fight.

I will not have you entangled. The game has become too perilous.'

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Brandon ignored her and forged ahead. 'I will politely debate that point. The moment Witherspoon realises my betrothed and The Cat are one and the same, I am suddenly in the middle of a very tricky situation. I find myself in great need of guaranteeing your safety. The only way we can guarantee your safety is to stop the raids. Once the raids stop, people will lose interest in The Cat.' He braced himself, knowing she wouldn't like it.

'You are

me to give up my goals. How do I know you are not using the situation to get what you want? You want me gone so your investors won't flee,' Nora said shrewdly.

Brandon nodded. 'You need assurances of my trustworthiness and you already have them. I have had opportunities to turn you in and I have not. Instead, I played out your ruse. Those are not the actions of a desperate man who could take the easy way out .'

Nora crossed her arms over her chest. 'I have to leave at once if I want to live to fight another day.'

Brandon's tone turned sharp. 'There will be no more fighting for you. Consider yourself retired.' He was close enough to touch her.

He reached for her. She let him draw her into his arms, but he could feel the tension of her reluctance. 'Nora, when I said

"protection", I meant permanent protection. If Witherspoon doesn't catch you, someone else, somewhere, will. You can't play The Cat indefinitely. The only way to be safe is to stop being The Cat altogether.'

She was ready to bolt and Brandon knew he was on tenuous grounds. 'Nora, don't be The Cat. Don't be Eleanor sham or any other bit of fiction you can dream up. Stay with me and let me keep you safe.'

'What did you say?' The pallor of her face did her credit.

Her shock was real.

'I said, stay with me.' He felt her tense for a protest. He put