Wicked Proposition (21 page)

Soft groans of delight escaped him as she
mounted him and moved slowly up and down on his engorged shaft,
driving him mad with her slow, erotic movements. Catherine teased
and tormented him with her mouth and hands until he bore her down
onto the Persian rug. The French letter lay forgotten on the floor,
discarded in his desire for her.

It was only much later Gabriel drowsily recalled
he had missed his meeting with Mr. Hines, the barrister he meant to
retain that day. Gabriel vowed to encourage more shopping trips. He
dozed against her, thinking he would worry about it tomorrow.

###

Catherine stared up at the ceiling and tears
filled her eyes. She realized bitterly she was no better than the
whore Nicholas had called her.

Catherine needed to finish this and be gone.
Something pulled at her. She resisted even trying to reason why
Sullivan was operating the firm under Edward’s identity.

Catherine was more than alarmed. It was
glaringly obvious Edward was dead, as she feared. Should Sullivan
have seen her in his offices, and realized she knew his secret,
what then? She shivered in fear.

Catherine was entangled in something far more
than she realized. Lilly was involved as well. She could not ignore
the feeling Gabriel might be in some sort of danger now.

Catherine held him tighter, determined whatever
Lilly and Thomas plotted, she would do what she could to protect
him. She could also no longer ignore the feelings inside her for
this handsome nobleman. She had fallen in love with him.

She faced that truth with a sinking feeling
inside. The knowledge cut at her like a knife. Tomorrow she would
betray her own heart to keep Nicholas’s silence. Soon after, she
would leave Gabriel and never again know the passion that existed
between them. She would return to Dunleavy Hall, and forever
cherish these memories of her time with this man for the rest of
her life.

Catherine smiled sleepily as she twirled a long
golden lock of his hair between her fingers. She luxuriated in the
silkiness of his hair and bent to place a kiss upon his brow.

She would play the part she had been tricked
into playing. The thought of leaving him caused a twisted ache
inside of her. She had the advantage of knowing about Thomas now.
He and Lilly thought she was oblivious of them, and she could use
that to her advantage.

Until she discovered why Thomas was pretending
to be Edward, she had no choice. She huddled in misery as she
contemplated her sister’s motives once more.

###

Myron Chumley arrived in Dublin enduring a good
dose of mockery from the teasing Irish. He enjoyed their looks of
contriteness as he handed them his letters from Lord Iverleigh.

He received nothing short of respect after it
was known he worked for the Earl of Iverleigh. His inquiries were
taken far more seriously then. Myron interviewed the clerks who
used to work for Edward Thornton. He was excited as they recalled
Sullivan had ordered them to destroy files before their employment
had been terminated.

Both men also affirmed Lord Dunleavy had arrived
and caught them during the process, and demanded to know where
Thornton was. Myron was eager to question Thornton’s former
housekeeper and made short work of finding her residence. The old
woman was now ill and infirm now and her daughter cared for
her.

Myron entered her sick room and was thankful
when her daughter stacked several books upon a chair at her bedside
so he could interview her at eye level.

Aida O’Flaherty’s feverish eyes stared back at
him in confusion as he started questioning her about her former
employer.

“Edward Thornton died over two years ago, sir,”
the old woman said raggedly through parched lips. “Mister Sullivan
handled everything. I closed up the house. His offices and funeral
arrangements were left to his assistant. Surely you are mistaken?
Edward Thornton was sixty-eight years of age, sir. He was bedridden
nearly a year before his death. He could not be in the present
employ of the Earl of Iverleigh. You must be mistaken.”

There was no mistake. Chumley scratched his
balding pate and scribbled down several things with his pencil. He
eyed the old woman eagerly.

“Where might I find this assistant of Edward
Thornton’s, Mrs. O’Flaherty?” Chumley asked. He was barely able to
control the excitement this investigation was beginning to create.
The barrister in London was an imposter. He needed to question
Thomas Sullivan at once.

“Thomas Sullivan left over a year ago. He needed
to meet with Lord Dunleavy’s heirs to finalize the arrangements,
and then took a post in London. You may wish to speak to the land
agent at Dunleavy Hall. A sad affair, all that,” the old woman said
with a sniff. “Three children left alone without a farthing.”

Chumley wasted little time in gaining directions
to Dunleavy Hall when he left the O’Flaherty home. He more than
suspected he might learn more there. His instincts told him
Sullivan was posing as his former employer in London.

###

Hennessey informed him Catherine’s carriage
arrived. Nicholas smiled in eager anticipation. He waited in the
foyer for her. She entered his house looking achingly lovely in a
soft yellow frock. Her face was pale and she appeared troubled.

She was avoiding his eyes as he joined her in
the entry way. His lips tightened as he went out to excuse
Gabriel’s driver, assuring the man he would see her home. The
driver left him, eager to enjoy his free time for the rest of the
day.

Catherine continued to evade his eyes as he
returned to her side. She seemed skittish and her hands shook as
she removed her cloak and bonnet to pass them off to Hennessey.
Nicholas almost gave into his desire to concede their bargain and
send her back to Gabriel, but he couldn’t. Thoughts of her had
tormented him for weeks.

“I have had the cook prepare a lunch for us,” he
began as he led her towards the dining room, mindful of how her
nerves seemed strung tightly together.

“I did not come here to dine with you!” she
snapped under her breath angrily and glared up at him. Her emerald
eyes were like green chips of ice as they met his. “Can we not just
get on with it?”

Nicholas stiffened from the hate-filled look in
her eyes. She eyed him like some lowly reptile. His eyes narrowed
and his lips tightened.

“Very well, as you wish,” he said coolly and
grasped her by the elbow, steering her to the long, winding stairs.
“Come then, let us get it over with, as you say.”

Catherine allowed him to lead her upstairs, her
eyes refusing to meet his while he propelled her with him to his
room. He opened a door at the end of the hallway and stood aside
for her to enter. She saw within it was a room not unlike
Gabriel’s, but with far more luxurious appointments. It was obvious
the man had garnered much wealth at sea.

Catherine swallowed hard to see the massive bed
dominating the room. It loomed enormous in the corner of the room,
reminding her of her errand here today. Her heart began to beat
furiously in her chest and her palms sweat profusely. Her legs
trembled as she stood fixated, unable to walk any further into the
room.

“You can relax, we both know you have done this
before,” he taunted her softly as he shut the door.

She turned angry eyes upon him for his insolent
words. “Forgive me if I do not look forward to being used so vilely
by you, Captain Van Ryker.”

“Does Gabriel’s opinion of you really mean so
much to you, love?” he asked in amusement.

“Why don’t you ask me of my opinion about you,
Captain?” she snapped.

He walked around her, eyeing the butter-yellow
muslin gown from her new wardrobe contemptuously as he went. “You
could have told him the truth and avoided this.”

“You seem so sure you know all there is to
know!”

“I know you work with Thornton and Gabriel’s
wife to stall his petition. That is enough. The rest I can only
guess at.”

Catherine was relieved to know he had yet to
figure out the rest. She stayed silent. She knew to admit the rest
would prove to have dire consequences for her and the children who
depended upon her.

“Clarice gave you access to Gabriel,” he
continued and his blazing blue eyes glowed with anger. “She was
promised funds from Lady Iverleigh to do so, the same as you.”

Catherine remained silent, knowing the matter
had blossomed into something far beyond her own imaginings. She
knew as much as Nicholas did now.

“You do not try to even deny it!” he accused
hotly.

“What would be the point to it now? You saw me
send the Countess the notes. You saw me leave Edward’s office. You
know why I was there, Captain. Does it help assuage your guilt in
blackmailing me into your bed?” she answered him coldly.

Nicholas began unbuttoning his shirt, his
furious blue eyes never left her face. She paled as he slid the
white shirt off and let it fall to the floor.

The sight of his wide, rippling chest with its
mat of black hair made her swallow hard and nervously look away.
She saw the long, wicked scar and forced her eyes away from him,
unwilling to follow the scar to its end.

“We both know you are not immune to me,
Catherine,” Nicholas said boldly. “You getting caught just gave me
the means to bring you here. You lie to yourself.”

Catherine gasped in denial. She would have
responded, but his finger came up to her lips to silence her,
cutting off her sharp retort.

“I see you for the lying, scheming little tart
that you are, Catherine. I do not turn away from you in disgust, as
he would. I still want you,” Nicholas whispered softly, his blue
eyes darkening in desire. “What happens here is what you want, but
won’t admit. If it makes you feel better thinking yourself coerced,
then so be it.”

Catherine wanted to deny his words, but knew he
was right. What happened in the gardens between them had awakened
something primal inside of her. It had tortured her ever since, his
awakening her darkest desires.

In the farthest corners of her mind, she
shamefully admitted to wanting to explore that to its fullest, with
him. The sane, rational part of her was also repulsed and in denial
of it. These truths were unavoidable. She came here because she
wanted to.

Nothing she had with Gabriel was even real. He
was married to her sister. Only her feelings for him had been real,
and she betrayed them too. Nicholas forced her to see things as
they were, and she didn’t like what she saw. Coming to him today,
for whatever reason, was the most honest thing she had done so
far.

Catherine closed her eyes, unable to look at him
now, seeing the truth in his bright blue gaze. Her trembling lips
parted in denial, but were soon covered by his hard and demanding
ones. She leaned into him, drawn into his strong, comforting
arms.

Nicholas kissed her hungrily, coaxing her lips
to part under his, his shaking hands undoing the pins to her hair.
His hands slid into the luxuriant mass eagerly, inhaling her sweet
fragrance with a soft sigh.

His tongue stroked the inner recesses of her
mouth wildly until she trembled at the first stirrings of desire
within her. Stabs of insistent hunger gnawed at her belly,
demanding to be appeased. Her arms crept slowly around his neck
with a low moan of surrender. She was kissing him back, all
inhibitions gone. The truth was on her lips, giving back all he
took.

He caught her to his chest and pressed her
against him urgently, his hands going to the buttons at the back of
her dress, pulling at her laces as their mouths fused and slanted
against the other frantically.

Feverish hands yanked and ripped at their
clothing until they were both nearly naked. She stood in no more
than her shift in front of him. Nicholas stared down at her, his
eyes dark with burning need.

“I see you for who you are, and I do not turn
away from you, Catherine,” he whispered as his hand pushed down the
straps to her shift. The garment slithered to the carpet.

Nicholas gazed at her perfect beauty in awe, his
hands aching to touch her. She was perfection and stole his
breath.

Her breasts were full and perfect ivory mounds
that stood high and firm, rosy nipples stiffening under his gaze.
Her body was lithe, petite, and perfect in every way. She was just
what he had envisioned in his dreams and more. His hands reached
out and cupped her breasts, adoring the feel of her satiny skin. He
looked into her troubled emerald gaze.

“I have thought of nothing but this moment since
I first saw you.”

Catherine trembled before him, her eyes filling
with tears. “What we do here is wrong! Gabriel is your friend.”

“What we do now is between us, Catherine,” he
reminded her softly, his sky blue gaze meeting hers with no remorse
in them. “You want me as much as I want you. You have lied so much,
you no longer know the truth yourself.”

He swept her into his arms and carried her to
the bed. He laid her down gently and his big body joined hers. The
feel of his warm skin against hers was intoxicating. The dark,
forbidden longings she had tried so hard to suppress began to
resurface. His blue eyes met hers with determination in them.

Nicholas’s hands and mouth took over her will.
His lips found and adored her ear, kissing her neck, and her
shoulders. She shivered and felt her pulses dance from the raw
passion she saw etched in his sun-darkened features.

Dark stubble from his chin rubbed and chafed her
and made her gasp as his mouth found her breasts, grazing against
the tender flesh. His scent made her close her eyes, breathing him
in. His ebony head lay against her breasts, his lips curling
maddeningly around one turgid, tingling nipple. Slowly his tongue
flicked at it, until she squirmed under his lips.