Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen

trust you. I’m only going to tie you to the chair so you cannot escape. I’ll give you plenty of slack.”
    â€œNo!”
    He shrugged. “Marlowe, the easy way or the hard way? I believe we’ve established I have more brute strength than you. One way or another, I will bind you.”
    He could have sworn a tear glistened in her eyes, but she swiped at her cheek, and then nothing was there. Had he imagined it?
    She held out her hands, the expression on her face ugly and stubborn, and he bound them together tightly. Then he pulled her gently to the chair and tied her to the heavy table beside it. She wasn’t going anywhere. When he put his hands on her shoulders to sit her in the chair, he felt her trembling.
    â€œCold?” he asked. “I’ll get you a blanket.”
    â€œI’m not cold,” she spat. But why else would she be shivering? He found a blanket in his clothespress and covered her with it. She kicked it off, and he shrugged and yanked off his coat. Customarily, he would have asked Crawford to serve as valet, but when the butler had inquired as to whether his services would be required, Dane had told him no. Dane reached for his cravat to loosen it, and realized he had an audience. Perhaps he should not undress in front of her. Typically, he slept in the nude, but how was he going to do so with her sitting there?
    He decided to sleep in a loose shirt and trousers, and he emerged from his dressing room wearing that. He had no night clothes to speak of. He’d always felt they were more like dresses than something a man would wear.
    He extinguished the lamp and climbed into bed, frowning at how cold it was. No bed warmer. He would be glad when this night was over, the girl was gone, and he had his normal life back. He plumped the pillow and settled down.
    But he could hear her breathing. He swore he could hear her shivering, too. “Do you want the blanket back?” he asked, aware she could probably reach it.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIf you’re cold—”
    â€œStubble it!” she retorted.
    He ought to tan her hide for speaking to him thus, but with her tied to the chair, he had the advantage.
    He settled down again and pulled the pillow over his head. He felt as though he needed some barrier to keep her at bay. He was beginning to doze when he heard her moving about. He tried to ignore her. She was probably just getting comfortable.
    She moved again, and he heard a distinct thud. Dane sat. “What the deuce is going on?”
    â€œNothing.”
    But he could see she had toppled the chair and was now lying under it. He should have left her there. Instead, he rose and righted it, then lifted her back into it. He held her in his arms for just a little longer than was necessary. She did feel cold, and he had the impulse to warm her. But more than that, her skin was soft against his fingertips, and her flesh was enticingly round where their bodies brushed together. He had the urge to pass a hand over that roundness, but stifled the urge by saying the first thought that came to mind. “Were you trying to retrieve the blanket?”
    No answer.
    He wrapped the blanket about her as much to hide her lush figure as to keep her warm. This time she didn’t fling it off. He could see her face in the light from the hearth, and the flickering made it look almost tear-stained. He paused to look at her.
    â€œWhat are you going to do with me?” she asked.
    â€œThat’s up to my brother.” He rose because, even though her body was hidden, her scent teased his senses. She smelled clean and slightly floral, and underneath all of it was a scent that was woman . That scent drew him, made him long to bury his face in her hair and put his hands on her body.
    â€œI want to go home,” she said.
    He opened his mouth to make some retort, and at the last minute changed his mind. “Why?”
    â€œWhat do you mean, why?”
    â€œI mean,