Page 39 of The Seduction of Lord Sin
The dratted man. How did he know what she was going to say? “I won’t have your life, or the extinction of your family’s line on my conscience, too. I couldn’t bear that. Don’t do that to me.”
He moved close until her breasts almost caressed his chest when she breathed deep. “How can you expect me to leave when you are in danger?”
She swallowed back her disappointment. He hadn’t professed she owned his heart and therefore could not desert her. Why was she important to him then? “I’m not helpless. I have loyal household staff, James and Devlin staying, and no one can get past Bella.”
He reached out and touched her face. “A pistol would make quick work of Bella.”
She shivered—at his touch or the thought of Bella dead, she wasn’t sure. “Go home to your mother. I don’t need you here.”
His head lowered and he pressed his lips to hers. She couldn’t help it. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened. He took full advantage. His tongue swept in, claiming ownership. She loved the taste of him. The heat. The sensuality. All that had been missing in her life until he arrived. He pulled her against him, surrounding her in his masculinity, and the word ‘safe’ filled her head. Safe except for her heart. He could very well steal it. But what would he do with it if she gave it to him?
He deepened the kiss and she pushed closer, seeking more. Her hands wound round his neck and she sunk her hands deep into his thick curls. If her world ended right now, she would be more than happy—but not ecstatic. She wanted all of him. She wanted to experience passion with him.
If this was desire, she’d give it free range.
She let the selfishness soak into her soul. She didn’t want him to leave. Not just yet. One night. She wanted one night with him.
Finally, he broke the kiss, his erection pressing into her. “You might think you don’t need me here, but you want me here.” He blew in her ear. “And I definitely want to be here. With you. In your bed.”
She would not lie. “I want you too.”
“I can’t promise you my hand in marriage. I am set on my course with Mrs. Mason.”
Why?Why couldn’t he marry her? She’d told him she was a virgin. She wasn’t barren, like everyone thought. He obviously didn’t think she was good enough to be his duchess. Not young enough. Not beautiful enough. He could have his pick of women. She bet this Mrs. Mason was a stunning beauty. Was she merely a convenience for him while here in Cornwall? At that thought, her heart clenched tight in her chest… Being held by him now, how could she feel such pain and such desire all at once?
She nodded, still clinging to him. “And I have my promise to Lord Devlin. I won’t sleep with you and then go to Devlin in marriage. That is not who I am.”
He pressed his erection into her stomach. “There are many ways to pleasure a woman without taking her virginity.”
She tried to get her breathing under control, but her heart thumping in her chest made it difficult. “If you stay, you agree to have a man shadowing you too.”
“Agreed. Wilton, my valet, is ex-army. He watches me like a hawk as it is.”
She stepped back so her mind wasn’t in such a muddle. Her senses filled with his scent. “If I deem it too dangerous, if someone else gets—hurt—you will leave.”
She watched the play of emotions speed across his handsome face like a mini tornado. He turned and paced. She repeated her terms. “If someone else, or you, are obvious targets, you will leave.” She went to him and touched his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “This is not worth the cost to your family, should something happen to you.”
He pulled her to him and hugged her tight.
“Toobury’s death will haunt me for the rest of my life. But if anyone else gets hurt—if you get hurt or worse—it will destroy me. I should never have held such a party.”
He pushed her out of his safe and warm embrace and studied her face. “You are not to blame for any of this. You haven’t forced a man to kill. This villain has probably killed before. Toobury’s murder was very cold and calculated.”
“Which makes him very dangerous, and you know that.”
“Which makes me better prepared and forewarned. He thinks he’s gotten away with Toobury’s murder since we’ve stated it as an accident. He will try again because his confidence is up. And he has to.”
She eyed him warily. “What are you planning?”
With a smug smile, he turned from her and walked to the door. “I have to talk with Devlin. I’ll see you at supper. And then later…”
ChapterThirteen
The dinner table, though full of food, was empty of any sense of enjoyment. The food tasted like coal in her mouth. Dharma continued to throw dagger sharp looks at her. The young lady wasn’t pleased to be sent home on the morrow to stay with her brother, Tobin. But Charlotte wasn’t about to put her step-daughter in the line of a killer or potential kidnapper, no matter how much Dharma ended up hating her.
Sir Ryder relished his role as a co-conspirator. It was interesting to note that Lord Sanders seemed to be totally unaffected by Toobury’s accident. He barely asked questions and was eating as if he were at a royal feast. Only the killer would not need to ask questions because he’d know it wasn’t an accident. He didn’t need to know how it happened. Could Lord Sanders be the perpetrator?
On the other hand, Sir Ryder held Bann and Vernonte’s attention in his pudgy hand. They appeared riveted by his findings of an accident and Devlin was feeding the story, too.
