The Clockwork Menace Read online

  "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)

  * * *

  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

  * * *

  LONDON STEAMPUNK: THE BLUE BLOOD CONSPIRACY

  Mission: Improper

  The Mech Who Loved Me

  You Only Love Twice

  To Catch A Rogue

  Dukes Are Forever

  * * *

  DARK ARTS SERIES

  Shadowbound

  Hexbound

  Soulbound

  * * *

  BURNED LANDS SERIES

  Nobody's Hero

  The Last True Hero

  The Hero Within

  * * *

  LEGENDS OF THE STORM SERIES

  Heart Of Fire

  Storm of Desire

  Clash of Storms

  Storm of Fury (coming 2019)

  * * *

  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.

  * * *

  Read more at www.becmcmaster.com

  THE END