Chapter 8

Nicholas leant back in his chair to look at Caroline with enigmatic dark eyes once they were alone again, arms now folded across that wide, muscled chest. “So, did you find any priceless treasures in the library?” he wanted to know.

“One or two, yes.” She nodded. “A first edition of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species alone is worth a considerable amount of money.”

His brows rose. “How much money?”

“I… I’m not sure. You should ask your dad. They’re also very collectible.”

“I’m really not that interested, Caroline,” Nicholas rasped.

Her cheeks became flushed. “Then why bother to ask?”

He gave a shrug. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And is your interest usually this fleeting?”

A slow smile curved those sculptured lips even as the dark eyes once again openly laughed at her. “It depends what that interest happens to be…”

There was no mistaking the deliberate innuendo in Nicholas’ tone. Nor Caroline’s longing to wipe th