“Are you going to eat that?” Edison’s hand hovered over the last of Ada’s bacon.

She slid her plate toward him. “Be my guest.”

Ada studied his well-made hands, his strong chin, his beautiful mouth, as he tucked into her food. There was no time to waste. She might never belong anywhere but her laboratory, but for now, she could pretend.

If she could convince Edison to play along.

An evil smile threatened to bloom. She tamped it down with ruthless efficiency.

Edison knew stealth. It drove his inventions.

Being on the receiving end might do him good.

She allowed a small smile to surface. Silently, and with the utmost deliberation, she pressed her leg against his beneath the tablecloth.

He inched away, as if believing the touch had been accidental, but she followed, increasing the pressure, until she could feel the warmth from his skin through her skirts.

His breath hitched in his throat.

When she rubbed her foot up and down his calf, the hitch morphed into a gusty exhale.

He dropped his last slice of bacon.

But he didn’t pull away.

His leg leaned into hers, allowing her to massage his calf with her instep. Above the table, both she and Edison appeared to be giving the ongoing conversation their utmost attention.

“Thanks to Henry here, we’ve got something to go on,” Inspector Burke was saying. “We just need to decide how best to dangle Mrs. Templeton’s battery as bait.”

“How do we ensure the killer hears about it?” Meena asked.

Briar snapped her fingers. “Offer it for sale.”

“We could put out that it’s been stolen,” the inspector said. “That way it would be in the papers.”

Edison stopped, mid-chew, and shook his head. “We go back to the beginning.”

He spread his hands wide as if framing a picture with his half-eaten slice. “It started at the Admiralty. That’s where we’ll finish it.”

“What do you mean?” Meena asked.

While Edison paused to formulate his answer, Ada took the opportunity to run her hand down his thigh. She cupped his knee, massaging the hard muscles of his lower thigh with the heel of her hand.

“I’ll request a meeting,” Edison explained, an odd break in his voice. He cleared his throat. “Make certain the staff and all the lackeys know I’m coming.”

While the others nodded, Edison slid his own hand beneath the table.

Ada bit back a gasp. That very hand now rested at the juncture of her thighs. His fingers pressed into the crevasse between her legs, requesting entrance.

Her breath came faster as her skin flushed with heat. She let her thighs fall open, welcoming his caress.

His skills at this game of seduction far outstripped her own. She’d forgotten that.

As if he were reading her thoughts, Edison shot her a teasing look. Then he grinned like a school boy who’d just made the game-winning score, and slowly, languidly, brought his hand back to the table top.

Body aflame, Ada inched away from him. Playing with fire required skills she didn’t possess.

Ada took a moment to calm her breathing, to allow the flashes of heat surging through her body to dissipate before she delved back into the world around the dining table.

Burke was staring out into the room, his brow creased in thought. “Take the game back to the beginning indeed.” He nodded firmly. “It’s a solid move.”

“Brilliant,” Spencer agreed.

“It’ll have to be you,” Meena said to Edison. “You were there from the first.”

“Makes sense,” he agreed.

“What are you talking about?” Ada asked, once it became clear no one had thought to fill her in.

“Edison’s going to be the bait,” Briar explained. “He’s the only one—besides you—who could have it now.”

“Of course.” Ada felt decidedly thick-headed. She should have known that.

“It’s been a very long week,” Edison said. “Hard to keep up.” He patted her hand as if consoling an elderly pet. “We’ll let the old man know I’ve got the device,” he said to the others. “I’ll make sure to be seen heading in and out.”

“If you need a coachman, I’m your fellow,” Henry said.

“It would add a good touch. Make me look the part.” Edison grinned at the boy, who sat up straighter, like a limp plant soaking up water.

Briar batted her eyes at her brother. “And what part would that be? You’d make a terrible solicitor. I’d venture to guess you can’t even spell it.”

Edison feinted, as if planning to launch his last bit of scone at her, but before the pastry left his fingers, the business end of a small knife pinned his sleeve to the table with a distinct thunk.

Ada gasped.

Henry jerked back in his seat, a broad grin showing a pleasing set of white teeth. “Cor! That’s a bit of all right.”

None of the others batted an eye.

Edison yanked the knife out of the wood and set it calmly next to his plate. He inspected the small cut in his shirtsleeve and glowered at his sister. “This is my favorite shirt.”

Clearly immune to his intimidating glare, Briar brushed a golden curls off of her shoulder. “It’ll end up in the rag bin in a week anyway. They always do.” She caught Ada’s gaze. “He’ll stain it or rent it or set it on fire.”

Edison closed his eyes. A grand sigh escaped him, as if the weight of his existence was all too much.

Meena shared an amused look with her husband, then she pushed her chair back and rose to collect the breakfast plates.

Which reminded Ada that their household help was currently babysitting her addled dear of a grandmother. She jumped up. “You prepared the meal. I can scrub the dishes.”

While Ada and Meena cleared the dishes, the rest of the group continued planning for Edison’s meeting with the Admiral.

“Do we sneak in on him at home?” Ada heard Spencer ask.

“No,” Edison replied. “The Admiralty. We want everyone who knew about Ada’s device to see me.”

Ada stopped on her way into the kitchen. “Shouldn’t I go then?”

“Too dangerous,” Edison answered quickly. “Our man knows you’re alive, but he can’t be certain you still have the battery. I want to keep it that way.”

“We’ll put it out that Edison has… acquired it.” Spencer threaded his fingers together and thrust his arms out in a great stretch. “And he’s ready to sell.”

“Exactly,” Edison agreed.

“But—" Ada started to interject, but thought better of it. Letting this roomful of people continue to put themselves in danger because of her didn’t sit well.

She wanted to help.

Wanted to take on the risk.

But in doing so, she’d only put them in further jeopardy. She understood that now.

As with her attempts at seduction, she had little experience in this world of greed and violence.

Best let the experts guide her.

She scooped up the butter dish and the empty bacon plate.

Meena was watching her. When Ada looked her way, she smiled. “This is what we do, what we’ve been trained for since we were in the nursery. We’re quite good at it.”

Ada eyed Briar’s knife. “You’re spectacularly good at it. I only wish I could help.”

“Oh you can help. I have need of your particular… talents,” Edison said. “I can’t wait to get you in my workshop.”

When the double meaning in his words registered, her cheeks pinked. Every cell in her body buzzed with anticipation.

It was a wonder the heat between them didn’t set the entire room ablaze. Especially when Edison sent her a wicked little grin.

A grin promising full revenge for her teasing.

Only luck explained why the stack of plates in her hand didn’t slide straight to the floor.

Ada tightened her grasp on the stack of dishes and scurried off to the kitchen like a mouse being stalked by a very large, very hungry cat.

Meena stood at the sink, her back to the door.

“There’s much left to plan,” Ada said. “I can finish here.”

“That’s very generous.” Meena grabbed a well-worn apron from a peg by the back door and handed it to Ada.

Suddenly shy sharing the space with Edison’s cousin, Ada concentrated on tying the apron strings tight.

When she looked up, Meena was gone, but Edison lounged in the doorway. The thin linen of his shirtsleeves allowed her to see the outline of his well-muscled arms. The unbuttoned waistcoat showed off the taut power of his flat abdomen.

He’d eaten a king’s feast for breakfast, but he was eying her as if she were dessert.

“That was a bold move, Mrs. Templeton.”

Ada lifted her chin and crossed her arms over her chest. “I had to know.”

“Know what?”

“If you..." She stopped, unwilling to give voice to her fears.

“Know what?” he insisted.

Ada blew out a huge breath, trying to rid herself of her sudden timidity. “I had to know if you still have the same…” She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t risk seeing the ridicule in his eyes if she’d been mistaken.

His mouth dropped open. “After what we just did?” He spared a glance back over his shoulder toward the parlor before lowering his voice. “Are you asking me if I still want you?”

Ada twisted her hands up in the apron. All she could manage was a small nod.

Edison pressed his hands into the edges of the doorframe.

“I’m rather new at this,” she admitted. “Ever since your family returned, you’ve been distant. I thought you’d come to your senses, that you realized…"

His gaze never leaving hers, Edison moved forward, until only the width of the kitchen table separated them.

He pressed his hands into the wooden top. “Whatever you and I are playing at, never doubt that I want you.”

Ada tried to shrug, as if the matter was of little consequence. “I know you’re greatly experienced at bedplay.” The last few words were barely above a whisper. She paused to take in a fortifying breath. “I have no idea how long men continue to desire—”

Edison tossed his head back. “Desire?” He pinned her with his enigmatic gaze. “What I desire is you.”

He spread his fingers wide, leaning closer. “I want to kiss you, to feel your sweet lips opening beneath mine. I want to unbutton that ridiculous gown and kiss every inch of skin as it’s bared to the light.”

“Once I have you undressed, I want to unpin your hair, to wrap my hands in it while I bend you back over this table and spread your thighs.”

Legs suddenly weak with wanting, Ada swayed on her feet.

Still holding her gaze, he brushed his hands over the tabletop. “I desire you right here, right now.” He grunted. “Unfortunately, that would strain the bounds of propriety.”

Edison pushed back from the table. “In short, Mrs. Templeton, feel free to imagine that I desire you at all times, in every possible position."

Without another word, he stalked out of the room.

Lightheaded with the possibilities he so lovingly detailed, Ada pulled out the nearest chair and sank down before her trembling knees gave out.

Damned if she hadn’t let the tiger out of the cage.

* * *

He’d hoped going back to the league offices to work would clear his head.

Quite the opposite.

Working shoulder to shoulder with Ada—even in his large workshop—was proving a formidable distraction.

Edison stood in front of his workbench, hand poised to pull down a jar of powder from the assortment on the shelf above, but he couldn’t recall what he’d been after.

It was that damned violet scent. Light and feminine, innocent yet somehow formidably seductive, that perfume of hers was scrambling his thoughts.

He was going to miss it.

Truth be told, there were a great many things about Ada Templeton he was going to miss.

Edison slanted a quick glance in her direction. She remained at the far end of the long workbench, engrossed in the calculations for his smoke bombs. In that magical way women had of turning their attention to the task at hand, she seemed to have no difficulty setting aside their heated encounter at the breakfast table to focus on work.

The empty brass shell of a disodorizer sat open on the workbench in front of her. She stared down at it, tiny frown lines furrowing the bridge of her nose.

Then she bit her lip and considered the array of chemical powders arranged on the shelves above. “I’ve been thinking, if it’s more smoke you’re after, you might try adding sugar. It should burn at a great rate.”

The woman was a wonder. He set his hands on his hips and stared at her in wonder. “I never considered that.”

She gave him a little squib of a smile and proceeded to fill the shell with potassium nitrate.

Edison watched her delicate hands as she worked with that quick, efficient style he’d come to know. Having Ada in his workshop was torture of the most excruciating kind.

And that plain dress suited her in the best kind of way. Spare and simple, it accentuated her lithe form in a way ruffles and bows and the like would not.

She seemed to find her conservative dress dull and uninspiring.

He found her look incendiary.

All those tiny buttons to be unfastened, to say nothing of the way the unadorned style allowed her curves to take center stage.

Edison groaned silently. No matter what she wore, Ada ignited his senses.

Not that there was a damn thing he could do about it. Not with his family and Nelly, and their newest recruit knocking about in the front offices.

Sensing his scrutiny, Ada gave him a questioning look.

He snapped his own attention back to the task at hand. Sodium bicarbonate. That’s what he’d been about to grab before his thoughts tore off on their own.

Though the powder required precise measurement, Edison couldn’t help but strain to hear the conversation going on in the main office. He had hours yet before he needed to leave for the Admiral’s offices, and little left to prepare.

They could leave. The entire lot of them.

Perhaps they’d decide to dine out? Or head home?

Anything that would give him time to coax Ada into his bed.

There wouldn’t be many more chances.

Edison palmed the bottom half of a smoke bomb and raised it to eye level so he could add the precise amount of saltpeter. Too little and the thing wouldn’t smoke at all. Too much and it would catch fire… or explode. Lower lip caught between his teeth, he tapped the powder into the tiny compartment.

Was that the kettle whistling? Damnation, were they brewing tea? Would they never leave?

His hand trembled, sending the last few grains of chemical onto the floor. “Satan’s biscuits.”

With a disgusted sigh he poured the powder that had made it into the device back into the open jar and dropped the shell down on the workbench. Now he’d have to re-measure.

As he scooped the shell back up, Ada covered his hand with hers. “Let me.”

Just that casual touch sent an electrical current straight to his very core. Just by breathing, the woman could make him hard.

She slid the shell to her side of the bench and reached over him to grab the jar. “Three grams?”

“Uh…” Edison heard the question, but the urge to grab her and kiss her silly interfered with his ability to form words.

Her sly smile betrayed the fact that she sensed his conundrum.

Open mouthed, Edison watched her fill the shell, her movements swift and precise.

It was enough to make his head spin.

When had he become such a ninnified school girl?

Ada snapped the smoke bomb closed and dusted off her hands. “That should do it.” She slid the device back to him. “How many do you plan to take?”

Edison stared down at the three bombs lined up on the bench. “These’ll do.”

He didn’t expect to need any devices for a meeting at the Admiralty, but one never knew. It cost nothing to arrive prepared.

Failing to plan could cost everything.

Ada was holding one of the bombs up to the light. “These really are ingenious.”

Edison shrugged. “I’d like to devise a real disordorizer. That would be ingenious.”

The girlish, carefree grin she sent hit him like a blade to the heart. “No reason we can’t.” She held up the last empty shell. “Which scent should we try?”

“Cherry.” He loved cherry. Cherry crumble. Cherry tarts. Tea cakes with cherry cream filling.

Ada grabbed a scrap of paper. Before he knew it, she was scribbling down equations. “How much powder do the chambers hold?”

“Ten fluidrams.” The answer came without thought. He’d been working on the things for months.

She nodded in acknowledgement and pulled several jars down off the shelves. “I’d start with four fluidrams of bicarbonate to six of silica gel. I’ll leave the scent to you. Those chemicals are inert. They shouldn’t affect the reaction.”

Edison could only stare. Had he died and gone to some sort of inventor’s version of Heaven?

How had he never met a woman who’s mind was as arousing as her body?

* * *

“I’ve been wondering,” Ada asked as she measured, “how in the world did you learn such extraordinary skills?”

Edison leaned against the workbench and shrugged half-heartedly “Born into a thieving family. We didn’t have a choice.”

“Was it hard?”

“Not at first.” He flicked an empty deodorizer shell, making it spin like a top. “Our fathers treated it as a game. Who could twitch that cashmere shawl without being noticed? Who was quickest opening the lockbox at the church bazaar? It wasn’t until we grew up that the three of us sprouted consciences.”

“It seems odd your parents would expose you to such risks.”

Edison laughed, but it far from a joyful sound. “Our mothers both passed on young, and our fathers…” He shrugged. “Our fathers were just bloody awful parents.”

Ada nodded, her attention on the disodorizer. “Mine failed in other ways.” She stared up at the shelves. “It would have taken an exceptional woman to turn me into a social success, but my mother didn’t even try.” Her shoulders rose and fell as if she were shrugging off the memory. “Once it became clear I took more interest in beakers and potions than kid boots and lace, she threw up her hands.”

Edison folded his arms over his chest, intent on her every word. He had the sense she didn’t discuss such things often.

“You married well,” he said.

Her sad smile hit him in the midsection.

She wiped her hands on a rag. “Harrison was kind. He even indulged my passion for chemistry.” She raised her head until her gaze met his. “Unfortunately, he was my father’s protégé. Passion wasn’t something we shared.”

“I understand.” He shouldn’t press, shouldn’t go anywhere near such a volatile subject, yet he found the words tumbling from his lips. “What now?”

Raised eyebrows signaled her confusion.

“Now that you’ve discovered passion?” Edison closed his hand over hers. “What now?”

Ada met his gaze. The dark center of her eyes dilated. Her breath became short and shallow.

He couldn’t be certain, but he imagined that her pulse quickened against his palm.

Her lips parted. “I—"

“Need any help?” Meena called out, jarring Edison out of the sensual fog. She poked her head into the room.

He pulled his hand back as if he’d touched a hot stove rather than a willing woman. “All good,” he shouted rather more sharply than he’d intended.

“I see.” She grinned, in no way put off by his gruff response. A twinkle of amusement reached her eyes as well. “I think we’ll be off then. Henry is in dire need of clothes, and Nelly loves to shop. Who would have guessed?”

As she didn’t seem to require a response, Edison remained silent, hands balled into fists at his side, trying to appear as if he had no idea there was a sensual, willing creature a hand’s breath away.

“I’ll send Spencer and Briar home in your hansom. She has a lesson with Master Tadeoka this afternoon. Spencer can drive her,” Meena prattled on. “I’ll take Harvey and Nelly to the haberdashery. We’ll be back in time to drive you to your meeting.”

They were leaving. The lot of them. Edison had to force himself to concentrate on the rest of her words.

“I’m sure you two have a few more things to sort out.” Meena waggled her fingers and disappeared back down the hallway.

He couldn’t have sworn to it, but he was almost certain she was chuckling.

The clock seemed to tick more loudly in the resulting silence.

Ada set the open shell in front of him. “Time to add your scent.”

“Right.” Edison searched the disorganized space for the vial of cherry-scented elixir he’d fashioned weeks ago, but his ears were straining to hear the front door close behind the group.

By the time Ada filled the container with his elixir, the front door closed behind the chattering group, leaving the offices ringing with silence.

The snick of the two halves if his disodorizer fitting together echoed in the quiet. Ada set the device on the countertop and drummed her fingers on the thick wood.

Her edginess infected him as well. Anticipation hung in the air between them like a physical presence. He felt like a damned school boy who hadn’t the least idea how to seduce a woman.

He could at least secure the door. He pressed the door closed and engaged the lock.

Ada had moved away from the bench to study his half-finished automaton. She bent down, frowning at the open back of the butler. “Is that mechanical spring working an adequate power source?”

Her violet scent surrounded him as Edison joined her peering at the jumble of wheels and pulleys and metal springs inside the main chamber. “No. It’s been the biggest hurdle. Can’t build a flywheel big enough to power it for more than a few minutes.”

Ada knelt down, peering deeper into the chamber. “I think I have a solution to your power issues.”

At any other time, such news would have sent him into a frenzy of construction, but his automatic butler held little appeal when he had Ada all to himself.

He slid a hand around her upper arm and tugged her gently to her feet. “I imagine you do, but that’s not the sort of power I’m interested in at the moment.”

“Oh?”

Edison didn’t respond with words. He traced a finger down the delicate slope of her nose and over the lush curve of her lower lip.

“Oh,” she breathed.

When he cupped the edges of her head and pulled her into his kiss, she made the most gratifying sigh against his mouth.

By the time his fingers tangled in the tiny buttons of her bodice, he was trembling with need. Need mingled with the sour tinge of regret.

He’d never considered the end before.

He took what was offered and when the spark of lust and momentary companionship faded, he walked away. Tomorrow would bring what it would bring.

Now tomorrow would bring pain.

Buttons undone, he bared her chest to his hot gaze. Even as he bent his head to rain kisses on her creamy skin, the realization persisted.

Meena was right. Why did she have to be right?

Ada Templeton was going to leave a mark.