“Nathan. We’re rather past the formal use of titles, don’t you agree?”
“Nathan… I cannot decide if you’re sincere or trying to trick me. Spies are known to be very crafty, you know.”
“I can’t deny that I can be crafty on occasion. But in this case I’m sincere.”
She studied him for several seconds, then said, “I want to give you the note, but I insist it be done on my terms. I want to help in this search for the jewels.” Stepping away from him, she paced the narrow confines of the cave, then paused to face him. Her features remained resolute, but her eyes-those huge blue eyes that reminded him of the sea-beseeched him. “Nathan, I’ve been cosseted and coddled my entire life, but ultimately always dismissed as nothing more than a decorative piece. I am simultaneously admired and ignored. Men hear me when I speak, but they do not listen to me. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? I’ve nearly always managed to suppress these feelings, but lately…”
She blew out a long breath and her bravado seemed to wilt. “Lately, I’ve experienced an unprecedented, unsettling sense of discontent that urges me to stop accepting things that I do not like. Things I think are unfair. And these feelings came to a head with the discovery of my father’s secret occupation. For years he lived an adventurous life while I was lied to and relegated to an existence that was as exciting as watching a blob of paint dry.” Her chin dropped and she looked at the ground. “Until you brought me to this cave, the most exciting moment of my life was when you kissed me in the gallery.”
That admission, whispered so softly, slammed into him with the force of a blow to the chest. He touched his fingers beneath her chin, urging it gently up until their gazes met. To his alarm and dismay, her eyes shimmered with moisture. “You’re not going to cry are you?”
“Certainly not. I’m not the weepy sort.”
“Good. Because I’m not the sort of man who is swayed by feminine tears.” His conscience kicked him squarely on the arse for that bold-faced lie. Damn it, if she’d railed at him, demanded her way, he could have fought her, but this show of vulnerability sliced him off at the knees. Of course, he’d be damned if he’d let her know that.
A flash of anger glittered in her eyes and she pulled away from him. “And I’m not the sort of woman who resorts to false tears to cajole a man into giving me what I want.”
“No, I can see that you’re more the type to bludgeon a man with your demands.”
“I am simply sick and tired of being treated like an empty-headed nitwit because I’m a woman.”
“I don’t think you’re an empty-headed nitwit. Indeed, I think you’re far too clever.”
She seemed to recover herself. “Er, thank you. Far too clever to give up the note without you agreeing to my terms.”
“All right.”
“I’ll not compromise on this.”
“Very well.”
“Do not think that I’ll fall victim-” She squinted her eyes at him. “What did you say?”
“I’ve agreed to your terms.”
“That I’ll assist in the search for the jewels?”
“In exchange for my letter. Yes. However, I have some terms of my own.”
“Which are?”
“As I am experienced in these matters and you are not, I will expect you to heed my advice.”
“So long as you agree to not dismiss my ideas out of hand, that is acceptable to me. Anything else?”
“Yes. There is a possibility that there may be some danger involved in this matter. Your father has sent you here for safekeeping, and it is my duty to see that you remain unharmed. I’ll insist on your word that you will not take any risks or wander off by yourself.”
She nodded. “I’ve no wish to place myself in danger. You have my word. So… we’ve struck our bargain?”
“Yes. Well, except for the final thing.”
“And what might that be?” she asked in a suspicion-laden tone.
“We must seal our bargain as all spies do.”
“Oh. Very well.” She held out her hand.
“With a kiss.”
She snatched back her hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “What nonsense is this?”
“Spies seal bargains with a kiss.” When he stepped toward her and she hastily backed up, he made a tsking noise. “Here we are, mere seconds into our agreement, and already you are reneging, Victoria. We agreed that as I am the expert in spy-related matters, you would heed my advice.” He took another step toward her, which she answered with another step backward.
“And I shall gladly heed your advice when you are not spouting Banbury tales. Kiss to seal a bargain indeed. Next I suppose you’ll expect me to believe that you sealed bargains with my father, your brother, and Lord Alwyck with kisses.”
Another step forward for him, another retreat from her. “Of course not. Male spies use secret handshakes with each other. Only bargains between male spies and females are sealed with kisses. It’s all written down in the Official Spy Handbook.”
“Official spy handbook?” She made a snorting sound of disbelief. “You’re joking.”
“I’m perfectly serious. There are very exacting rules to spydom, you know, and they had to be written down somewhere. Thus the handbook.”
“And you have a copy?”
“Of course.”
“You’ll show it to me?”
He smiled and took another step toward her. “My dear Victoria, I would be delighted to show you anything of mine you might wish to see.”
She swallowed, retreated another step, and her back hit the sparkling wall. She lifted her chin. “I have a feeling that this ‘seal the bargain with a kiss’ is merely a ruse to insinuate your hand into my bodice again.”
“As tempting as that thought is, I will prove my sincerity.” Nathan stepped forward once more, stopping when less than a foot separated them. Reaching out, he slowly placed his palms on the stone wall on either side of her head. “See there? I won’t even touch you. My hands will remain exactly where they are. Now, shall we seal our bargain?”
Victoria stood with her back pressed against the rough stone wall and desperately tried to summon the outrage she should be feeling at him for trapping her like this a second time. But instead of outrage, deep yearning and a purely feminine thrill shivered through her. Had less than an hour passed since she’d wondered what his eyes would look like filled with desire? Well, now she knew. They glittered with a combination of hunger and arousal that made her feel as if her skirts had caught fire. Even though he wasn’t touching her, she could feel the heat emanating from him. Smell his warm skin, the subtle fragrance of sandalwood, starched linen, mixed with the fresh crisp scent of the sea. She’d yet to fully recover from his last devastating kiss. She wasn’t at all certain her legs wouldn’t buckle from another kiss. But certainly Today’s Modern Woman would want to find out…
His dark head descended toward hers. Her eyes slid closed and she pressed her fisted hands against the wall in preparation for the frantic onslaught.
But it never came. Instead, he brushed light, airy kisses, as gentle as butterfly wings, over her brow. Her temple and cheeks. Her closed eyelids, the line of her jaw, the corners of her mouth. His warm breath, scented with something spicy that reminded her of cinnamon, caressed her skin with the same gentle touch as his lips. By the time his mouth brushed over hers, her heart pounded so hard she could feel the frenzied beat throughout her body… in her temples. At the base of her throat. Between her thighs.
Eager with anticipation, she again braced herself for the demanding onslaught of his kiss, but again he surprised her by barely touching his lips to hers. A slow, gentle brush, followed by a leisurely drag of his tongue across her bottom lip. Her lips parted, and he kissed her slowly, softly, with a complete lack of haste that simultaneously melted and maddened her. Her body ached to be pressed against the hard length of his. To feel his hands skimming over her, to run her hands over him. Heat swept through her, settling low in her abdomen. She pressed her trembling legs together in an effort to relieve the tingling pressure between her thighs, but the friction only served to frustrate her further. She wanted, needed, more. Yet the instant she slid her hands around his waist to urge him closer, he stepped back. A groan of protest rose to her lips and her hands fell back limply to her sides. She could only be grateful for the solid wall at her back which prevented her from slithering to the sand in a boneless, breathless heap.