Charming a Spy (11 page)

“I could never refuse such a titillating proposal. I must admit, I am quite intrigued,” Geoff said.

“You must think me forward to ask for your audience, alone,” Kat explained.

“You certainly have caught my attention. But this is not the first time we have been alone together,” he said, “If you remember.” As if she could forget. She tried, but every night as she lay in bed fighting sleep, the cursed memory of the library kiss kept replaying in her head, keeping her body buzzing with unfulfilled promises.

“Katherine?” he asked, “was there some particular reason you wanted to meet me in this secluded room in the middle of the night?”

“Right,” Kat said, snapping out of her daydream.

She shifted from one foot to the other, nervous and unsure about this whole idea.

“And the reason was…” he started for her. He certainly was to the point tonight. She supposed she had kept him waiting and wondering all through dinner and charades.

“Your Grace, I have a proposition.”

“Tantalizing.”

“I would like to request your assistance in finding my brother, Luke Dubois,” she said. There. She’d said it.

“Katherine,” he said, sympathy tingeing his voice.

“I know, I know. Everyone else thinks he is dead. But I’ve told you why I know in my heart he is not. I can sense that he is alive. You have to believe me,” she said. “If I am right, he needs my help. And I need yours.”

“What makes you think I can help you?”

Cocking her head to the side, she listened carefully to make sure no one was out and about spying on them.

“Because you were there.”

“Katherine, there were thousands of men on the battlefield. Many of whom died.”

“I know. But I have to try.”

“What about Rafe Grier? He was also there. Why not him?”

“I started to ask him tonight if he knew anything, but my questions gave him a headache. I’m not sure he’s strong enough to help me. You are very strong,” she tried to say in a coy manner. His eyes narrowed, seeing through her veiled flirtation. “Also, as a duke, you have the power and connections others do not. If you wanted, you could use your connections to help me get information.”

“So you want to use my power as Duke?”

“It is not only that you are Duke of Stamwell. You are also very persuasive, My Lord. I have noticed how people seem to do what you want them to.”

He didn’t appear convinced. But this was it. Now the time had come to convince him. “And I’m willing to do what you want,” she added as she walked around the bench closer to where he stood by the marbled busts. She gently placed her hand on his arm, feeling his muscles tense underneath his jacket, bulging against her palm. He glanced down at her hand as if it were a hot brand burning into his flesh. Then his eyes met hers with an intensity that made her consider running from the room. It was too late for that.

“Katherine, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“If you help me find Luke, I will do whatever you want,” she said, silently offering him what she wasn’t ready to say aloud.

“Then you must not know what I want from you,” he said, his gaze traveling over her dress with the eye of an explorer on an unchartered island.

“I think I do,” she said, lowering her eyes. She could manage to eek out the words, but not while staring into his sinfully gorgeous face.

“Are you offering your body to me?”

“Yes. In exchange for your help, I will give you whatever you ask. No commitment. In complete secrecy. No one will ever find out.”

“Kat, you can’t know what that means.”

“I don’t know exactly, I mean I haven’t… I do know what I am saying at least.”

Geoff stepped away from her, pulling his arm out of her hand. He paced around the gallery, rubbing his head and pouting a bit as though she’d told him his prize horse broke his leg. It wasn’t the reaction she expected. She was hoping for a bit more excitement, and frankly, more kissing. Kat had obsessed so much about whether she’d be able to go through with it, but it never occurred to her that he might not want her.

“What you offer is not something you should give away lightly, Katherine. You are a young woman with a full future and shouldn’t throw that away on a rogue like myself.”

“I don’t understand,” Kat said in a soft whisper. “Don’t you want me?” She knew she wasn’t the belle of the ball, but she thought from the way he looked at her, from what happened in the library, he was attracted to her. Panic overtook her. This could all be a horribly embarrassing mistake without finding any answers about Luke.

He groaned softly to himself. “I want you more than you could possibly know, Katherine.”

Oh, thank God. She could think of nothing more awful than offering her body… no strings attached… to a man and having him reject her. She would have to join a nunnery because she would never live down the shame. “I don’t understand. Why do you hesitate?”

“This will probably come as a surprise to you as it is very much a surprise to me, but I am struck with an offending bout of conscious arriving at a very inconvenient time,” he answered.

“But you don’t need to feel bad. I am offering you myself of my own free will and therefore you are doing nothing wrong,” she said. She was so close to convincing him to help her but needed him to agree. Scooting next to him on the bench, she intentionally sat close enough so her thigh pressed against his leg. His confirmed desire inspired a newfound confidence. She wanted to make him feel lust for her even more. “Have me. Take what you want of me and I will give you my word to never tell a soul. Please agree to help me.”

Geoff turned slightly so he was gazing directly into her eyes. She was certain his stare probed into her soul, looking for something more… proof or answers. He wasn’t saying anything, just looking. Kat forced herself to focus. No way was she backing down. The moment seemed intimate, but she needed him to say yes.

Finally, he leaned forward and kissed her. His breath warmed her mouth while his lips tugged gently on her lower lip. It was sweet, like the first time, but she wished he would be more than sweet. She needed him to desire her so badly he couldn’t say no.

Kat threw her arms around his neck and pushed her chest against his body, deepening their kiss. He groaned a quiet little groan, almost a whimper, but it bolstered her courage. She knew he was fighting desire, so she put her tongue into his mouth, licked the inside of him as he’d done to her in the library.

He returned her kiss and they were blended together in each other’s arms. Kat lost time. But then Geoff pulled back.
Bollocks. That was like getting out of a warm bath into the cold air.
She wanted to climb back in, feel more of him on her skin.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Katherine, are you sure?”

“Yes…” she said, silencing him with another kiss. She wanted her lips to drown out any doubts. It worked. He returned her passionate kiss with fury, this time holding nothing back.

Geoff’s hands ran up the bodice of her silk dress and came to rest on her breast. She gasped with unexpected pleasure. She didn’t know his touch would feel so good. He cupped the mound through the cloth, kneading gently in the most intoxicating motion. Her flesh fit perfectly in his hands and she felt like a goddess. An Aphrodite. She had never seemed so beautiful as right this moment with her body filling Geoff’s hands. He squeezed her nipple and all thoughts left her mind. The only sensation was tiny hot pinpricks coursing down her skin.

His lips left her mouth and she felt robbed of him, until he started placing tiny kisses down her neck. Geoff pressed warm lips to her throat and lingered on her collarbone, raining gentle pecks on her neckline. She sucked in her stomach, holding her breath, with fear of what was next, but more fearful he would stop.

Geoff slid the top of her gown down and placed his hand on her naked breast. The touch of his hand on her bare body caused a tingle like nothing she could describe. Her own blood, scalding hot, raced from head to toe… awakening something within her resembling lightning strikes from the inside out.

Before she realized what was happening, he took her nipple in his mouth, kissing the little bud. He ran his tongue around it, making her writhe with wanting.
More. Touch the other one, lick it. More. Kiss my whole body, every inch. More.
Something else too… but she wasn’t sure what.
More.

But without notice, he stopped… pulled up the bodice of her dress, planted one soft kiss on her lips… and abruptly stood up from the bench.

“What? Where?” Kat asked, unable to properly string together words, her mind addled from what she’d just experienced.

“You are delicious,” he said. He must have been able to tell how flustered she was because he added, “And there is more, Katherine. But a wise man takes his time to devour a morsel so sweet.”

“But you agree to the proposition?” Kat said, regaining her equilibrium.

“I’m not sure. I want to think about it overnight.”

“Think about what?” she said, pointing to the bench. “I thought…”

“That wasn’t part of the bargain. That was pure pleasure, Kat, nothing more, nothing less.”

‡

T
he next morning
Kat lay in bed trying to think of a plausible excuse. She had no intentions of attending the picnic. Perhaps she had a horrible headache and the bright sunshine would only make it worse. Or she was deathly afraid of picnic ants and wouldn’t be able to sit on the grass. Maybe she was captured by a band of rogue robbers in the night and carried off by sailboat to Portugal. The woman who lay in the bed now was Kat’s lookalike. Those scoundrels had placed the woman there so the real Kat would never be discovered.

The third option would probably be the only one to get Aunt Ellie to stop chatterboxing. She had come into her bedroom over a half hour ago to drink their morning chocolate. The elder woman had barely taken a breath since.

“Katherine, I really believe you have a chance of becoming the Duchess of Stamwell. I saw the duke stealing glances at you all through dinner last night,” she said.

“I’m sure it isn’t true.” Kat tried to discourage her.

“And your little charades trick—handing Stamwell himself a clue. Well, I was shocked at first, Katherine, I really was. I thought you were ludicrous to do it, but then he smiled and played along. Brilliant. Katherine, it really was an ingenious move. I don’t think I’ve given you enough credit,” Aunt Ellie said. “Are you in love with him?”

“I think very highly of him,” Kat answered truthfully. “But I don’t think he is interested in having me as his bride.” He was only interested in having her body. Thinking about last night made her nipples tingle against her nightgown. She wanted him too. But before she would give in again so freely, he had to agree to help her find Luke. The whole point of their
affair
had been and would be to get his promise.

He already took what he wanted from her, so he really had no reason to follow through. What an idiot she was for giving herself away so freely. She should have held more back, not been so intoxicated with letting him take liberties with her without having his word. She was worse than a doxy, giving away her charms without demanding payment.

On the other hand, maybe he would agree. Last night Geoff did say there was more. So maybe he would accept the proposition after all, in exchange for whatever came next. But if he didn’t… she didn’t think her heart could bear losing her chance at finding Luke.

Lying in bed, still in her nightgown, she was too scared to face Geoff.

“Aunt Ellie, I don’t feel well enough to picnic. I have a headache,” Kat said.

“Nonsense, Katherine,” Aunt Ellie said, pulling back the covers and dragging her niece out of bed. “Fresh air is the perfect cure for a headache. Besides, today is the day you are going to make the duke fall in love with you,” she said.

Kat hoped she was right.

*

Both wagons driving
to the picnic were almost full by the time Kat and Aunt Ellie finally made it downstairs. Perhaps it was fate. She didn’t want to go and now she wouldn’t have to.