Her Willful White: Dark Duke’s Legacy Book 2

by Andresen, Tammy

  She’d known she had feelings for this man, but she’d never allowed a man to touch her the way he was right now. In this moment, she realized not only did she care for him, but she wanted him. Her body cried out for more of his touch, more of his lips. More.

  “Dez,” she gasped as his lips kissed at the corner of her mouth and then slid down over her jaw.

  “Yes, love,” he murmured against her neck.

  “I,” she started. How did she begin to tell him that she cared for him? That she wanted to touch him a great deal more? “I didn’t know it would feel like that.”

  “What?” he said, grinning against her neck.

  She opened her mouth again, aware she wasn’t making much sense, but the words escaped her. What if he didn’t feel the same? What if he’d kissed her because she happened to be there?

  “Doesn’t anyone want to ask how I’m doing?” A rough voice called from the sitting room. “I have been shot.”

  “Shot?” she gasped, pulling away from Dez. “Justice was shot?”

  Dez rolled his eyes. “It’s a graze.”

  Fleur pushed from his arms, rushing into the room. “What happened?”

  Justice had spread himself across a settee, the piece of furniture disappearing under his hulking mass. “Your friend Le Serpent turned around and fired a ball at me as I chased him from the cave.”

  She gasped. “No!” Then she searched down his body with her eyes. “Where?”

  “My thigh.” He pointed to the inside of his right leg. Automatically she dropped to her knees in front of him.

  “Fleur,” Dez growled behind her. “Get up.”

  She turned back to look at him, confusion making her brows draw together. “Why? He needs tending.”

  Dez stepped up behind her, placing his hands under her elbows and lifting her back up. “Millie will tend him. Or one of the maids. Not you.”

  She started to ask but Justice chuckled. “He’s jealous of me. Understandable. I am both larger and more handsome.”

  Fleur blinked several times as heat flushed her cheeks. Was Dez jealous? That was…a good sign.

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Dez grunted, but his hand wrapped around Fleur’s waist as Ben, Chloe and Millie entered the room.

  “What happened?” she asked again her hands splaying out on his chest.

  “Good news, we’ve reclaimed your father’s wine. Your wine,” Dez said with a grimace.

  Her breath held in her lungs. “That’s good.”

  “Are you sensing a ‘but’?” Justice said from the couch as Millie inspected his wounds. “There’s a ‘but’ coming.”

  Ben let out a long sigh. “You’re not helping, Dez, with commentary.”

  “Not helping him? He sent me after Le Serpent while he accosted the much smaller man. He’s not bleeding from any lead bullet wounds.”

  Fleur stiffened. Those words hurting something deep inside. “Justice went after Le Serpent?”

  Dez’s brow furrowed. “That’s right. It turns out that William Parricide, my second in command, is actually Le Serpent’s leader, at least in the smuggling business.”

  Fleur nodded. It made sense. Dez was here to investigate the explosion of his ship. And while her father’s murder was part of that mystery, it wasn’t Dez’s primary objective. He wanted his business righted, not her father’s murder solved.

  And if Parricide were at the top of the command, of course Dez needed to capture the man.

  Still, her hands slipped from his chest as she took a step back. She’d allowed him to lull her into a false sense of security. He was keeping her safe. He was working on apprehending the criminals.

  But she had a future to look after, as well.

  She had a mystery to solve that was hers. Had always been hers. In so many ways, she had to fill her father’s shoes. She’d need to take over his winery, safeguard her family business.

  And her first self-appointed task was seeing her father’s killer brought to justice. This was about her future. She’d have to take the task in hand herself.

  Chapter Ten

  Two days had passed since Dez had retrieved the wine. And despite being in the same house as Fleur, he’d hardly seen her.

  He sat alone in the breakfast room, no one else having stirred. It wasn’t that early. Where was everyone?

  More importantly, why had he not seen Fleur? After their kiss, she’d closed herself off from him. Inwardly, he cringed. If he were honest, he understood.

  He’d defended his actions in the cave a hundred times within his own thoughts. Will had wronged Dez. That was the first fact. Dez had started all of this to protect his business.

  In addition to that, Will was the head of the snake. Cut that off, and the rest of the serpent would die.

  But other thoughts crept in. Fleur loved her father. And though, for Dez, his business was his entire life, even he knew it wasn’t the same. If someone had murdered Ben or Millie, what would he have done to avenge them? Meanwhile, he’d asked Fleur to sit patiently on the side and wait for him to do the work.

  He didn’t regret keeping her safe.

  But Dez should have gone after Le Serpent first and Will second. He could see that now. He just didn’t quite know how to tell her he was sorry. It wasn’t something he always did well. So, he’d said nothing.

  A rustling in the doorway made him lift his head and she stood in the entrance staring at him, her hands folded in front of her.

  She looked so beautiful in the morning light, even though her gaze was filled with wariness. She looked back at him without smiling. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” He stood, tugging at the lapels of his jacket. “I’m glad to see you.”

  She gave a tentative nod and entered the room, her gaze sweeping the empty chairs. “I suppose it’s early, yet. I expected more people to be in attendance this morning.”

  “Likely, you and I hardly know what to do with ourselves keeping regular hours and spending all night in our beds.”

  She crossed to the buffet and started serving herself some eggs. “You’re right there, though I’ve appreciated the chance to recover from the all the sleepless nights.”

  He gave a stiff nod. “My pleasure.”

  She hesitated, the spoon hovering in the air before she carefully set it back down on the rest next to the eggs. “But I can’t stay here forever.”

  His eyes narrowed, his gut tightening in a way that told him he wouldn’t like whatever she said next. “You can’t?”

  “You know I can’t.” She sat at the table, carefully taking a seat a few chairs away from him. “What’s more…” she looked down at the plate of food that held only two poached eggs, the pause stretching out between them.

  “Fleur,” he said, a fear he couldn’t name shivering down his back. He wanted to cut to the heart of this conversation. “We will catch him. Le Serpent. Justice is almost completely recovered. It was only a scratch and we’ll back to the chase in no time.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve got your villain to catch. I understand that.”

  Damn. He hated those words. On the surface they were reasonable and rational, but he could see her irritation in the determined set of her jaw. Hear it in the cold edge of her voice.

  “And I have mine.” She looked away, but not before he saw her pained expression.

  His hands slapped down on the table. “We have ours. They are one and the same.”

  She shook her head. “They are not. I’m sure of that. If given the choice, you’d bring Will to justice and let Le Serpent go.”

  “I would not.”

  “You would,” she said standing again. “I don’t blame you. Will wronged you. Pretended to be your friend and ally. I don’t blame you, but that doesn’t change what I need to do.”

  That worry swelled in his chest. “What do you need to do?”

  “What I’ve always needed to do,” she whispered. “Bring my father’s killer to justice.”

  He stood too,
pushing up so quickly his chair crashed to the floor. “Fleur.”

  Her chin notched up. “Yes?”

  “You can’t,” he ground out through his clenched teeth.

  “I can,” she replied.

  Worry and irritation battled for preference as his brain buzzed and his skin crawled. He searched his mind for the words that would stop her. Keep her out of harm’s way. “We’ve been through this, one word from me and your uncle will see you never leave his sight again.”

  Color drained from her face, but she leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table. “I know you don’t wish to marry.”

  “So?” He blinked, trying to follow the right turn their conversation had taken.

  “So.” She drew in a deep breath. “If you tell him what I’ve been doing, I’ll tell him how you brought me here. How we’ve been alone.”

  His chin snapped back as his mouth fell open before he snapped it shut. She was threatening him with marriage. “You’re bluffing.” He had to confess he was both angry and just a bit proud. She was a strong, independent woman. What had Justice said? Exciting enough to keep things interesting. She’d just cornered him neatly.

  “I’m not,” she said, taking her seat again and picking up her fork. Deliberately, she cut a bit of egg off and placed the bite in her mouth. Chewing, she swallowed while he stood watching her. She didn’t even look at him. “After breakfast, Mary and I are going to return home via East Langdon. I’ve already sent word to my mother to expect us.”

  He made a noise deep in the back of his throat. “What’s your rush?”

  She shrugged. “I’m rested. It’s time I finish what I started.”

  His eyes narrowed. Did he see tension in her jaw and fear in her eyes? “I thought we were working together.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  Very slowly he took his seat. They were getting to her real feelings now. She was angry with him. He understood. The question he now faced was how to get her to admit it, and then find out what she planned to do. But no tactful coercions came to mind, and so with a growl of frustration, he just leaned forward, asking the question directly. “What are you about, Fleur? You can tell me.”

  She shrugged. “Nothing.”

  Justice walked into the room. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Yes,” he said, giving his brother a hard stare.

  At the same moment, Fleur replied, “No.”

  Justice chuckled. “Good to know.”

  Dez needed to keep Fleur talking and he wanted her to stay here where she was safe. “Fleur says she’s leaving. She intends to continue investigating on her own.”

  Justice lifted a brow and then began scooping food onto his plate. “Really?”

  Dez wanted to shake his brother. Didn’t the man understand the danger Fleur would be in? That was all he could say. Really? “Yes.”

  Justice looked back at Fleur whose chin had notched even higher. “Does this have anything to do with the Russian delegate that’s attending the Quagmire ball this evening?”

  Dez let out a string of curses as Fleur visibly started. Clearly Justice was exactly right. How had Dez missed this? “You’re not to go.”

  She pointed a finger at him. “You’re not to tell me what to do.”

  “I love a woman with spirit,” Justice said to no one in particular as he turned back to the tray of sausage.

  “Shut up,” Dez snapped. Then he looked back at Fleur. What was a man to do? “Please, don’t go.” He’d resorted to begging.

  She didn’t respond, only giving him a wary stare, her chin still high.

  She had well and truly backed him into a corner. He couldn’t tell her uncle without being prepared to marry her. Which meant he couldn’t stop her from going. What was he going to do? “Did Ben get an invitation to the Quagmire’s?”

  “Of course, he did,” Justice said as he loaded up a heaping plate of food. “He’s the God damn—he’s the duke.”

  “Excellent.” His gaze narrowed. “I’ll see you tonight, Fleur.”

  She gasped, as her eyes grew wider. “You. You’re coming?”

  He hated society. A tea with a few guests was bad enough, but he despised balls and dinner parties. Still, Fleur might be in danger, out in public. He couldn’t leave her to go alone. “I’m going.”

  Dez drew in a ragged breath. Was Justice correct? Had he gone and fallen in love with Fleur?

  The idea scared the bloody hell out of him. He wasn’t a man meant for love and marriage. He’d already raised one family in his siblings, and they were as much work as ten children. But Justice’s words came back again. Don’t let Father ruin your life. Was he strong enough to break free of the hurt of the past? Wouldn’t it be better to put distance between himself and Fleur? Keep his heart free from possible pain?

  But when he looked at Fleur, he was too worried about her safety to stay away.

  * * *

  Fleur stood on the outskirts of the ball, trying her best to be a wallflower.

  Her aunt had been scandalized by her attendance. She was in mourning after all and should be at home.

  Her uncle, however, had overrode his wife’s objections. “She can’t afford to wait,” he’d boomed. “She should have wed already. It was her father’s over-permissive nature that’s landed us all here. I’ll see it corrected posthaste.”

  She frowned. Her uncle looked for any excuse to denigrate her father and Fleur had become the earl’s favorite topic with which to criticize her papa. But she’d not argue tonight.

  He’d taken her silence as agreement. “Besides,” he’d added. “I heard the Duke of Whitehaven will be in attendance.” He’d given her a conspiratorial grin. “Perhaps Lord White will be there as well.”

  Her mother had taken her hand then. “Is this why you wish to go? To see Lord White again?”

  She’d nodded with a wink. She would see Dez. He’d told her so and, now that she’d gotten over her irritation, it was the perfect excuse to give her family. Not to mention, she felt safer knowing he would be there.

  That was the part that infuriated her to no end. She did always feel better with him nearby. Even in the dining room that morning. Seeing him, after days of avoiding him, had eased some ache inside.

  Her mother had stayed at her uncle’s while the rest of them had gone out. As a widow, it was out of the question that she attend the ball. And her aunt had told Fleur under no uncertain terms was she to make a spectacle of herself.

  Fleur rolled her eyes. As if she ever would. Then again, she was here to attempt to catch a spy. That did have the potential to be spectacle inducing.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  She turned her head to see Dez had snuck up next to her while she’d been lost in thought. “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?” he asked with a grin.

  “Sneak up next to me. You’re too large to be so stealthy.”

  He chuckled. “I happen to be very skilled, but you also seem…occupied.”

  She supposed she was. Which was silly. She was here to watch, not to think. Hence her position partially behind a potted plant.

  “Have you seen the delegate?” he asked while shifting closer.

  His heat warmed her skin, and she resisted the urge to press closer. He was so tempting. But she’d promised herself that she’d not allow him anymore liberties and she’d not be lulled in by his strength. She was the only one who cared enough to see her father’s justice through.

  “No, I haven’t,” she answered. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen much of anything. At least not anything unusual.

  “Well, I’ve got something that is a sight to behold.”

  “What?” she asked as Dez lightly touched her elbow, pulling her partially from behind the plant.

  She saw his brother, Ben, next to his fiancée and sister. And then, just behind them, Justice.

  She gasped, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. “No.” Inexplicably, she giggled.

  Justice was the son
of a duke and had every right to be here but, somehow, he didn’t fit. Perhaps it was his fighter’s face, or his uncomfortable stance, or the fact that he looked like he’d be more comfortable in a tavern than in a salon or ballroom, but the sight of him made her laugh. “How did you convince him to come?”

  “No one convinces Justice of anything,” he replied. “He volunteered. He and Sayden haven’t even seen Millie in years. I thought they didn’t give a whit, but it turns out…” Dez shrugged. “His words were something like, ‘Well, you’ve handled her well-being all these years, but if you’re not man enough…’”

  She pressed her lips together, to hold in her gasping giggle. “He didn’t.”

  Dez shook his head. “Oh, he did. He also said it was a good thing that he went after your Serpent. Because if I’d have tried, I’d have gotten a great deal more than a flesh wound.”

  She stopped laughing then. “That’s just not true.”

  His hand tightened on her elbow. “It isn’t. But he’s a formidable opponent, Fleur. Look at Justice. He’s smart, a skilled fighter, and he was laid low by your villain.”

  A shiver raced through her. “Try to understand—”

  “I do understand,” he said stepping closer. “The man you loved is gone. But is that worth your life too, Fleur? What will happen to your father’s winery? Have you considered that your future is there?”

  His words shook her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought it, but hearing someone else say the words… Perhaps it was being here that made her forget how much she loved that place. What would happen to it if she were gone? Her mother would certainly sell. Her mother was floundering without her father. She didn’t have the wherewithal to take the helm of the winery.

  There were rumors the war would soon be over after years of fighting, that the very delegate who was here tonight was part of the plan to bring peace to Europe. When that happened, she’d be able to return home to France. Then she’d commence trading wine again legally.

  “Dez,” she said, reaching for his hand. “Let’s take a turn about the room.” She needed to think because some of his words were making her feel uncertain. He tucked her hand in his elbow and started on the outskirts of the crowd. They were silent for several minutes before she finally spoke again. “I heard you when you talked about my father’s winery. My winery. And you’re right. I need to think about my future.” She drew in a steadying breath. “How could I move on knowing his killer is still out there, free to ruin someone else’s life?”