He's No Prince Charming (Ever After) Read Online Free Page B

lapel. An unidentifiable spark sprung to life in his mesmerizing eyes. Her throat tightened and she turned her head away. In that instant, they both knew she had acquiesced, and he was the victor in their silent battle of wills. “And how am I to repay this supposed debt?”
    His head tilted slightly and away, further hiding the grotesque scar along the side of his face. He seemed to hesitate, then drew in a steadying breath.
    Confused, her brow furrowed. “Well?”
    “I want your help to kidnap an heiress.”
    Frozen with disbelief, Danni was not sure she’d heard correctly. “Pardon?”
    The imposing giant seemed to step back reluctantly, with a grim smile that she judged was as close to a genuine one as he could produce. “Having an attack of morality, fraud? A little late now that you’ve been discovered, eh?”
    “I can assure you I have no idea what you mean, and I do not appreciate such insults, sir.”
    “They are hardly insults, little one, when it’s the truth.”
    “What truth, exactly, do you speak of?”
    His eyes narrowed to jade slits. “Come now. Must you continue this game? I witnessed your little escapade with Anne, and your goals were clear. You help fortune hunters trap young girls barely out of the schoolroom into miserable marriages. I imagine you manage to abscond with a generous portion of their inheritance in the process.”
    Danni sputtered with shocked outrage. “That is a blatant lie! I only help trapped women escape unwanted marriages so they may marry for love.”
    He scoffed. “Ah, I see. Anne was trapped with me, a peer of the realm who is able to grant her every whim, but she’s not trapped with a law clerk sniffing about her skirts for the money attached to her name.”
    “And you weren’t marrying her for her money yourself?”
    Something flickered in his eyes, something akin to guilt? “She was to retain control over most of it after our marriage.”
    Danni’s mind raced with possibilities she’d never considered. Afraid she may have made a mistake, Danni had to ask the one question that mattered. “So you love her?”
    The marquis’s jaw hardened. It was the only answer she needed. It was also the answer that reassured her she’d done the right thing. Miss Anne was better off with George.
    Danni crossed her arms and lifted her chin in a stubborn tilt. “Ha! You are exactly the type of man you accuse me of conspiring with. I am merely assisting desperate young girls to avoid the likes of you.”
    “Well, unfortunately, you now find yourself in the position of assisting the likes of me to save your own pretty arse. I am still in need of a bride.” He leaned forward, too close again, to emphasize his point.
    “So you would like to kidnap one? You do realize kidnapping is a hanging offense.”
    His cold demeanor returned with a vengeance, his eyes transforming to ice. “If that’s your only concern, then we best not get caught. Especially you.”
    Danni squeaked, “Me?”
    The man nodded, his eyes sliding insolently over her figure before meeting her gaze again. Danni had the sudden, self-conscious feeling that she had been judged and found entirely lacking. She didn’t want it to hurt, but damned it did.
    She wrapped her arms protectively, and comfortingly, around her waist. Danni managed to gather enough courage to glare at him.
    “I’m a nobleman and as such, I have connections that will protect me. If we are caught, you’re the only one in real danger of hanging.”
    “So I’m supposed to risk everything to make you happy?”
    “You”—the man’s head dipped, his eyes full of dripping condescension—“won’t have anything left if you don’t.”
    Danni stood speechless in the face of such a horrid trap.
    “What is your answer, Danni? Will you cooperate with my plan or am I going to spend tomorrow afternoon speaking to every father whose daughter has recently eloped?”
    To prove his point, he pulled a stack of newspapers from the pocket of his