Page 12 of The Heiress Masquerade (Dollar Princess #2)

For a moment there, as he and Evie had stared at each other, Harrison had felt an almost overwhelming urge to kiss her, and he hadn’t even cared that they were in public and surrounded by a shop full of people. It was impulsive and so completely out of character that he didn’t like it one bit.

After his parents had died, his sole focus had been on proving his grandfather wrong, that he wasn’t a good-for-nothing bastard and he could succeed and amass a greater fortune than his grandfather. And he was so close to finally succeeding, he couldn’t let anyone get in the way of that goal. He’d just have to keep her at arm’s length, like he’d kept every other woman his entire life.

What was it about Yvette Jenkins that made him want to abandon all rational behavior and give in to his base desires? There was something about her that he was so attracted to, and it wasn’t just her pretty face. No matter how he tried to rationalize it or pretend it wasn’t the case, the truth was he desired his boss’s niece. Damn it.

“What would you like?” the serving girl asked him as he got to the head of the line.

He placed an order for two chicken pies, then handed the money over to the girl, who went and got his pies before giving them to him in paper bags. “Thank you.”

Turning around, he made his way through the crowd of people and headed over toward the front door, where he saw Evie on the footpath talking with a police officer. Wonderful…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Evie said imperiously, her voice commanding, as Harrison stepped outside and walked over to them. “Do you see a dog anywhere near me?” She gestured in a sweeping motion with her hand all around her. “I don’t. So your allegation that I’ve stolen a dog is ridiculous.”

“Is there a problem, Officer?” Harrison asked, staring into the police officer’s eyes with an unflinching intensity he always used to intimidate his competitors.

The policeman didn’t look pleased by the interruption. “This is a police matter, sir. I would suggest you leave before I arrest you for hindering me.”

“That won’t be happening,” Harrison said. “She is under my protection while she’s visiting England, and I’ve promised her uncle, Thomas Thornton-Jones, that I will ensure she’s looked after. You have heard of the Thornton-Jones Conglomerate, haven’t you?”

“Aye, it employs a lot of people in these parts.” The policeman nodded his head, his police hat bobbing as he did so. “She’s his niece then?”

“Yes, and I’m sure you realize that if she wanted a dog, she could quite easily buy one given her uncle’s wealth.” Harrison flicked off some lint from his jacket. “She’d have no need to steal one, would she?”

“I suppose not, but I’ve received a complaint from a reliable source that a woman fitting this lady’s description has stolen a dachshund.”

“Would that source happen to be your brother?” Harrison raised a brow.

The policeman slowly nodded. “Aye.”

“I don’t blame you for taking your brother’s word for it. However, as an officer of the law, you’re obliged to look beyond family ties and regard the evidence. At least that’s what my good friend Adam Darrow always says. I’ll ask him his opinion of the situation when I meet with him tonight at my club.”

“You’re friends with Magistrate Darrow?” The man gulped, his expression turning pale.

“Very good friends,” Harrison replied. “I hope we now understand each other, and this will be the end of the matter?”

The policeman nodded slowly. “Aye, it will be.” He turned to Evie and tipped his head to her. “Apologies for worrying you, Miss.”

“I wasn’t worried in the slightest,” Evie replied, lifting her chin to stare boldly into the policeman’s face.

“Do be sure to tell your brother he’s mistaken and to leave well enough alone,” Harrison added. “Or I’ll have him arrested on assault charges for daring to touch Miss Jenkins.”

The man curtly nodded, then turned on his heels, his legs carrying him swiftly down the road and out of their sight.

“Now before you berate me again for coming to your rescue—”

She launched herself into his arms and hugged him, which was the last thing he’d been expecting, and rendered him speechless for a moment. He stood there with his arms out to his sides, a pie bag in each hand, not quite knowing what to do. He’d never really been hugged before, at least not since his mother died. Even his paramours never hugged him.

“Thank you, Harrison!” she gushed, squeezing her arms tightly around him once again before she stepped back and smiled.

Harrison gulped. The press of her body against his had stirred all sorts of reactions in him. Reactions that would get him in trouble if he didn’t control a certain part of his anatomy, and quickly, too. “You’re welcome?”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Her smile turned to a frown.

“You threatened to shoot me yesterday for coming to your rescue, yet today I get a hug?”

“That’s because I could have handled the situation yesterday.” She plucked one of the bags from his hands. “But today I couldn’t very well pull out my derringer against a police officer, now could I?”

“Only if you wanted to spend the night in jail.”

“Exactly, so thank you. It would have been a difficult situation if that officer had decided to take things further, so it’s one less thing I must worry about. Is this pie mine?” She glanced down at the paper bag she was holding.

“They’re the same.” He shook his head, thinking not for the first time how bloody difficult women could be.

“Good.” She pulled out the pie and tucked into it with gusto.

“You really are hungry.”

“Ravenous,” she managed to say between mouthfuls. “This is so good.”

Harrison grinned, oddly pleased she thought so. “Come on, let’s eat as we walk back to the office. Robert mentioned you were interested in studying the company ledgers.”

She paused with the pie halfway to her mouth. “You want to discuss the ledgers with me?”

“Yes. You want to learn about the company, and I’d be interested to hear your opinions on where you think we could improve, coming from an outside perspective.”

“You want my opinions?” There was shock in her eyes as she came to an abrupt stop on the footpath.

Harrison stopped, too. “If you want to share them.”

“Absolutely.” A smile unlike anything he’d seen lit up her face, and he’d never seen anyone look more beautiful or filled with so much joy as she was right then in that moment. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and kiss her, tasting her sweetness and zest for life. To feel the joy she was feeling, which had been missing from his life for as long as he could remember.

But he refrained. Only just, with she’s trouble and Thomas’s niece repeating over and over in his head. Mantras he desperately hoped he’d be able to keep at the forefront of his awareness while she was here in London.

Because if he didn’t, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the pull she had over him, a pull that was beyond tempting but that would lead to devastation and heartache in the long run. It would lead to Thomas never forgiving him and destroy any chance Harrison had of being sold the London side of the company, and that was a risk he couldn’t take, not even for what promised to be bliss.

Yet, standing there, staring at her, Harrison was tempted to throw caution to the wind. To do something wild and daring for once in his life. Damn, she really was getting under his skin for him to be considering that.

He couldn’t allow it to continue and the more time he spent alone with her the harder it would be to resist her. And he wouldn’t risk his dreams he’d worked so hard for crumbling. “Actually, I forgot I have to run an errand. An important errand, so you’ll have to excuse me, but I don’t have time to listen to your little ideas right now.”

Her smile fell and confusion shone in her eyes. “My little ideas?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Women tend to think a lot smaller than men.” He didn’t, of course, believe it; in fact some excellent ideas had come from Thomas’s wife, and Mrs. Holbrook, too, but if Evie thought he was a pompous ass, surely she’d refuse to spend time alone with him. Which was exactly what he needed her to do right then. “I imagine I’ll be amused by your thoughts, but I have more important things to attend to at the moment.”

“Thank you, Harrison Stone, for proving to me first impressions are usually always correct.” She spun around on her heel and marched in the opposite direction.

Harrison sighed, knowing he hadn’t handled that at all well, though he resisted the urge to run after her and apologize. He watched her cross over to the other side of the road, her hips swaying enticingly, before she disappeared. Shaking his head with a lengthy exhale that amply captured his turmoil, he started the short trek back to the office, his pie tasting like sawdust with every mouthful.

It was far better she maintained her dislike of him than start liking him anyhow, even though the thought made him feel oddly hollow inside. He’d only known her for two days and she’d already turned his world upside down; what the hell would he be like after six weeks in her presence?

A candidate for Bedlam most likely.

…

The following afternoon, after meeting Evie at a coffee shop and finding out Evie was also having difficulties with an annoying duke, Aimee wondered if perhaps all men were difficult.

Though she doubted Evie’s duke was as frustrating as Harrison Stone. No man could compare to him in terms of his obstinacy and rudeness. Honestly, she was still seething at how he’d essentially dismissed her and her little ideas yesterday. She couldn’t understand what had happened. One moment they’d been getting along, and then in the blink of an eye he was cold, distant, and condescending. Exactly the man she’d originally imagined him to be.

Little ideas? Oh, she’d show him. Especially when she confronted him about the anomalies she’d detected in the accounts ledgers, having gone through them more thoroughly after checking into a suite at the Mayfair Grand and finally having her bath.

A bath she’d been in dire need of, though it wasn’t as relaxing as usual, given thoughts of that blasted man kept intruding and distracting her. Thankfully, though, after she’d finished her bath, she’d pored over the ledgers, which had proven a great distraction when she realized someone had been doctoring the numbers, making it seem as if the London company was starting to run at a loss. Which only made sense if someone was trying to sabotage the company.

It would be interesting to see what Harrison had to say about that, especially since he’d accused her of being a corporate spy, which was simply ludicrous. He could be the one to have doctored the ledgers for all she knew, though that was doubtful given she was certain the man was trying to be her father’s unofficial successor, and he did seem to live and breathe the company.

In any event, before she presented him with her findings, she wanted to gather all the data first. It was why she was on her way to the office to go through the rest of the ledgers in Robert’s office on a Sunday, which hopefully meant she could do so uninterrupted given no one else should be there.

The office came into view and Aimee ducked around the alley behind the building, to where Molly had said the back entrance was, noting it was close to where the turnip had accosted her the first day. Instinctively she reached into her pocket and gripped her derringer. She had no intention of being caught unaware again, but the alley was silent. Using the key Molly had given her for after-hours access, she let herself in, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, she was rifling through Robert’s office looking for the ledgers which he’d mentioned he kept on his desk, but try as she might, she couldn’t find them anywhere.

The nape of her neck prickled in awareness, and she knew even before turning around that Harrison was there. If he wasn’t invading her thoughts, he was invading her space.

“And you still say you’re not a corporate spy?” he murmured.