Scandalous (40 page)

"Aunt Augusta's already offered us a home," Gabby said with a haughty lift of her chin.

"Your choice is clear, then: Aunt Augusta or me."

Gabby glanced down, hesitated, then looked up at him again. "What about Lady Ware?"

His brows knit. "Belinda? What about her?"

"You should know that I happened to see some of her— letters." Her voice was faintly truculent. Inside she was afraid, so afraid, that he was going to say the wrong thing. She would never, ever be able to share him with a mistress. She loved him far too much for that. Though, she supposed, she would rather share him with a mistress than have him go away again. She didn't think she could bear that.

"Gabriella, did you go through my drawer and read my mail?" His tone was severe.

Gabby nodded guiltily. "I was afraid something had happened to you. I was trying to find anything that would help me think where you could be."

He eyed her, then suddenly chuckled. "I wish I could have seen your face! Belinda's notes are pretty blue."

"I'm well aware, believe me." Her response was dry.

His brow knit.
"That's
why you accepted Jamison. You were jealous of Belinda." He started chuckling again.

She scowled at him. "Well,
you
were jealous of Mr. Jamison."

"I was, wasn't I? Pray don't remind me." He smiled at her. Her hands rested in her lap; he picked one up and carried it to his mouth, and kissed it. His eyes were suddenly serious as he lowered her hand and looked at her. "All right, Gabriella, I admit it: there are lots of women in my past. But I give you my word that, if you marry me, you'll be the only woman in my future."

She looked at him consideringly for a moment, while her heartbeat quickened and her pulse began to race. Then she started to smile. "I love you, you know."

"Is that a
yes?"

"Yes. Oh, yes."

He gathered her close against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the pent-up love and longing she'd been holding at bay for weeks. When he lifted his head at last she looked up into those beautiful blue eyes and knew she had finally found her heart's home.

"I love you." His voice was low and husky as he touched his mouth to hers again. "I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much."

"Nick…" Shaken to the core, her heart swelling with love for him, Gabby found she couldn't say another word. So she kissed him again instead.

*  *  *

Later, much later, they were lying together on the carpet in front of the fire. The door was locked, the household was long since abed, and their only cover was his greatcoat, which he had spread over them both. Beneath it they were naked, their bodies entwined. He was flat on his back with one arm bent behind his head. His eyes were closed, and he gave every appearance of being asleep. Gabby was using his chest for a pillow when a sharp popping from the hearth brought her lids fluttering up.

For a moment she merely blinked sleepily at the fire as she tried to determine exactly what it was that woke her. Suddenly another ember crackled and popped even louder than the first, and her eyes widened. Then she smiled.

It was in front of this very hearth that she had made her bargain with the devil, after all. And now here he lay beside her, in the hard, handsome flesh.

She ran a hand over his black-furred chest, and slanted a look up at him to see if he stirred. He didn't.

The fire popped insistently again. Her smile widened and her hand slid down.

Speaking of the devil, he was hers now, and she wasn't giving him back. She meant to marry him, too.

But in the meantime, she thought with a naughty twinkle as her hand found what it sought, it wouldn't hurt to bedevil him just a little bit.

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