Page 9 of The Moonstone Marquess
“That is generous of you, but my guests will be gone in a couple of days. A week at most. I would appreciate your keeping them with you until they are all out of my house. In the meanwhile, I’ll come by to see the girls every day. Tell me what is convenient for you and I will accommodate your schedule.”
She seemed surprised that he was being so obliging. “Won’t you have your guests to entertain while they are here?”
“Phoebe, your disapproval is showing. Do not pass judgment on something you know nothing about. It isn’t what you think.”
She sat erect, her hands clasped on her lap and her kissable lips pursed, which were obvious signs of her continued irritation. “I am not thinking anything.”
He laughed. “You have opinions on everything. You’ve told me so yourself. But I am serious when I tell you it is none of your business.”
She stood up. “Well then, we have nothing more to say to each other. I will not stop you if you wish to leave.”
“Gad, you are irritating.” He took her hand and nudged her back into her chair. “We have lots to discuss. What do you need for my nieces? For that matter, what do you and Chloe need for yourselves? Charge whatever it is to my account.”
“We do not require your charity.”
“Now you are just being peckish. It does not suit you, Phoebe.”
“How am I supposed to feel? You bewilder me.”
He grinned. “Is that a compliment?”
“No, it assuredly is not.” She shook her head, causing her dark curls to bob. Lord, she was a lovely thing. Beautiful, but in a warm and appealing way. She was the sort of woman one would never tire of holding in one’s arms.
Not that he had ever bothered to simply hold a woman in his arms.
First of all, he was no longer capable of it, since he had only the one arm.
Even before he had lost the limb, he’d never spent time with his arms wrapped around a woman except in bed, and that was only for as long as needed to satisfy his sexual urges.
There was nothing he would call a romantic embrace. No cooing words of love. Just the raw act of satisfaction. Heat, grunting, the scent of sex on their bodies after a particularly wild tumble.
Of course, he made certain to pleasure the lady as well.
He did not know how much of their cries and moans of ecstasy were real or fake. For the most part, he assumed they were real, as they would not have sought him out time and again if they were not well pleasured. For the most part, he gave it little thought. His partners were not the sort of women he would ever consider marrying. Most were married already, or widowed ladies who enjoyed their independence. All of them were elegant and part of a faster crowd among theton.
A few, like his former paramour, Lady Seline, had been unmarried when they first had relations. But she was not chaste even back then. She had been no virgin when he’d taken her to bed. Well, Lady Seline was married now, quite unhappily, to the Earl of Whitford.
It was a pity, for Whitford was a decent fellow, and she was going to give him a life of hell.
Women like Seline used sex as a weapon. Indeed, they used any wiles at their disposal because they craved attention and would never be satisfied, no matter how much attention was lavished on them. Nor would they ever be faithful to any one man.
Phoebe was nothing like thesesophisticatedladies.
She was charming and compassionate, the sort who would be faithful and true. Therefore, she was certain to be far more dangerous to his heart than any woman he had ever encountered.
She could not be bought with trinkets, no matter how expensive. Nor would she accept anything less than full commitment and love.
Well, she had no idea just how damaged he was.
Not that the challenge would put her off. Indeed, he thought she would be drawn to himbecausehe was a challenge. She had strength and determination, and he liked that about her.
“Would you mind if I came by each morning in time to have breakfast with my nieces? I could come by again around noon and take you all for an outing. A little something every day so they know I am here and thinking of them. As I mentioned, it may take me as long as a week to be rid of my guests.”
“I see.”
“No, I don’t suppose you do. But I cannot tell you more, Phoebe.” He also liked that she hadn’t cringed when noticing his missing arm. He’d even held her up against him this morning, just grabbed her and pulled her to him. Not well done of him, but she hadn’t flinched, even when her shoulder had rubbed against the stump of his arm.
She had no idea how much that meant to him.
