Page 34 of To Catch A Rogue

Barrons laughed. "Of course, there’s a choice. Unlike certain rookery thugs, I know when to keep my nose out of someone else’s business."

"Lay it on me," he muttered.

"I’ve seen the way Lark looks at you. Sometimes she leans into you, before she realizes she’s forgotten herself. When you enter the room, no one else exists in her eyes. Trust me. She doesn’t dislike you, Charlie. At all. But she’s holding herself back for some reason."

"Because I got her uncle killed."

He could never forget that night.

"I don’t think that’s it. If you want her then you need to break that wall down between you. You need to discover why she’s holding you at arm’s length. Be charming. Be there for her when she needs you. And be honest with her about how you feel. Maybe she’s uncertain of your feelings? Have you ever told her what she means to you?"

Charlie gave him a long, slow look. "Is it so obvious to everyone else?"

Barrons opened his mouth to say something, clearly changed his mind, and then simply nodded. "Yes."

Charlie sought her out again, flickers of red gleaming through the greenery. "I’ll think about it."

The blond Russian laughed at something she said, and then leaned down and captured Lark's mouth in a kiss.

Son of a bitch.

Charlie was two seconds away from heading into the garden to hand the bastard his teeth when Lark pushed him away with a laugh and vanished into the shrubbery.

There was a hand on his arm, restraining him. "Remember…. Don’t cause an international incident. Be suave, charming. Honest."

"I don’t feel very bloody suave right now," he growled.

"Try. Off you go, young protégé. Do me proud."

Gemma appeared out of nowhere, diverting Valentin with a smile, just as Barrons released him.

The second Charlie saw Lark swishing her way back across the lawns, he moved to intercept her.

"This way," he said.

"Aren't we returning to the ball?" Lark asked breathlessly, her cheeks rosy with mischief.

Charlie's hand in the middle of her back wasn't quite forceful as he steered her toward a pair of doors leading into the library.

"Not yet. I want a word."

* * *

Lark pressedher back to the glass doors in the library. It felt like the air was thick and heavy tonight. Or maybe it wasn't the air.

Maybe it was just the tension between them.

"Did you enjoy yourself just then?" Charlie's voice sounded a little rougher than he'd perhaps intended.

Lark snapped her fan open and shrugged. The scent of his cologne seemed to fill the space. A part of her wanted to bathe in it. To rub against him until the scent coated her own skin. "Are you talking about me kissing Valentin?"

"Yes," he growled.

Oh, she enjoyed the look on his face. "It was the job, wasn't it?"

"Lark."

"Yes," she said, lifting her chin in challenge. "He was quite proficient, if you must know—"