Page 87 of Wicked Again
The butler had turned an alarming shade of purple. It had been very gratifying.
“I would like an answer first to my earlier inquiry.” Haddon’s dark hair fanned over her breasts as his tongue tasted the tip of her nipple.
“Mmm.” Her back arched, bringing her breast closer to his mouth. “I didn’t realize you’d asked me a question. Only stated what you planned to do, Haddon. Which is very like you. Why did you help Pendleton?”
“Correct on both counts. In regard to Pendleton and myself, we’re related by marriage.Distantly. Through my late wife.”
Marissa sat up abruptly, shocked at his words, the sheet falling from her breasts before she grabbed at the linen.
Haddon growled in frustration. “My mouth has been on every inch of you.” His gaze fell to her breasts. “Especially your magnificent bosom. I thought we had dispensed with your need to constantly cover yourself.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because I’m an admirer of your breasts. I started on one side and—”
“No.” She swatted at him but dropped the sheet, drawing his gaze. “I mean, how can youpossiblybe related to Pendleton?”
“Well, I’m not, exactly. My wife was the late Lord Pendleton’s great-niece. They weren’t close. Lydia barely acknowledged the connection when Anne was alive.”
Marissa mulled over the information in her mind. “But when I bankrupted her son, she did.”
Haddon traced the outline of her ribs, sending flutters back down between her legs. “It was Lydia who sent Pendleton to me, demanding my help and reminding me of the favor I owed his father.”
“A favor? And I’m not surprised at all. Lydia never forgets any small kindness she might have bestowed. She enjoys having we lesser mortals in her debt.”
“The year I turned twenty-four there was a terrible accident at the quarry. I won’t go into details but suffice it to say without a large infusion of funds, I couldn’t save the quarry or the village, which depended on the quarry’s employment, let alone my small family. My sister was about to be married. My younger brother had just gone back to Harrow—”
“Wait. You have a brother? You’ve never mentioned him.”
Haddon’s brows drew together, and his fingers stopped their movement across her skin. “I’m certain I have. Perhaps you weren’t listening? Your mind does wander.”
Marissa tugged at his hair. “Haddon,” she warned.
“His name is Randall.” His fingers were gliding back and forth over her thigh. “His eldest son, also Randall, is my heir.”
Haddon already had an heir. No wonder he was so nonchalant about the need to procure one. “You could have told me about him sooner.”
His fingers dipped lower between her thighs, chuckling softly when she gasped. “I did. You weren’t listening. Money was tight. I had a sickly wife. One child, another on the way. A hundred or so villagers depending on me as well as my brother and sister.”
Marissa was losing her focus. Haddon’s fingers were incredibly wicked, just like the rest of him. His thumb did the most amazing things. “That murdering bastard John,” her breath hitched as he found a sensitive spot, “gave you the money, didn’t he?”
“As a gift to Anne. If I’d known he’d gotten rich by murder I never would have taken his money. I would have found another way.”
Very sweet of Haddon to say so, though impractical.
His thumb pressed against her. “Just return the favor one day,John said. When Pendleton came begging and reminding me of my honor, I couldn’t refuse though I dearly wished to.”
Haddon would never have refused, something Lydia had counted on. Hewasfar too honorable.
“Now I must have your answer.” He pressed a kiss to her stomach.
“I feel compelled to remind you again, Lord Haddon, that you didnotask me a question. Only told me what you’ve decided.” She toyed with the swirls of hair on his chest thinking how determined Haddon always was. Marissa loved that about him. “I can’t believe you’re serious, Trent.”
His eyes softened at the sound of his given name. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. It is a lot to ask—”
“I must point out again you haven’t actually asked me anything.”
He ignored her. “IknowI come with four bits of baggage—”
