Page 33 of Road Trip With a Rogue

“I think I can contain myself,” she managed, with just the right amount of sarcasm.

“You don’t have to.”

“Don’t have to what?”

“Contain yourself.”

Her heart stuttered. “What?”

He sent her a dry, knowing expression. “Oh, come now. We’re both adults. Aren’t you curious to see what it would be like between us?”

“No!”

His brows rose in patent disbelief. “You’ve honestly never, ever thought about it? Not once?”

She opened her mouth to deny it, but he spoke before she could perjure herself.

“Liar!”

Daisy sought to keep her voice calm. “You don’t like me, Vaughan. And I certainly don’t like you.”

“That doesn’t matter. We don’t need to be friends to fuck. It’s one of Mother Nature’s cruelest tricks: it’s possible to lust after the most unsuitable people. You can hate me, despise my every breath, and still have the best night of your life.”

She wouldnotlook down at his waist to see if he desired her physically.

She summoned a scornful snort. “Your confidence is ridiculous. It could be theworstnight of my life.”

“Highly unlikely. This antagonism between us only makes it more delicious.” His eyes never left hers, and the intensity in them made her body tingle. “When we make love, it’s going to be incredible.”

“‘When’?” Daisy spluttered. “What makes you think I’ll ever sleep with you?”

He took a step closer. “Because you’re insatiably curious. You love knowledge, and you hate a mystery. You’re brave—bordering on reckless—and deep down, you know I’m right. Youwantto give in, and that’s extremely vexing for you.”

Daisy sucked in a breath. Damn him. He could read her like an open book.

One of his shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “You’re also not someone who lies to herself. You’ll stare at the truth unflinching, even if it’s an unpleasant truth. You’ll acknowledge that you desire me.”

He raised his hand to ward off another protest. “You’realso rebellious. You hate being told what to do, and you love the idea of thumbing your nose at convention.”

God, even Tess and Ellie didn’t understand her as profoundly as this man.

“And you know the final reason?” he murmured.

Daisy tried to sound bored, and not merely breathless. “What?”

“I’m safe.”

A shocked laugh escaped her. “Safe? You? Ha!”

“Safe in the sense that you can sleep with me with no repercussions. I already know you’re not a virgin, and I don’t care. You can sleep with me and be absolutely certain I won’t tell a soul. I’ve no need to crow about my conquests in theton, so your reputation won’t suffer, and I have no desire for a wife, so there’s no question that I’ll try to blackmail you into marrying me.”

Daisy’s heart was pounding against her ribs. Those were all extremely compelling arguments, and the tug of his allure was so strong.

She wanted to give in.

And yet something held her back. Pride, perhaps. Or maybe she’d finally developed the sense of caution that had evaded her for so long. Either way, she refused to be such an easy conquest.

“I don’t need a man to find satisfaction. I can find pleasure on my own.”