"Where did you go after the Drury Lane case? You weren't in London. You weren't in any of the towns nearby. You weren't even in bloody Scotland!"
"That's not really any of your business."
"Oh, I think it is." Byrnes was in her space. They were of a height, especially with her in her heeled boots, but she never felt unfeminine around him, the way she sometimes felt with other men. Byrnes always challenged her to be an equal, and that look in his eye had always made her feel distinctly feminine.
"You left me naked and bound to my bed. I've been thinking about what I'd do to you to repay the debt for the last year." His voice dropped. "Oh, and Ingrid, I've had time to get very creative about it."
"Poor Caleb. It sounds like I got to you."
He hated it when she called him Caleb.
His teeth ground together, and he reached out to cup her cheek. One thumb brushed against her cheek, then lower, to her mouth, sinking into her plush lower lip and pressing just firmly enough to rouse a fire in her blood. Byrnes leaned closer. "That happens when a woman makes certain promises, and then reneges upon them."
"I promised to get you naked," she whispered around the press of his thumb. "You were naked, if I recall. We never agreed upon anything else."
"You wrote on me."
"It was a lovely little poem. 'There was a young Nighthawk from Matlock; Who had a fairly significant—"
"I remember," he growled under his breath, blue eyes lighting with fury and desire.
"I'm sure you do."
I am going to repay this debt tenfold, his eyes seemed to say.
You can certainly try, replied her smile.
That made his eyes narrow.
"Miss me, Byrnes?" she murmured, her voice dropping to a whisper as her body softened toward his. The devil always had this effect upon her. "It certainly sounds like it."
"Only because I mean revenge, Miller."
Miller. God knew she'd missed that, strangely enough. Ingrid's smile softened and she bit the thumb that still lingered on her lip. The heat in his gaze turned intense, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Admit it," she said, sucking his thumb gently. "It was more than revenge."
* * *
CONTINUE READING
Also by Bec McMaster
DARK COURT RISING
A new fantasy series with a fairytale twist, inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth.
Promise of Darkness
(coming September 2019)
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LONDON STEAMPUNK SERIES
Kiss Of Steel
Heart Of Iron
My Lady Quicksilver
Forged By Desire
Of Silk And Steam
Novellas in same series:
Tarnished Knight
The Clockwork Menace
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Mission: Improper
The Mech Who Loved Me
You Only Love Twice
To Catch A Rogue
Dukes Are Forever
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DARK ARTS SERIES
Shadowbound
Hexbound
Soulbound
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BURNED LANDS SERIES
Nobody's Hero
The Last True Hero
The Hero Within
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LEGENDS OF THE STORM SERIES
Heart Of Fire
Storm of Desire
Clash of Storms
Storm of Fury (coming 2019)
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SHORT STORIES
The Many Lives Of Hadley Monroe
Burn Bright
About the Author
BEC MCMASTER is a writer, a dreamer, and a travel addict. If she’s not sitting in front of the computer, she’s probably plotting her next overseas trip, and hopes to see the whole world, whether it’s by paper, plane, or imagination.
* * *
Bec grew up on a steady diet of ’80s fantasy movies like Ladyhawke, Labyrinth, and The Princess Bride, and loves creating epic, fantasy-based romances with heroes and heroines who must defeat all the odds to have their HEA. She lives in Australia with her very own hero, where she can be found creating the worlds of the London Steampunk, Dark Arts, Legends of The Storm, or Burned Lands series, where even the darkest hero can find love.
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Read more at www.becmcmaster.com
THE END