Eternally Seduced (79 page)

“No, you’re not
,
and you should be glad you are not.”

Mary was startled. “Why?”

“Because if you were ordinary, I wouldn’t have spent the last few days imagining I was enjoying you in my bed.”

Bwerhidfbfmaqqzdjmne.

This time, she had lost the ability to be coherent, Rathe Wellesley’s words instantly making her as eloquent as a newborn baby. All she could think was,
no wonder.

After meeting him the first time, Mary hadn’t been able to help researching him online and now that she experienced the pleasure of his presence another time, she knew that most things the media said about him was true.

He
was
too gorgeous to be human. He
was
too sophisticated for any person to be comfortable in his presence the first time. But one thing she didn’t believe was that Rathe Wellesley did
not
feel anything.

Oh, he felt.

The smoldering heat in his eyes, the sexually commanding aura he emanated, the devastatingly wicked way his lips curved ever so slightly at the things she said---

How could they all say that he did
not
feel when he did feel and, more than that, he made
her
feel so peculiarly weak around him?

Mary was
staring
at him.

And it was in a way that made Rathe say warningly, “You must stop that.” If she kept looking at him like that, he might give her what she was asking unconsciously with her gaze.

Rathe’s words made Mary blink. Was he serious? Didn’t he know how fascinating he was? If she was made to choose between her piranha and him, she would truly be
torn.

Noticing the way her gaze flitted to something behind him, Rathe looked over his shoulder and that was when he realized exactly what was swimming in her fish tank. “You have a
piranha
in your room?”

Mary nodded in a casual way, as if she was confirming that today’s weather was fine and cloudy.

He shook his head faintly. “A
piranha?
” This time, he couldn’t help it. He laughed out loud. It was the safer thing to do because his more pressing urge was to reclaim her lips and find out if it tasted as sweet and hot as he remembered. He suppressed a groan. Just one memory – and now his brain was flooded with the whole lot, of how Mary’s sigh was sweet and sexy as she leaned into his kiss, of how she felt so perfect in his arms when he had pushed her to the wall, of how beautifully she surrendered---

Rathe fought for control over his cock. This was not fucking good. While a part of him found Mary Ashton irresistible, the other part of him was coolly demanding what he was doing with a woman – no, a bloody teenager – who thought piranhas made great pets and described him as a serial kisser after one damn kiss.

Rathe looked back at Mary. She was worriedly biting her lip as she looked at him with wary suspicion in her eyes. It was as if she was expecting him to report her to PETA for
the
unlawful capture of piranhas – and she was ready to elope with her bloody fish if he did.

When he started to speak, he saw her stiffen nervously, and Rathe said almost irritably, “Relax. I’m not going to eat you
or
your fish.”

I don’t believe you,
her eyes answered him.

He suppressed another groan. Why was it that the more she seemed suspicious of him, the more he found her attractive? It was so bloody perverse he felt like he was going crazy.

His phone buzzed inside his pocket, and it served like a knock on his head, knocking some sense back into Rathe. What the fuck was he doing here, contemplating something that shouldn’t be contemplated with someone who wasn’t even bloody old enough to be called a woman?

Mary shifted on the bed, drawing his attention back to her and Rathe saw her silent grimace of pain when she accidentally moved her injured ankle. He asked abruptly, “Is there someone I can call to check up on you?” He hated that he had to ask, hated that he cared
enough
to do so.

She desperately wanted to lie, but she just couldn’t make herself do so. She said reluctantly, “Not really.”

“Then you’ll be alone here for the
entire
weekend?”

She nodded slowly. “But I’m not really alone. I’ll be with my fish---”

“---that’s likely to bite your finger if you try to feed it,” he countered dryly.

Mary said defensively, “I’m training it to be a vegetarian.”

Rathe choked.

She insisted, “It can be done.”

Seeing the stubborn look on her face, he knew it would be pointless reasoning with her. Before he could speak, Rathe’s phone buzzed again and he knew it was likely his secretary, panicking because he was supposed to be in a charity event – ten minutes ago.

Rathe walked towards the door.

Was he leaving? Just like that? Mary bit her lip, telling herself she was not bothered by it. This was how her life was supposed to be – uncomplicated.

Rathe paused as he reached the doorway.

She held her breath.

Rathe opened the door, and as he did Camille almost crashed into him. It was obvious on her face that she had her ear pressed to the door for quite a long while.

Camille quickly straightened herself, saying breezily, “I was just checking on my friend.”

Of course she was. But all Rathe did was smile politely and say, “I’m glad that she has someone looking after her. I feel responsible for what happened.” There was a dull roar inside his mind, making him feel damn guilty, like he was abandoning Mary.

But he wasn’t
, Rathe told himself fiercely. This had to stop now.

Without looking at Mary, he took out a card from his wallet and handed it to the other girl. “Please call me if there’s anything you feel I may be able to help with.”

Camille said brightly, “Of course.” She looked down at the card, her eyes widening when she realized she was speaking to a duke. Dukes were a subject she recently became acquainted with, ever since Kate Middleton became a duchess.

When she looked up at Rathe, her eyes were wide with awe.

He pretended not to notice it. “Thank you very much, Miss---”

She supplied eagerly, “Camille Wilson.”

“Miss Wilson,” he ended with a brief smile and took her hand, placing the gentlest kiss on her knuckle and causing Mary to all but swoon.

From the bed, he heard the tiniest gasp tumble past Mary’s lips.

Rathe Wellesley wasn’t just a smooth talker. He was a…was a smooth
mover,
too – the very kind of playboy her stepfather liked to warn her about. He was definitely everything she should avoid if she wanted her life to proceed smoothly, but for some reason all she could think of right now was how much she hoped he wouldn’t find himself attracted to Camille like all the men she knew. She did not understand why she hoped so. She just…did.

“Please call me Camille.” Camille was fluttering her lashes like crazy.

Rathe made himself look
politely charmed.
“Thank you, Camille.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m afraid I must go now as I’ve an engagement to attend. Good evening, ladies.” And then he was gone, closing the door quietly behind him, leaving a void so startling in its yawning emptiness that for a moment Mary ceased to breathe.

He was gone.

Camille let out a loud sigh. “What a hottie.”

The words had Mary blinking herself back to reality. Seeing that her friend was waiting for an answer, she shrugged, hoping it would make her appear indifferent.

Her friend clucked her tongue. “You can’t fool me with that one.”

“I’m not trying to fool you.”

Camille exclaimed, “Oh my God, and you’re jealous, too!”

Mary mentally whistled another song.

Camille rushed to her friend’s bed to give Mary a quick hug. “You are so cute when you’re jealous!”

“I’m. Not. Jealous.”

Camille only laughed. “Whatever you say, Mary. But I promise, I’m not the kind of conscienceless slut everyone says I am. It’s hands off your Dukeness from here.”

She tried to stop herself from smiling but failed. “It’s
His Grace,
Cam.”

“Okay, I promise that I won’t be flirting with His Grace---”

“He’s
not
my anything--”

“Well there’s
something
between you two and I can prove it to you.”

Mary was startled. “How?”

“He’s the first non-nerd I know that didn’t cause you to stammer.” Camille gave her a smug look. “So think about that, smarty pants, and tell me I’m not right.”

The truth of her friend’s words hit her, and as Camille left for her second date
of
the day, Mary did think about it, and she tried to convince herself that the other girl was not right. So she didn’t stammer in Rathe’s presence. It only meant…it only meant---

No.

She did not like Rathe Wellesley.

And if Camille thought she had proof, well…Mary could come up with her own proof, too!

Carefully scooting off of her bed and wincing every time she accidentally jarred her injured ankle, she hobbled towards her study table and collapsed on the seat with a loud, relieved sigh. The bed had only been less than six feet away, but it already felt like she had run a mile.

Reaching for her laptop, she switched it open and with a few clicks, she
found
the website she was after. Mary studied the schedule of events before her carefully.

Tomorrow
…

Yes, tomorrow. She could do it. All she had to do was buy a ticket, get herself a pair of crutches, and she would be safely on her way. Tomorrow, she’d have proof to show to Camille that she and the duke were never to be, not when she already had a guy she liked.

****

Several thousands of miles away, Bartholomew threw away his half-empty shot glass across the room. As it hit the wall and exploded into pieces, he imagined it was what would happen to the faceless man making a move on his stepdaughter once Bartholomew found out who he was.

Sinners,
the both of them!

He had secretly installed a spy cam in Mary’s dorm room, making sure he watched and listened to its playbacks every day so he could masturbate
during
the rare times she undressed herself in her bedroom.
He really shouldn’t have let her go off to college in the first place
, Bartholomew thought furiously as he paced his hotel suite restlessly. But then, what could he have done? She had won the damn scholarship and forcing Mary to refuse it would have made the busybodies in their town talk.

He had to act soon. If he did not, he had a feeling his stepdaughter would give away her virginity to an unworthy man and sin against God by having sex before marriage.

He had to save her from herself
, Bartholomew decided. And if it meant taking her virginity himself, well – she should be thankful for that. He would do the sinning for her, out of his great love for her.

Snatching the receiver, he quickly made a call to book the next available flight back to Florida. It was time to give his dear stepdaughter a surprise visit.