“Through the bank?”
“And other ventures.”
“Earl ventures?”
He looked at her. “You seem very curious about what I do.”
She was. She was very curious about Sirius. That had never been the case until now. He was so dark and alluring. Every time she looked at him, Pia felt as though she were moving closer, drawing to him like a magnet, seconds away from being trapped forever.
“How could I not be when you had blood on your hands just over an hour ago?”
“Hm. You’ve a quick wit,” he said.
“So, I’ve been told.”
His eyes smiled. “Mind your tongue or I’ll mind it for you.”
Pia pressed her lips together and might have tripped during their ascension had Sirius not been holding her. The hot heaviness that flooded her begged to ask him just how he planned to mind her tongue.
He stopped her on the first landing and pulled her close. He was the essence of a man. Strong and hard. His eyes were like twin orbs of power. “I would mind the way you look at me if I were you.”
Pia looked away and smiled. If only to herself, she could admit that she was fond of these moments that were so far from her normal self. Were she in London and were he a different man, she’d have never let a gentleman touch or speak to her this way.
With Sirius, she didn’t want anything less.
“Lord Venmont won’t mind me being here, will he?”
He let her go and continued up the steps. “No. I could host a party and he’d never mind it.”
“You must be very good friends.”
“More so associates,” he countered.
She wanted to know why Sirius continued to make the distinction, but her thoughts trailed off as they stepped into the ballroom.
She saw it.
The chandeliers. The intricate ones from Georgiana’s home.
Light settled between crystal and glass, causing a million stars to fill the room.
Pia didn’t realize she’d let go of Sirius and had moved to stand in the center of the room until she turned to him.
He still stood by the door, watching her patiently. “I can see you remember.”
“But…” She didn’t understand. “Adam sold them.” Pia remembered that he had, because Pia had tried to buy them herself when Adam and Georgiana moved away, but it was too late. She’d been heartbroken after that. Every lighting fixture in the world had seemed dull compared to Georgiana’s chandeliers.
“They were sold to the former Lady Venmont. Adam told me. He told me many things and he was right.” He looked around and then at Pia. His eyes darkened. “He was very right.”
Pia had given her coat to the butler yet as she wrapped her arms around herself, she couldn’t help but want it. Her scarf, gloves, and hat were all gone. She still wore a dress of thick material, yet the way Sirius was watching her made her feel terribly exposed.
Ignoring the voice in her head, she asked, “What did he tell you?”
Sirius’ glare and voice had Pia ready to swoon. “He said you looked like a goddess underneath the lights.” With a slow gait, he approached her. “He said he’d never seen anyone more beautiful.”
Pia’s pulse quickened. Surely, it was not the case for him. He, as a wealthy lord, had seen far more than Adam ever had.
He continued to stare at her, and Pia searched for something to change the subject. “I liked to dance underneath them. He’d join me sometimes.”
Sirius stepped back and smiled. “Well, don’t let me get in your way.”
Pia laughed and covered her mouth. “Oh, I couldn’t do it now.” Not in front of him.
“Pretend I’m not here.” He continued to retreat. “You’re alone in the room, enjoying the moment underneath a set of stars you’ve not seen in years. Dare to embrace the chance you might never receive again.”
She dearly wanted to. “But I’ll look silly.”
“To who? No one else is here.” Sirius was a few yards away now. “Close your eyes.”
She blinked and then her lids fell and remained shut. She smiled. “I know you’re still there.”
Sirius said nothing. The room was quiet, but she could feel him. Though strange, it was almost as if his side of the room were hotter.
Keeping her eyes sealed, she stepped farther away from the man who seemed half furnace, and then spun away. Once her feet settled, they were up again and refused to remain still. She walked a little, but then her steps began to linger over the slick wood. The ballroom was much easier to dance in than Georgiana’s drawing room.
With tears burning in her eyes, she spun and lifted her hands to the room.
She was nothing but a girl again. The pains and deep sadness from the last few years vanished with nothing remaining but the happiness that she’d always managed to find at Georgiana’s. Georgiana’s home was a safe place. Only love existed in her home.
She saw Adam’s eyes, but his face shifted and matured to Sirius.
Shocked, she almost stopped, but then she felt a presence behind her.
Sirius was there, just as he’d been in the modiste’s shop, but unlike before, his hands settled on her hips and he was closer. His body connected with hers.
Her breath caught.
One of his hands cupped up her body and ran down her arm to lock with her hand.
His mouth was at her ear, causing tingles and forcing Pia to fight for her every breath. “You nearly ran into a wall. I thought to save you.”
“Oh.” She opened her eyes. Her nose was only inches from a window. He had saved her.
He squeezed the hand on her hip. “Would you like to continue dancing?”
“Like this?” With him standing behind her? Pressed against her?
“Why not?” His arm went around her and then they were moving. Pia’s feet barely touched the ground. The motion was the most intimate thing she’d ever done. The combination of his scent, the feel of his hard body, and the dazzling lights made her dizzy, but in the best way possible. She laughed and then Sirius showed more of this strength when both his hands settled at her side and she was launched off the floor.
The sudden motion was exhilarating. It was not a dance she’d ever seen performed outside of circus shows. It was not one she’d ever thought to be a part of.
When her feet touched the floor again, Sirius pulled her even closer.
His voice was harsh. “Honestly, I didn’t bring you here so you could reminisce about Adam.”
She gasped. “No?”
“No. I brought you here to give you new memories.”
He had? Was it a competition?
Sirius’ head settled next to hers, their cheeks touched, but then his arms flexed, and his mouth was at her throat.
A shocked and needy moan pushed past Pia’s lips. She closed her eyes. Thoughts and warnings began to bombard her, but she pushed them away and focused on what Sirius was doing to her.
She needed this. She deserved it after so many years of pain.
Sirius’ hands mapped her body as he spoke against her moist skin. “When you think of stars, you’re going to think of me. One day, I’m going to make you see stars. Galaxies.”
Pia’s entire core vibrated to life.
His rough mouth licked and sucked a path from her ear to her collarbone. Pia shook and instinctively pressed against his growing hardness. Her body tingled with the new sensations. She was drowning in them. In him.
Back at her ear, his voice was labored. “I want to strip you right here, in the middle of this ballroom, and take you. That’s how much I want you. I can hardly think straight.”
Her knees grew weak. She was giddy for everything he’d described. It was almost too good to be true. Did she truly hold the power to make a man lose his ability to reason?
Her hands went to the back of his neck to hold him there.
He seemed to struggle to pull away. Stopping and going. Breathing and kissing. It was as though he couldn’t get enough of h
er. “I don’t just see a goddess when you dance. I see a dangerous temptress.”
Pia grinned to herself. No one had ever called her that.
His body retreated. His mouth, still working the hollow of her throat, finally wrenched away from her. With his back to her, he said, “I’ll send a maid to see you to your room.” His voice was strange, near pain. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He left quickly, not giving Pia a chance to respond.
A maid came a second after he was gone, and Pia hardly understood how she managed to walk from the ballroom to the guest room that had been readied for her.
She noticed the maid didn’t look up at her. Pia thought it was the distance in their ranking, but a glance in the mirror showed her another reason.
Her throat was littered with dark bruises. Sirius had been rough with her. Immediately, she thought to ring for some powder to hide it away, but a second later, she changed her mind.
The master was out of town. It would only be her and Sirius.
She smiled and then decided she’d rest before she got prepared for dinner.
∫ ∫ ∫
1 6
* * *
“Sirius?”
Sirius managed to pull his eyes from Pia’s throat to meet her eyes.
She drew her brows close together. “You look angry.”
Did he? He wasn’t angry, but an intense emotion was building within him and he was fighting to hold it back.
Claim her! He felt like a man who’d seen a lifetime of war and finally, the prize was within reach. If he were a knight of the Round Table, Pia would be his Holy Grail, the mystical substance of youth and eternal life.
She wore his love bites as though they were as fine as jewelry. He wanted to cover her in gold and diamonds, but first, he wanted to cover her with his hands and body. He wanted to possess every part of her.
Mine!
No, he told himself.
And he had to wonder what was coming over him. He understood man’s basic need for a woman, but there was something else going on with Pia. There was the past and then there was the now.
And Sirius had never tasted anything so sweet.
He just wanted to take a bite out of her.
But Pia was not so easily persuaded, he knew. Perhaps, he could convince her to allow him into her bed, but that would never be enough for him. She would not bend to his demands, much as she’d shown him. They had a sensual connection. To deny it would make them both liars, but she’d need more. He wanted to give her more, and he wanted more from her.
He closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “Forgive me.”
“For the bruises? I can have them covered.”
“Don’t.” His eyes snapped open. “You may cover them in front of others but not with me.”
Her face colored, and she ducked away but not before he witnessed her lips curve up. “All right.”
He groaned and tightened his hand on his fork. “We are playing a dangerous game, you and me.”
She pressed her lips together, but they still curved at the ends. She was liking their game. It was not something he wanted to think about at the moment.
He searched for something to say, anything that would stop the image of tossing her on the dining table and taking his meal from the valley between her…
“What did you and your children do while you were here?” she asked.
Adalina and Babbette were a great way to clear his mind. “I brought them with me while conducting business. Their governess and my mother came as well. We walked the grounds. There is a lighthouse not far from here.”
“I saw it from the window in the ballroom.” She colored again. The ballroom would never mean quite the same thing to them again. Neither would Adam’s chandeliers. If they did, Sirius would brand her with his mouth again and when he did it, he’d do it somewhere more unforgettable.
He cleared his throat. “It has a lovely view. We can go there tomorrow if you wish, before we start for home.” Their home. Gordie Manor would be home for both of them.
She looked up. Eyes of pure lavender seemed to warm. “I would like that.” She was beautiful. Were she to ask him to build her a lighthouse with his bare hands, he’d do it.
A servant came with their meals and then left. “Why have you not married again?” Sirius asked. “You’ve been alone for years now, haven’t you?”
Pia was astounded by his question. “I am a widow and in a very fortunate position as a widow. The freedom I possess is of a magnitude that many women only dream of. I’ve no one to answer to but myself and God.”
“So, you are saying you do not wish to marry.” He’d suspected that would be an obstacle for him. “There are other benefits to marriage. Protection being one of them.”
“Whatever would I need protection from?”
“Highwaymen. Thieves. Anyone who wished you harm.”
She sipped her wine and then put down the glass. “I highly doubt a husband can prevent those things from always taking place.”
Sensing she was growing defensive, he backed away from the subject.
Pia had changed. Her marriage had changed her.
“Will you tell me about your husband?” he asked.
“Will you tell me about your wife?” she asked just as boldly. Somehow, they were at odds with one another and Sirius didn’t like it.
“You remain close to your aunt.” He moved away from the subject of love entirely. “How is Lady Melody?”
Pia smiled. “Well. I was very fortunate to have found a position in her shop when I did. I never mastered any skills as a girl. My mother didn’t hire a piano teacher or take the time to teach me needlework or how to paint portraits.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve some hidden talent somewhere,” he said. “Perhaps you can sing.”
Her laugh was light. “Not at all.”
“Why didn’t your mother hire a tutor?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t believe my grandfather ever gave them enough funds to see to it. My grandfather, the former Lord Freylor, controlled everyone with his coin. Only Aunt Melody found a way to get from underneath his hard thumb.”
“And how did she do that?” Sirius asked, pretending not to know.
“She became an actress,” she said. “She left for the Continent and didn’t return until her father passed.”
Continuing down a line of questions he already knew the answer to, he said, “Why didn’t your mother teach you to do needlework?”
Pia took her time finishing her bite. “I didn’t fit into my parents’ lives.”
He leaned forward. “I don’t understand.”
“They just wanted something different.” She was no longer looking at him.
They wanted a girl with different eyes.
“You’re perfect,” he said.
Her eyes lifted to his. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He knew it within his heart. “I see no flaw in you.”
She smiled. “You’re very good at this.”
“At what?”
“Our game. Flattering me.” She narrowed her eyes. “But I’m used to men trying to flatter me, my lord.”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment.”
“They like my eyes and no matter how much my family called them a curse, they wish me to bear children with them. I am more than my eyes. I am more than my womb.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve learned that firsthand.” His eyes fell to her throat.
She quickly covered his marks with her fingers. “I should probably put ice on it.”
“Don’t. I’m enjoying the sight of it.”
She tried to fight her smile again.
Sirius struggled to hold back his heart.
∫ ∫ ∫
1 7
* * *
Pia turned when her door opened the next morning. She thought it would be a maid, but instead, it was a man. A brutal and filthy-looking man with long and matted red hair on his head and beard. A shotgun
hung from his corded meaty arms. Pale blue eyes watched her with hostility. His body was rigid, as though ready to spring across the room.
Fear gripped her throat, making it hard for Pia to catch her breath.
Finally, she screamed and scrambled back.
“Are you here to kill me?” the man asked.
Pia blinked. Her lips slowly closed and then she shook her head. Kill him? What a horrid thought. Who would kill him? Who could? Why would they?
Who was this man and why was he in her room? Did he work for Venmont?
Suddenly, the large man was pushed away, and Sirius stepped into the room. He looked between the man of near equal height and Pia, back and forth before turning to Pia again. “Are you all right?”
Pia said nothing. She couldn’t say anything. There was a man with a shotgun in her room. She was not all right. Thankfully, she’d already dressed for the day. She didn’t want to know what would have happened to her otherwise.
She backed farther away, pressing herself into the wall.
The red man turned to Sirius. “Are you here to kill me?”
Pia stilled.
Sirius leaned away from the man and frowned. “What? No, I’m not here to kill you.” Then he scoffed. “What a strange idea.” He glanced at Pia and grinned. “I would never kill… He’s joking.”
The stranger lifted his brow. “I’m not.”
“You are,” Sirius countered, still laughing in a strained voice.
“Am not.”
“Stop talking,” Sirius clapped the man hard on the back.
The stranger jerked and frowned. His voice held a touch of a Welsh accent, but the more he spoke, the more she was certain a gentleman hid underneath his filthy appearance. “I heard about Tobias’ death. I wasn’t sure if I should congratulate you or fear that I would be next.”
Tobias? Pia had heard he’d died in a carriage accident. Did this man believe it hadn’t been an accident at all?
Sirius chuckled again and then hit the other man in the shoulder. “Ollie, you’re hilarious, but please, there is a lady in the room and your crass wit is too much for her.” He sent another nervous glance to Pia. “Are you all right?”
Pia nodded. Her heart had slowed, and she no longer feared something terrible was about to take place, but she was growing more confused by the minute.
The Secret Pleasures of an Earl: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 9