DangerbyDalliance Read Free

royalties early?”
    A flush darkened her cheeks. For a second, desperation
flickered in her eyes, but it was gone too quickly for him to be sure.
    “Because I asked you to.”
    “What do you need the money for?”
    “That would be none of your business.”
    “On the contrary, Miss Rigdon, it is very much my business.”
    She tilted her chin in that challenging manner of hers.
    His temper flamed. It was bad enough that the little virgin
and her voluptuous curves made him hard as a rock as soon as she walked into a
room. She might look demure and meek, but deep inside her he sensed a passion
that would set the world on fire if she ever released it.
    Only he was sure she’d never done so.
    Not that he ever got the opportunity to find out. She always
looked at him as if he wasn’t worth her time, as if speaking to him was a
strenuous task, and when he tried to engage her she excused herself within
minutes.
    And now she was asking him for a favor and still wouldn’t
give an inch.
    Not this time. “Miss Rigdon?”
    She huffed. “All right, I require a new wardrobe.”
    He tilted his head. “A new wardrobe?”
    She studied the wall over his shoulders and nodded.
    Archer didn’t believe her. Sarah Rigdon was not the type of
woman who would come to him asking for money for something as frivolous as new
clothes. Hell, most of the time she was buried under so many layers she
probably had enough clothes to last a lifetime. “Do you seriously expect me to
believe you need more clothes?” He gestured at the three layers that covered
her. “You appear to be wearing enough clothes to cover yourself and three more
people.”
    She narrowed her gaze. Her nostrils flared. “Will you do it
or not?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. What are you willing to do in
exchange?”
    She leaned forward and rested her palms on his desk. A
couple of her fingertips appeared slightly stained. He narrowed his gaze.
Stained by ink. The smears did not match the ones he had on his fingers from
writing and working on his drawings.
    Printer’s ink, not writing ink.
    “What in God’s name do you expect me to do?”
    Her tone of voice grated on his nerves. “If you were anyone
else I would say pose for my friend, but I cannot see you being a model.”
    She came half out of her chair. “And why on earth not? It is
not exactly challenging to stand or sit while someone paints you.”
    “Really?” He mirrored her pose and leaned forward until they
were only a few inches apart. “Well then, if it is so easy let’s make this the
condition for the early payment.”
    “All right.”
    Her easy acceptance drove him crazy. He still didn’t know
why she needed the money. “And you will pose nude.”
    She jerked back and straightened. “What?”
    Here we are. Now she would have to tell him why she
really needed the money and he could assist her with whatever her problem was.
    She turned sheet white. Panic glimmered in her eyes before
she looked down and tugged on her cuffs.
    Archer felt a little nauseated. It had not been his
intention to scare her. He sat back down and waited for her surrender.
    “All right.”
    He struggled to control his expression. “Excuse me?”
    Miss Rigdon looked back up, a mulish tilt to her chin. “I
said all right.”
    What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Talk about a
plan rebounding.
    “What makes you think Mr. Dorvee even wants to paint me?”
    Archer yanked his spinning thoughts back under control.
    The fact that as soon as he saw you his hands twitched, itching
for his sketchbook. If Warren had had paper and pen handy, he would have
started to sketch her right then and there.
    “He’s between projects at the moment.” Meaning he had about
twenty canvasses in various stages of production and had finished none of them.
Not for more than three months. His partner needed inspiration.
    And Warren always told him to spend more time with Miss
Rigdon, to discover if their chemistry could lead to something more.
    Archer