Free The Secrets of a Lady by Jenna Petersen Page A

something sad flickered deep in her eyes. “Yes, Griffin, we are… friends. And I suppose there’s no harm in sharing a meal.”
    With a stiff smile, he turned her chair out a fraction and allowed her to sit before returning to the head of the table.
    “You should eat a proper breakfast anyway,” he said.
    A smirk turned up one corner of her lips. It astonished Griffin what one sly glance from her could do to him. It had never been this way before, not even with Luci. His wife had inspired desire from him early on, but that feeling hadn’t consumed him. It hadn’t made him lay awake in his bed wondering how he could find a chance to touch her.
    Audrey did that.
    She rolled her eyes as the maid placed a brimming plate of food before her. “Why all the concern about my eating habits?”
    With a shake of his head that did nothing to clear his addled mind, Griffin answered, “How can you save the world from evil on an empty stomach?”
    She stared at him in surprise, then began to chuckle. At first it was a small giggle, then it grew to a full-blown laugh. To his surprise, he found himself joining in. Though his laughter was untested, it felt wonderful.
    “I don’t think I would go so far as to say I’m saving the world from evil,” she finally said as wiped her eyes to clear the tears of mirth that had jumped into them. “What we do isn’t as romantic as all that.”
    “Hmm,” Griffin murmured, taking a bite of eggs and chewing thoughtfully. “If it isn’t romantic, then why do you do it? I could see last night you take no pleasure in it.”
    Audrey drew in a short breath and immediately shook her head. “No! If I gave you that impression, I apologize. Of course, there are some aspects of this occupation I don’t like. But on the whole, I find it fascinating. If I hadn’t taken Noah’s offer to help him all those years ago, I never would have gone to the continent. I never would have met some incredibly interesting people.”
    “And a cad like Douglas Ellison never would have laid his dirty hands on you,” Griffin added, doing his best to reign in his returning anger.
    Audrey’s nostrils flared just the slightest bit as she dropped her eyes to her plate. “Yes. But you wouldn’t have either.”
    Griffin’s fork slid from his hand and hit the edge of his plate with a loud clatter that made them both jump. He hadn’t expected her to open that topic for discussion, but now that she had…
    “I shouldn’t have taken such liberties with you,” he said softly, righting his fork. “I do apologize.”
    “Don’t.” She looked at him with eyes that had darkened to the deepest blue he’d ever seen. “Now we’re even, I suppose. I kissed you in a moment of weakness and you kissed me.”
    He flashed back to both kisses. They had blurred in his mind until they were almost one sweet caress despite the years that separated them. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
    “In fact, what happened almost makes me feel better.” The slight crack in her voice was the only indication she gave that the subject made her uncomfortable. “I didn’t know it was possible for you to lose that careful control you present to the world. I thought I was the only one. But now I see anyone can do something… foolish.”
    He was torn between two options. He could follow her lead and brush off the kiss as a lack of judgment. Or he could make an enormous leap of faith and tell her it had meant more to him.
    Suddenly an image of Luci leapt into his mind. Luci lying. Luci destroying his world. He never wanted to go through that again. Never.
    “Yes, well foolish is the word for it,” he choked out, taking a long sip of tea. “I’m glad we both feel that way. I allowed my concern for you to slip into…”
    He wanted to say desire, but didn’t.
    “To slip into over-protectiveness?” Audrey examined the design on the lacy tablecloth intently. “And that lead to…”
    “The kiss,” he finished with a nod.