Summers, Jordan (13 page)

Martins choked and then scrambled off, but not before
Richard sensed a surge of rebellion emanating from the man. He had a feeling he
hadn’t heard the last of Lord Martins. Richard turned back to his quarry.

Lily took a breath, causing the swell of her breasts to
rise.

Richard’s anger faded instantly. He stared transfixed.
Every muscle tightened to the point of discomfort. He was keenly aware of
people pressing past him on their way to awaiting carriages. Perfume hung thick
in the air, along with the ever-present smell of blood. Richard ignored it all,
focusing instead on the vision across the room.

Her gaze scanned the thinning crowd, taking in the
surrounding faces, when she spotted him. Richard knew the exact second it
occurred because her eyes widened considerably, she flushed, and her hand flew
out of reflex to her throat.

He’d find it laughable, if it wasn’t coming from Lily.
From the rise and fall of her breasts, he knew her breathing had sped up.
Richard’s vision narrowed. He recalled last night and wet his lips with the tip
of his tongue. He couldn’t hear it, but he knew her blood gushed through her
veins, calling to him, beckoning, until his feet moved toward her of their own
volition.

Within moments Richard stood before her, heart on
sleeve. He swept Lily with an elegant bow, bringing her knuckles to his lips.
She trembled beneath his touch and a fresh shade of pink washed over her skin.
She flew her colors for all to see.

Richard hid his triumphant smile. She might think there
was nothing between them but good company. She’d soon learn otherwise.

“It seems I’ve missed the ball,” he said casually,
glancing around the room.

Lily stared at him for a second before dropping her
gaze to his lips. This time there was no stopping his smile. As if realizing
what she’d been doing, her eyes sought his.

“I hadn’t noticed.” She shrugged, but her rigid stance
said she had indeed noticed his absence. “It was quite a good showing, but
there will be others,” she managed to push out, but was unable to hide the
disappointment
in her voice.

Richard’s brows knitted. Apparently, this wasn’t about
last night’s encounter, but his absence from the ball. “I do apologize, if I’ve
inconvenienced you in any way, my lady. I trust my carriage was quite warm.”

Lily’s jaw firmed and her spine stiffened. “For that to
have occurred there would have to be an agreement between us. As there is none,
there is no harm done.” She turned a half shoulder to him. “As for your
carriage, it was acceptable.”

Lord Thomas Wells laughed. Richard bit back his immediate
retort. Somehow in protecting her, he’d managed to hurt her feelings. This
would not do.

“Forgive me, my lady.” He bowed again, his eyes locking
with hers. Surely she hadn’t realized last night wasn’t a dream. Richard tugged
at his cuffs.

The urge to read her thoughts and use compulsion
overwhelmed him. It would be so easy to convince her to believe him, but he
wouldn’t. He owed it to them both. He wanted Lily without trickery. He knew he
wasn’t beyond using persuasion, as last night in her bedroom proved, but he
would never lie to her or intentionally hurt her. Richard was about to explain
his absence when he spotted Lord Devlin closing in. He stepped away from Lily
and excused himself, cutting Archibald off before he reached their position.

“I trust all is well, now that half your debts have
been settled,” he practically growled at Lily’s father.

The man blanched, but did not back away.

“I’ve come to fetch my daughter. The hour is late.”
Anger coiled in Devlin’s voice like a threatened snake.

“She is perfectly safe.” Richard stepped in the man’s
path, preventing him from going further. “I’ll escort her back with you.”

“See here, that would be quite improper and you know
it.”

Richard grinned, but there was no humor in his smile. “That
is why I said I will be riding along with you. You are her father, so therefore
the perfect chaperone. Her reputation will be well protected.”

“You don’t give a farthing about my daughter’s
reputation. Given leave, you’ll—”

“Marry her.” Richard’s voice broke in, holding no room
for argument. He tired of this conversation and Lily waited. “Now we’ll say our
goodbyes and be on our way.”

“You’ll pay for this, mark my words.”

Richard snorted. “I already have, remember?”

Lord Devlin flinched and then said his goodbyes. He
made his way toward the door, leaving Lily standing and gaping after him.
Richard reached out and gently laid a finger beneath her chin to shut her
mouth. She glared at him for his efforts. She stalked across the floor a few
moments later to retrieve her pelisse, and then thanked the hostess, Lady
Gordon. Richard strode in her wake, mumbling beneath his breath about stubborn
women.

Hurley was waiting out front. He’d already seated
Archibald and waited for Richard’s appearance. Richard escorted Lily out the
door, then handed her into his carriage, before stepping in behind her. He
seated himself across from Lily and her father. She stared straight out the
window, ignoring him, as the carriage lurched forward. The horses stepped out.

Richard had purposely taken his time getting to his
conveyance, making sure several of the
ton’s
gossips viewed him. They would have more than enough to chew on, speculating on
his relationship with Lady Lily Devlin and more so his intentions toward her,
for at least the next week.

The carriage rattled on into the shadows of the night.
Lily took care not to look in his direction, even when his leg
accidentally
brushed against hers. She
simply scooted as far away as possible, pressing her body against the side of
the carriage. Richard smiled, she was giving him quite a good view of her many
charms.

She tilted her head, casting him a disapproving stare
before glancing back out the window. The simple, yet aggravating action bared
the slim column of her neck for his perusal, along with the slope of her full
breasts. Richard’s mouth watered and his cock rose to attention. He shifted on
the squeaky leather seat, hoping to disguise his condition. Devlin scowled at
Richard, his eyes sparking fire in the dark. Richard had no doubt the man would
kill him, given half the chance. Richard smiled to himself.
If he only knew…

The carriage stopped, dropping Archibald off outside
his home. Before Lily could step out Richard halted her. “May I have a quick
word with you?”

“It is quite inappropriate, my lord,” Lily glanced at
her father, then back to Richard. Her father scowled then entered the house,
slamming the door behind him, despite the butler’s efforts to stop him. With a
curt nod of her head she acquiesced, deciding to put an end to this charade
once and for all.

After giving orders to drive on, Richard faced Lily. “So,
we’re alone now,” he said, removing his gloves. “What have I done to upset you?”

Lily sat back in the carriage, glaring at him. “You
know perfectly well why I’m upset.”

Richard arched an arrogant brow. “Actually I do not.”

“You practically bullied my father back at Lady Gordon’s
tonight.” Her tone was accusing. “I want you to drop your suit.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “But you were upset before that.” He
leveled his gaze on her porcelain face, ignoring her last request.

Lily sputtered and coughed, her chin ratcheting up a
notch. “Well if you think you were the cause of my distress tonight, you are
mistaken.”

His lip quirked and he crossed his arms over his chest.
“If I wasn’t the cause of your distress, then who was?”

“Perhaps it was another gentleman, who imposed upon me
this evening.” She lifted a brow. “You see, it is none of your concern.”

Richard forced out a laugh, his gut clenching at the
thought. If for one second he’d scented another male upon Lily’s skin tonight,
he was quite sure he’d dispatch the gentleman immediately. His gaze locked to
her face, ensnaring her. “Ah, that is where you are wrong, my lady.” His voice
laced with subtle menace. “Anything involving you is now very much my concern.”

Lily gaped, her eyes growing rounder. “You are not my
husband,” she snapped.

“Yet,” he growled back, his voice dropping seductively
lower. “I’ll announce the banns tomorrow.”

“You’re impossible and delusional.” She mirrored his
actions. “I’ve given no acceptance of your… your—take me home at once.”

Richard smiled wide. “All in good time, my lady. All in
good time.”

Surely he wasn’t serious about announcing the banns,
was he? He was toying with her, like a cat plays with a mouse. Lily knew it to
her bones. The trouble was she didn’t have enough experience to know how to
counter such a move. Sitting in the confined space of his carriage left her
breathless, needy. Yet she had no idea why. Was it some kind of seduction she
was unaware of?

The dream she’d had last night came back with a
vengeance. Lily’s nipples pebbled and started to ache as she imagined his mouth
suckling her. She could almost feel the rasp of his tongue as he swirled it
around her tender peaks. An answering throb started at the junction of her
thighs. She pressed her legs together but it only seemed to make the yawning
emptiness inside her worse. Lily glanced up into Richard’s face. His gaze
locked onto hers as his pink tongue darted out wetting his bottom lip.

She gasped and felt heat infuse her face as she
recalled where else that tongue had been. Her channel flooded as she imagined
him lapping at her folds like he’d done last night. Lily frowned. It hadn’t
really
been Richard, but the man in her
dream. Her awareness of his broad shoulders increased as she compared the two
men.

In her mind ‘s eye, she could see his muscled abdomen
and strong arms as he bent forward over her bed, crawling on all fours like a
sleek cat. She tried to slow her breathing, reminding herself that it hadn’t
been real, but the image was so vivid.

Lily had only had a few suitors, none as experienced as
the man sitting across from her. He’d had years of practice. She’d heard the
whispers surrounding his name, some had been fanciful, while others concerning
his lovemaking abilities were outrageous, and all but one had been
complimentary.

The rumors of that lone encounter sent shivers down her
spine. She’d considered asking him about it, but decided against it, too
ashamed to have joined into the
ton
’s
gossip mill. The man who sat across from her didn’t seem to fit the description
of the beast the woman had portrayed. In no way, had Lord Lyon made any move to
attack her and he’d had plenty of opportunities. The woman had gone so far as
to accuse him of biting her.

Ridiculous
,
Lily thought.

The woman must have been overcome by some kind of
malady. The gentleman, so close by was no big-toothed monster. He was arrogant,
no doubt. And he did whatever it took to get his way, which probably came from
years of being granted everything he desired. Lily let out a loud humph and sat
back, realizing she wasn’t going anywhere until he allowed it.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

Lily blinked. His question came so out of the blue that
it took Lily a moment to comprehend. “Why do you
want
to know?”

He grinned again. “I’d like to know everything about
the woman I plan to call my wife.”

Her chin dropped and she glared at him once more. “I
would say, my lord that you are assuming a lot.”

“That may be, but in this case I speak nothing but the
truth. You will be mine,” he said, his tone confident and even. “I’ve asked
your father if I can offer for you and he conceded.”

“But I have not.” Lily took a deep breath attempting to
calm her rising anger. “I am nobody’s possession.”

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.”

Her gaze narrowed, he probably did, but he wasn’t about
to admit it now. Lily stared at him in silence, before finally opening her
mouth to speak. “What is it you’d like to know?”

“Where is your mother?”

Lily swallowed hard. “She has passed on.”

“When?” His face no longer held the arrogance of
before. It had softened into one of concern.

Lily fidgeted, clasping her hands tightly before her. “It’s
been five years and Father hasn’t been the same since.”

Or his true
character was finally showing.
Richard debated whether or not to tell Lily
just how far her father had strayed, but decided that was no way to win her
heart. So instead he coaxed her on. “Did you grow up in
London
?”

Lily laughed brittlely. “Oh, goodness, no. I’d have gone
mad in this town. I was raised outside of
Bath
.
We have a manor there. I didn’t come to
London
until Father forced me to, by threatening to marry me off.” She waved the last
away as if it was a bit of humor. “He only blustered.”

Richard wished he could believe her, but from what he’d
seen in Madam Josephine’s he doubted Devlin had been joking. The man might love
his daughter, but he loved his standing, gambling, and drink even more. If Lily
had ever got in the way of any of the above, she would have been gone faster
than the peal of church bells.

As more time passed, Richard knew he’d done the right
thing the other night with Devlin. It made his blood freeze thinking about the
position Lily would be in right now, if he hadn’t intervened. He hoped in time she
would understand his actions. But right now the woman sitting before him looked
as if it would take some convincing. Which was well and fine, he had centuries
to do so, if only she’d accept his gift.

Gift… he laughed to himself. More like curse.

A legion of emotions crossed his handsome face. Lily
had no idea what he was really thinking. He seemed to be like a mirror,
reflecting back exactly what he wanted her to see. She found it scary and
utterly addictive at the same time. It was as if he could anticipate her every
need, before she had a chance to voice it.