Two Shades of Seduction (8 page)

In fact, she was certain Devlyn would protect her from her father. She didn’t know how she knew that, she just did. Soon she wouldn’t have to deal with her father or his tirades. And she wouldn’t have to endure Eleanor’s scorn. By giving Devlyn the ability to exact his revenge, she’d achieve a small amount of satisfaction as well.

Her defiance would outrage her father in ways she could only imagine. As for Eleanor, the simple fact that Sophie had married into a higher social position would gnaw at her stepsister. More importantly, Eleanor would be enraged that the man who’d rejected her had married Sophie instead. Beside her, Spencer threw his napkin onto the table.

“The bastard,” he cursed softly.

“It’s all right, Spencer.” She shook her head with resignation.

“No it’s not, Phee.” Spencer turned toward her, one arm resting on the back of his chair. “How long has this been going on?”

“What? The insults?” Sophie arched her eyebrows as she eyed him with surprise. “Ever since you were a child.”

“Christ Jesus, I don’t recall it ever being like this.” There was a fierce anger in her brother’s voice. Sophie touched the back of his hand in a reassuring gesture.

“It only appears that way because it’s the first time you’ve really noticed it. You’ve been away for a long time.”

“I’m sorry, Phee. If I’d realized, I would have insisted that you come visit Aunt Wilhelmina in London more often. She might have…I could have…” Guilt edged the remorse in her brother’s voice, and Sophie clasped her hand around his.

“What? Found me a husband? Father would never have allowed such a visit,” she said with a shake of her head. “Even the few days I spent with Aunt five years ago left the accounts in complete disarray.”

The statement made her grow still. The moment she married Devlyn those same accounts would fall like a house of cards. It would be impossible for her father to manage his business transactions without help. In giving Devlyn the second copy of ledgers she’d kept of her father’s larceny, she would be equally complicit in the baron’s downfall.

The knowledge made her bite down on the inside of her cheek. Was she doing the right thing in restoring what had been stolen from Devlyn? Almost instantly, the answer reverberated in her head. It was the right thing to do. Spencer made a noise of exasperation, and her gaze jerked toward his face.

“Father’s right, Phee. Something’s wrong. You’ve been distracted since before lunch, and you hardly touched your meal.” Aware of her brother’s ability to ferret information out of her, she forced a smile to her lips.

“I’m fine. I’m just thinking about the Mermaid. I can’t believe I forgot to finish the figures.”

“Finish the—but you told Father you’d finished them all ready.”

She bit her lip. Blast! Oh, what a tangled web she was weaving. Now she was lying to her brother. Frowning, she shook her head.

“Did I? I suppose my dotage is showing.” Spencer gave her an odd look, but didn’t push the matter. Pasting another smile on her face, she quickly rose to her feet. “Now I really must go or I won’t finish with the accounts until late tonight.”

Before he could say another word, she brushed her brother’s cheek with her lips and hurried from the dining room. She really would have to take care with her words. It would be bad enough to arouse her father’s suspicions, but Spencer was far more observant where she was concerned. Sophie walked swiftly down the hall and entered her father’s study.

Moving to the desk her father had told her to use so many years ago, she opened the ledger she’d left lying on top of the desk late last night. Finding the page she’d adjusted yesterday, her finger trailed down one of the columns in the green ledger before it stopped on one entry. There it was. The first of many entries that would help Devlyn regain his fortune.

Her father had never tried to hide his illicit business dealings from her. The baron had needed someone to keep his secrets. Perhaps he’d just assumed Sophie would never consider doing what she was about to do. Refusing to dwell on the subject, she retrieved the latest duplicate ledger she kept tucked away among the older ledgers in the desk drawer.

Sophie glanced over her shoulder to ensure the door was closed then began transferring information into the second set of books. If her father knew what her intentions were, he would do as Spencer had said earlier. He would beat her within an inch of her life. She pushed the thought aside. She was through hiding her father’s thievery. Tomorrow she’d offer Devlyn a taste of what he was to receive in exchange for giving her his name.

Q
uentin stood on the edge of the glen, flanked by Caesar and Beast. The wolfhounds seemed to sense his irritation, and Beast used his large head to nudge at him. He absently patted the animal as his gaze scanned the tree line that separated his property from Townsend’s land.

Since yesterday morning, a pair of hazel eyes and a heart-shaped face had persistently filled his thoughts. He really didn’t understand why Sophie fascinated him so much, but she did. Soft one moment and spirited the next. She was an enigma. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. Although he’d agreed to accept her offer, a small part of him still remained unconvinced that she wasn’t lying to him.

It would be just like Townsend to use his daughter in an attempt to wreak more havoc. But a niggling notion deep inside refused to let him think Townsend had put Sophie in his path. The pain in her voice when she’d revealed how Eleanor and Townsend had betrayed her had been stark. The way her beautiful eyes had darkened with hurt was the primary reason he’d chosen to believe her. The real question was whether her pain was deep enough to make her betray her father?

It didn’t help he was questioning his own part in a betrayal she might eventually regret. Quentin grunted with irritation. It was Sophie’s decision, not his. He wouldn’t push her to give him the means to destroy her father, but he wouldn’t refuse the information either.

If she had any knowledge that would help him regain what Townsend had stolen, he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to take back what was rightfully his. Impatiently, his gaze scanned the tree line for some sign of Sophie. In an absent gesture, he rubbed the coarse fur of Caesar’s neck, only to have Beast nudge him again. He looked down at his companions.

“What do you think? Am I mad to believe her?” Both of the animals looked up at him with their soulful eyes as if to say he knew better than to ask them such a question. His mouth twisted in a slight smile. “I have to give her credit for not being frightened of the two of you. There aren’t many women who would greet you the way Sophie did.”

At the sound of Sophie’s name, Beast turned his head toward Townsend’s property as if he’d heard something, and Quentin followed the animal’s gaze. The empty landscape made disappointment lash at him. He berated himself. Why was he so desperate to believe Sophie really was everything she said she was? It was a question he didn’t have an answer to. Perhaps it was because he found her refreshing compared to all the other women he’d met in recent years.

Over the past five years, his title had gained him entry to the most elite homes in New York and access to the wealthy businessmen who could help him rebuild his fortune. It had come at a price. He’d been subjected to more than one ambitious mother intent on acquiring a title for her daughter. Quentin had just never met a woman he found interesting enough to marry.

Was that what drew him to Sophie? Was it because he found her interesting? Intriguing? For some intuitive reason, he was certain being married to Sophie would be far from boring. From just the few moments he’d spent in her company, it was clear she was intelligent, had a good sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to poke fun at herself. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met a woman that beguiled him as much as Sophie.

Even their kiss yesterday had surprised him. It had immediately made him want to carry her to his bed and keep her there. His cock twitched in his trousers as he remembered the heat of her mouth against his. She’d tasted delicious enough to eat. An erotic image took shape in his mind, and his groin tightened further. He grimaced.

“
Goddamnit
. I had more self-control the first time I bedded a woman,” he muttered, disgusted by his inability to control his urges when it came to Sophie.

He might have agreed to marry her, but that didn’t mean he had to act like a hot-blooded youth anxious for his first woman. Quentin pulled his watch out of his pocket to check the time. Twelve-fifteen. She was late. He tucked the timepiece back into his vest and raised his head to study the border of Townsend’s property.

Jaw clenched, Quentin glared at the barren landscape. No doubt, she’d had second thoughts. Disappointment assailed him again before he dismissed the sensation. It only meant he didn’t like losing an opportunity to exact his revenge on Townsend. To hell with her. He turned around to stare at the large picnic basket sitting on the blanket he’d spread out on the glen’s rich green carpet of grass.

A Townsend brat had played him for a fool once again. Quentin’s gritted his teeth. That he’d allowed himself to believe Sophie was different from her father and sister only served to fire his anger that much more. What the hell did it matter? The woman was hardly worth his time. Once more, a small voice inside him mocked his silent protests. With a grunt of anger, he strode back to the luncheon Cook had prepared. Caesar and Beast would feast on it like kings.

No sooner had he reached the lunch blanket than he heard the muffled sound of horse hooves and jingling tack behind him. Quentin turned his head, and the sight of Sophie riding across the glen sent a surge of pleasure and relief crashing through him. Irritated at his reaction, he crushed the sensations as she drew her animal to a halt in front of him.

She looked lovelier than yesterday with her flushed cheeks and sparkling gaze. Instantly his body tugged at him, demanding he satisfy the desire suddenly heating his blood. His reaction to her presence deepened Quentin’s anger at his lack of control. Thoroughly aggravated, he gripped the bridle of her horse in a tight, sharp movement to hold the animal steady, and the stallion tossed his head in protest.

“Are you always so punctual, Miss Hamilton?” His harsh tone turned the soft pink in her cheeks to crimson before her mouth tightened with irritation.

“I apologize for my late arrival, my lord, but it was necessary to take care leaving the house.” Her challenging look suddenly changed as she eyed him with amusement. “However, if I’d known you were that impatient to see me, perhaps I should have delayed my arrival for much longer.”

For a moment, he stared up at her in astonishment. Unabashed amusement sparkled in her hazel eyes, and his annoyance evaporated in one brief instant. She clearly had no intention of letting him intimidate her, and he liked her all the more for it. Quentin released the bridle of Sophie’s horse and extended his arms in anticipation of helping her dismount.

“Come, lunch is ready,” he said as he waited for her to accept his offer of assistance. She hesitated slightly, and he grinned. “I promise not to eat you, Sophie. At least not yet.”

“Your attempts to alarm me fall on deaf ears, my lord,” she said in a straightlaced voice as she leaned forward to place her hands on his shoulders.

The moment she braced her hands against him, Quentin’s muscles grew taut. With great ease, he lifted her off the horse, enjoying the way her soft body slid downward over his. The light scent of lemongrass filled his nostrils, while her sensuous curves made his fingers tingle with an urgent need to explore more of her than just the curve of her waist.

“I think perhaps you should call me Quentin,” he murmured, suddenly eager to hear her say his name.

“That’s hardly appropriate at this point in our…our bargain.”

“Actually, I think it quite appropriate. Since our bargain involves initiating you in the pleasures of the flesh, I fully expect you to say my name with great excitement in the near future.”

His words pulled a small gasp from her as she jerked her head back to study him in silence. Trepidation, excitement, and expectation flitted across her features in rapid succession. Instantly, Quentin’s body tightened with arousal. His gaze searched her face before focusing on the dainty lobe of her ear. Unable to resist, he dipped his head to nibble on the plump flesh.

“Say my name, Sophie,” he said softly as an incoherent sound escaped her lips.

“Quentin…please…” The way she breathed his name made his cock stiffen in his trousers. Christ Jesus, but she was a tempting morsel.

“If you beg as sweetly in my bed as you did just now, I’m certain we’ll suit each other quite nicely.” He smiled as another inarticulate sound escaped her. “In fact, I’m almost of a mind to forego lunch and have my dessert now.”

She shuddered against him, and he wasn’t sure whether it was with excitement or fear. He raised his head to meet her hazel-eyed gaze. Flecks of gold shimmered in her eyes as she pushed her way out of his arms. He allowed her to ease out of his embrace with a deliberate slowness that made it clear he could have easily kept her in his arms. She quickly put several feet between them. Pink color high in her cheeks, she eyed him warily. He gestured toward the luncheon basket.