“Fine,” Patrick growled back. “But you should have asked me what happened before you terminated my employment. Really, you should have asked before you started hitting. You’ve got a hot head, Justice White. It was your problem in the ring and it’s your issue now.”
Justice spluttered even as Patrick spun, leaning down to her ear. “Garden. Tonight.” And then he stormed for the front door.
Justice watched him go, his arms crossing over his chest. “He doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about.”
“Yes, he does,” Chloe answered, her voice having gone very quiet.
Millie had been watching Patrick’s retreating back, regret lancing through her. Part of her wished to call him back. She felt safer with him here and, honestly, she just enjoyed his company. Honestly, she more than enjoyed it…
But at the touch of Chloe’s hand she turned to her friend.
Chloe had gone pale. She leaned against Millie, her body trembling. Instinctively, Millie wrapped her hands about the other woman. “Chloe, what’s wrong?”
“That man. The one who ran into you…”
“Who ran into you?” Justice barked, moving closer.
“This man. He bumped me in the street. It was odd.” Her hands gripped Chloe tighter. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“What did he look like?” Justice said, reaching for Chloe’s elbow.
“I don’t know. Medium build.” She scrunched her brow. “Brown hair, brown eyes. I’d never have picked him out of a crowd.”
“Fuck,” Justice yelled into the ceiling of the two-story foyer.
“Millie,” Chloe said, her voice trembling. “I remember where I’ve seen him before. He came to Cliffside, in Dover, to see Ben and Dez right after Dez’s ship exploded. He’s…” she gasped in a breath. “He’s William Parricide, not Erwin Macklemeyer.”
Millie blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, which had suddenly clouded. Because Patrick had just saved her from Will Parricide and Justice had fired him for the good deed. Her blurry gaze landed on her brother. “Go get him. Right now.”
“Will?” Justice asked. “I’d love to. But—”
“Not Will, you big lug. Patrick. He might have just saved our lives.”
Justice’s jaw grew hard. “I’m not going.”
She let go of Chloe and swung her reticule, hitting him square in the chest. It was the only form of communication Justice seemed to understand. “Go. Now. And make your apology pretty.”
“I shan’t,” he answered.
She lifted her chin in defiance. “You will. And you’ll do it right. Or Chloe is going to write to Ben this instant, and he’ll do it for you. Then you’ll have to deal with an angry duke. But my guess is Ben and Dez are enough to pound you into a bloody pulp, fighter or no. You’d deserve it, too.”
He clenched his fists at his sides. “You’re a real b—”
She hit him again. Hard. She heard her pin money smack his chest. “Go.”
He turned and silently stalked out the door, slamming the heavy oak panel behind him.
* * *
Patrick tossed himself into one of the few chairs that decorated his abode. He’d converted an inexpensive warehouse into training and living quarters. It had the advantage of being cheap and well suited to physical pursuits, but it lacked comfort and beauty.
But he hadn’t wanted to pay for two spaces. He rose again and pried open a bit of wood, that covered a hole in the wall. Behind it was a can that he filled with his earnings. He’d nearly enough to buy a few more good horses and start his own business. It would be tight, but he could do it. Or he could have if he hadn’t just been sacked.
He scrubbed his face, replacing the board.
That wasn’t even the worst of it. In fact, it wasn’t even close. The idea of the business paled in his mind compared with thoughts of Millie. Would she be all right without his watch? What if she tried to go off an investigate on her own again?
A knock sounded at his door. Loud and insistent.
“Who is it?” he called, pushing the board more fully in place.
“It’s me. Justice.”
He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders as he crossed the room. Patrick wrenched open the door and glared at the other man. Justice had acted like a complete ass today. Granted, Patrick had broken the rules, but he’d done it for what he’d hoped was a good reason. “What do you want?”
Justice made a face, looking half displeased and half like he was about to vomit. “Millie has informed me that I am to apologize and that I am to make it…pretty.”
Patrick’s brows shot up. “And you listened to her? That quickly?”
Justice’s frown deepened. “She can be rather…persuasive.”
“She can.”
Justice crossed his arms over his chest. “What I’d like to know is how you know that.”
It was Patrick’s turn to wince. “She can be rather persuasive.”
Justice shook his head. “I’m going to need more than that.”
Patrick wasn’t entirely certain how much to tell him. Had Millie said anything? “I told you, she saw me.”
Justice’s eyes widened. “That woman is too smart for her own damned good.”
Justice didn’t know the half of it. Her mind was so sharp, it was almost frightening. “What can I help you with?”
“May I?” Justice gestured toward the inside of his home, frowning. “This place is… interesting. And by that, I mean dank and depressing.”
“Do come in and, please, insult my home some more.” Patrick stepped aside.
But Justice ignored the sarcasm, his gaze making another sweep of the room. “I know you win a great deal. Where’d all your money go? Are you a gambler?”
Patrick had to grin at that. “If you must know, I’m not. Just saving up as much as I can, which means living and training here. Dark and dank equals cheap.”
Justice grabbed the pull-up bar and helped himself, doing several arm curl pull-ups until he dropped back to the ground. “What are you saving for?” Justice asked, helping himself to the only chair.
“I’d like to breed horses.” Patrick leaned against the table he’d pushed to the wall. His plan was no secret and he didn’t mind sharing. Even with Justice.
“Really?” Justice cocked his head. “And you’ve been saving. How much?”
“None of your business.”
Justice shrugged. “Suit yourself. But Ben was in that exact line of work prior to becoming the duke and he’s selling his breeding stock to finance the dukedom. Maybe the client list, too. This is my way of making my apologies. I’ll put in a word for you.”
Patrick’s heart climbed into his throat as he stood fully up. “You’re not serious?”
“I am.” Justice leaned forward. “The man you met today, the one who approached Millie…” his face tightened. “That was William Parricide.”
Patrick banged the table as the realization washed over him. “I knew something was off.”
“I’m not saying that I’m sorry I hit you. You weren’t even supposed to know Millie and you came waltzing in through the front door with her on your arm like old pals.”
“I understand.”
“But I do appreciate that you’re doing your job. And I’d like it if you came back.”
“Done,” he answered without hesitation.
Justice stared at him. “I expected that to be more difficult.”
“I’m worried about Millie. She’s damned intelligent but she makes some rather poor choices.”
“Such as?” Justice asked.
Patrick shrugged. “I’d be a fool to say.”
Justice gave a single nod. “She’s bloody deadly with a reticule.”
Patrick reached for his coat. “Should we go now? If Parricide was sniffing about, I don’t want to be gone for too long.”
Justice stood, too. “Pack some clothes. After today, I think it best you stay above the carriage house. It’s a damned s
ight better than here. And there will be a bonus for your trouble in some form or another.”
He wanted to tell Justice that he didn’t want his money. Millie was personal. But the business was his dream, and he’d taken this job to finance that future. Was that still what he wanted? Lately, his visions of the future, once so sharp, had grown hazy. He opened a drawer near his bed and tossed a few essentials in a sack. “I’m ready.”
Justice started for the door. But he turned back. “I expect you to be a gentleman with my sister. You’ll uphold to the code of conduct to the letter. Am I clear?”
“Understood.”
“Ben will be back tomorrow. And Dez a few days after that. The three of us…you don’t want to face that.”
Patrick straightened. “Understood. And just so you know, I want what’s best for Millie. Everything I’ve done, I have done with her best interests at heart.”
“Lady Millicent.” Justice raised a finger. “Don’t forget it.”
How could he? As if he hadn’t known that Lady Millicent was too far above him to ever touch.
Chapter Nine
Millie stood by the kitchen door, peeking out the high window that looked out into the garden. After today, she didn’t dare wait outside.
It was late and most of the staff had retired but she didn’t really like standing here either. Someone might see her.
But she saw a figure enter the gate, looking about. He moved closer to the house and even the darkness, she recognized Patrick.
Unlocking the kitchen door, she slipped outside.
He grimaced when he saw her. “Millie?”
“It’s me.”
He reached for her hand and she slipped her fingers into his, allowing him to draw her closer. “I wish you hadn’t come.”
“You asked me to,” she replied even as he settled her body close to his. Her breath rushed out to feel him and she relaxed into the embrace.
“Yes, but that was before I knew that the man we saw today was your brothers’ enemy.”
She winced at that. “Right.”
He brushed his fingers along her temple, pushing a stray hair back. “In fact, I think you should stop your investigation. It’s getting dangerous.”
She stiffened, moving away from him. “Stop my investigation? Why?”
“What do you mean why? Parricide was singularly focused on you today. He’s likely watching you, too. You can’t go traipsing off at night.”
His words rang with truth that she hated. “But my future. Did you know that my brothers have already thrown a suitor at me? It’s only a matter of time before they do so again.”
“Millie,” he spoke softly, soothingly. “I’m afraid you’ll have no future at all if you keep taking risks.”
She placed her hands on his chest, relaxing a bit at those words. He wanted what was best for her. She knew that. But she also wanted her brothers to understand that she was capable of making her own choices of being part of their work. “We could investigate Parricide. We know what he looks like.”
“No,” Patrick answered. “It’s too dangerous for you to be galivanting about London at night.”
“You could go then,” she replied. She could hear the desperation lacing her voice. “I could tell you what to look for.” She pressed her hands to his chest. “My offer still stands. The ring. I can pay you—”
“Millie,” he bit out. “I should be here, keeping you safe. Your brothers are not going to marry you off now. Not until all of this settles down.”
That was an excellent point, but this felt like her opportunity to change her future. “I won’t have a chance like this again. The opportunity to prove I’m more valuable here working with them than I am married off to some stranger. Please.”
He shook his head. “They’ll see your talent, Millie. How could they not? Your skill with numbers alone is astounding.” He wanted to stroke his hand down the velvet of her cheek. “I know I’ve been helping you, but Parricide seeking you out today changes everything.”
She stepped out of his grasp then, and he let her go. Anger bubbled inside her. Regret, too. She’d prefer to have his aid.
And something in his rejection of her plea felt personal. As though he were rejecting her. Which was silly. She’d hired him. But then, she’d kissed him, too.
And somewhere amongst all of this, she realized that he made her feel things she’d never experienced in her entire life.
Like Chloe and Ben.
Millie was falling in love.
She clasped a hand over her mouth. No! She couldn’t allow it. Not now.
She already had information her brothers needed. She had the opportunity to gather more. She’d prove to them her place was by their side, helping to run the dukedom. Not off being some man’s wife.
But her heart hammered in her chest as she looked at Patrick. He was the sort of man who made her feel safe. Who, until tonight, had understood her need to spread her wings and had helped her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked reached out to lightly brush her elbow with his fingers. “You’re uncommonly quiet.”
“That’s funny,” she answered. “Most people think of me as always uncommonly quiet.”
“Most people are idiots.”
She smiled then. In some ways he did understand her. But she couldn’t allow herself to succumb to her feelings. Not now. To do so would mean she’d have to resign herself to a life of matrimony to a man who may or may not be of her choosing.
Unless she chose a man first. Beat her brothers to the punch, so to speak. That was another option. “What will you do…after this? Will you go back to fighting?”
“Not if I can help it,” he said, looking into the darkness. “I’ve been saving. I’m going to start my own business, take care of my sister.”
That was…beautiful. Her insides ached thinking about his kindness, his heart. “Will you marry? Have children?”
He shrugged, still not looking at her. “Millie.” His voice held a warning. “I can barely support myself.”
He’d rejected her gentle foray. He didn’t want her to ask more. “I understand.”
Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. He didn’t wish to marry her. She should have known that.
It was on the tip of her tongue to offer him more jewelry but then…she’d be buying his hand in marriage. How would that end if her heart was on the line?
None of the men in her life loved her the way she loved them. Her father. Even her brother, Ben, had left her for a long time. Justice and Sayden, too.
Her breath caught. Was she afraid to marry because of their abandonment, emotionally and physically? Did she fear that he’d be another man who didn’t really care about her? Was she unlovable?
* * *
Patrick sensed a change in Millie.
She’d gone from angry, to pleading to…
He wasn’t entirely certain. He wanted to say frightened but of what? “Millie, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Something,” he answered. His promise to Justice still rang in his head. He’d treat Millie with the utmost respect. Which meant keeping his hands and his mouth to himself.
But in this moment, what he most wanted to do was hold her against his chest. And then he wanted to kiss her worries away.
She’d asked him about his future.
Did she fancy him the way he did her? Perhaps. She’d allowed him liberties, he knew that. But she wasn’t thinking this through.
Could he marry her and move her into his warehouse by the docks? Even Justice had found the place revolting.
“What is it?” he asked again.
She shook her head and then she moved closer. Slowly, she raised up on her tiptoes, her hands against his chest, balancing her body as she moved so slowly, he wondered briefly if he imagined it.
But then her lips were a breath away from his, her chin notched up so that the column of her neck was exposed.
He trailed his fingers down the column, nearly groaning out loud at the silky smoothness of her skin.
And then her lips pressed to his. Soft and slow, the light kiss stole the air from his lungs and the reason from his mind.
He gathered her closer, deepening the kiss, breathing in her fresh scent and the lush curves of her body.
And when he tilted her mouth opened and brushed his tongue along her bottom lip, he felt her tremble. His own body roared in satisfaction.
He cradled the back of her head in his large hand, letting his fingers settle amongst the mass of strands collected at her nape.
And when his tongue made another pass, hers met his in a tentative exploration that made desire swell like a tide inside him.
He wanted this woman. More than he’d wanted anything in his life. Part of him cried out to take her and make her his.
Could he forget that he had no home? No real means of supporting her?
It wasn’t fair to her. Which was the thought that made him pull back, slowly, savoring his last taste of her.
“Patrick?” she said, her voice breathless.
The sound made him weak all over again. “Millie.”
She swallowed. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do for me.”
Had she read his thoughts? “How so?”
Her hands slid up around his neck. “Justice said that you agreed to stay here.”
He grimaced. Being so close to her was the last thing he wanted to think about.
“But as you’ve stated, you don’t wish to marry and you don’t want to help me any longer…”
“That’s not what I said.”
“You did, in fact, say you didn’t wish to wed.”
He cupped her cheek. “What I meant is that I’m not in a position to support a wife. It’s not a matter of wishing…”
Her mouth opened and then closed. “I see.”
“And I most definitely wish to help you. I just don’t want to engage in any behavior that might compromise your safety or ruin your reputation.”
His Wallflower White: The Dark Duke’s Legacy Page 7
