Modern Romance February Books 1-4. Maisey Yates

He could have bought it at an art auction of some kind, could have bought it off a merchant. And of course, your family could have bought it back and brought it to this house for safekeeping after the fact. I doubt there’s any kind of serious connection.”

      She suspected that he didn’t doubt it at all. She was beginning to suspect that there was some sort of connection between his grandfather and her family. And seeing as Alex wasn’t stupid, she imagined he saw it, too.

      “Or,” she said, “he knew my grandmother.”

      “I’m certain your grandmother would have said something when she heard my name. At the very least, she might have thrown me out.”

      “What would throwing you out accomplish? As you pointed out, you didn’t need either of us to retrieve the painting, not really. You’re right, you could have flashed a little gold at my mother and you would have had all the information you needed.”

      “True. But still, I don’t think there is much point in spinning a fantasy out of any of it. I know my grandfather. He is a good man. He raised us after our parents died. And before they died, he was our most stable influence. I’ve always cherished my time with him. He treasures his grandchildren. In a way that our parents never did. We were very lucky to have him. We are lucky to have him still. But I know we won’t have him much longer. And that’s why...”

      “You need the painting.” She looked up at the clear blue sky, blinking against the sun as the cool sea breeze ruffled her hair. “You love him very much.”

      He paused. “He’s family. Of course I feel a great deal for him.”

      She smiled slightly, trying not to laugh at him, since she knew he wouldn’t appreciate it. “Alessandro, I think you might have a heart.”

      He arched a brow and looked toward her. “Don’t say that too loudly. We can’t have any rumors about that getting around.”

      “Why? Would it destroy your reputation for being a monster? I have ample evidence that you aren’t bad.”

      “Oh, really? Give me a few examples.”

      She sighed, letting out a breath and starting down a path that led back toward the estate, winding through a row of hedges that had bright pink flowers on them, little explosions of color against the dark green. She kept her eyes on those blossoms. A welcome distraction from Alex and his persistent presence.

      “Well, you haven’t breathed fire once since I met you.”

      “I’ve been taking antacids. It helps with that.”

      She laughed, the sound pulled reluctantly from her. “Okay, I haven’t seen you gnawing on the bones of any villagers, either. In fact, I don’t think any villagers have gone missing since we’ve arrived on the island.”

      “That’s because I only eat royalty,” he said, giving her a rather meaningful look.

      She directed her gaze back to the flowers. “Also, you don’t sleep in a coffin.”

      He reached out, grabbing hold of her arm and stopping her in her tracks. “How is it you know where I sleep? Have you been watching me?”

      A rush of heat traveled up her arm from the point of contact with his hand and she blushed furiously. “Of course not. Even if I had looked into your room, you would have been shrouded behind the velvet curtains.”

      “Maybe I have a coffin behind them.”

      “I doubt it.”

      “All right, so maybe you have caught on to my secret. I’m simply a man.”

      “One who is going out of his way to help his grandfather. I think you might have a heart and a soul.”

      “My heart is hard as a rock and my soul is ever so slightly charred from walking through life’s fires, but I suppose they’re still there.”

      “You also didn’t...” She looked away from him, regretting the words even as she began to speak them, but finding she was unable to stop them. “You didn’t take advantage of me last night. You could have. Had you wanted to.”

      “I have no interest in taking advantage of maidens,” he said, his voice hard.

      Oh...oh, of course he didn’t.

      It dawned on her. Suddenly. Horrifically.

      Of course he didn’t have an interest in maidens. In her. Whatever madness had possessed him last night when he’d kissed her, it hadn’t been attraction. Men like him simply weren’t attracted to women like her.

      To him, she was barely a woman. She was little more than a girl, and he made that very clear. Of course, she had made a similar number of comments about his age, and she didn’t truly think he was old.

      “I don’t think you’re old,” she said, feeling the need to clarify it suddenly.

      “Oh, that’s excellent. I guess I won’t dip into my retirement account just yet then.”

      “You’re thirty-six?”

      “Yes.”

      “See? Not even middle-aged.”

      He laughed. “Not even... You’re a minx. Do you know that?”

      She blinked, her heart suddenly beating faster. Stupid heart. He didn’t want her. He didn’t even like her. “I’m not trying to be.”

      “I’m sure that’s true.”

      “You can let go of my arm now,” she said, looking down at where he was still hanging on to her.

      “What if I told you I didn’t want to?”

      “I would ask you why. And then I would ask you what good could possibly come of it.”

      Her heart was pounding so hard now she could barely hear herself speak. If he couldn’t hear her heartbeat she would be surprised.

      “You’re right. There is no point. As I already told you, I’m not interested in defiling any maidens this week.”

      She pulled herself out of his grasp and continued on down the path. “Who said I was a maiden?” She closed her eyes for a second, allowing the sun to wash over her face, the corners of her lips curving up slightly into a smile.

      “You didn’t have to say it,” he said. “I could feel it in your kiss.”

      Her stomach sank down to her toes and she opened her eyes again, the corners of her lips falling. “Was it so terrible?”

      Of course it had been.

      “Not terrible. Inexperienced. I could taste it on your skin.”

      “That’s ridiculous. Inexperience doesn’t have a flavor.”

      He grabbed hold of her arm again, turned her to face him, drawing her closely toward him. Rather than speeding up, this time her heart stopped beating altogether. He lowered his head slightly, then reached up, sliding his thumb along the edge of her lip. “Yes, Gabriella, inexperience absolutely has a flavor. And on your lips, there was also innocence and wildflowers. I did not mistake the taste of any of that.”

      He released his hold on her, put distance between them, and she still couldn’t breathe any easier.

      “You didn’t taste like anything,” she said.

      “That’s because you didn’t taste me.”

      Prickles crawled up her back like an army of ants and she hunched her shoulders up around her ears, lowering her head and continuing on toward the estate.

      “Suddenly, you don’t seem to like honesty very much,” he said.

      “Suddenly, you’re a bit too honest. You said—”

      “I am bad at behaving, and I am terrible at restraint. Tell me you didn’t like