Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Author:Sarah MacLean
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2021-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Whatever this was, it was a mistake.

But here they were, taking a walk, as though that were a perfectly normal thing to do. Which, of course, it was for most people. Most people enjoyed walks. They were full of things like fresh air and natural beauty and Sesily understood that many, many people enjoyed those things.

Highley Manor boasted some of the freshest air and the most natural beauty in all of Surrey, she suspected. Though, if someone sat her down and offered her access to the secrets of every man in Mayfair, she would not be able to tell them where the nearest tree was, as she was having difficulty paying attention to anything but her companion, who was several feet in front of her, and as big as a tree, his long stride eating up the ground.

Her companion who had unsettled her not a small amount by—instead of agreeing to civilly ignore her like any self-respecting man who’d decided he was done with a woman—inviting her for a walk. In November.

This was what she got for attempting to make a deal with an American.

She pulled her coat tighter around her and muttered into the collar, “This was a mistake.”

“Hmm?” he asked, the sound perfectly cordial, as requested.

Another mistake. She hated cordial.

Sesily cleared her throat. “Did you have a destination in mind?”

“Some people believe the journey is the destination.”

“Those people don’t have things to do.”

One side of his mouth kicked up in a half smile and Sesily resisted feeling pleased about it. He pointed to a nearby ridge. “There.”

“Why there?”

“A nice view.”

She looked over at him, sure she’d find him laughing at her. “You’re taking me to see the view?”

“I am.”

“On a cloudy day in November.”

“It’s England, my lady. If we waited for sun we’d never see it.”

She winced. “Don’t call me that.”

“My lady?”

“Yes. It’s . . .” Awful. Most people said it with a snide humor, as though there was nothing about Sesily that was worthy of the honorific. But it was worse from this man who’d served her whiskey and exchanged barbs with her and leveled her with heated glances, and who knew too many of her secrets, and who’d made love to her earlier in the week. “It’s odd.”

“Probably the accent,” he said.

“Definitely the accent.” She clung to the excuse.

“But you told me I couldn’t call you Sesily.”

“I didn’t think an opportunity for conversation would present itself so quickly,” she retorted.

“And yet, here we are.”

“Fine. Call me Sesily.” He was infuriating. “Why does it feel like you’ve just won a battle?”

“Because you view everything as a battle,” he said, simply.

She pulled up short. “That’s not true.”

He stopped. “Isn’t it?”

“No. How would you know how I view things?”

A muscle flinched in his jaw. “In the two years since we met, you think I haven’t noticed?”

She ignored the thread of warmth that came at the knowledge that he, too, had been paying attention to the calendar. “You’re never here.”

“I don’t have to be here. When I am here, you are always ready to fight.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.