by Wilde, Tanya
Jo picked up her pace when she heard Damien curse. Just a few more yards and she would…
Strong fingers gripped her arm in a steely vise, halting her escape back to safety.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Tiny prickles of awareness coated her skin. He whirled her around as his voice scorched her. His eyes glinted in furious accusation.
“I am going back inside,” Jo said, calmly tucking away a stray curl. “My brother will be searching for me.”
“Your brother can damn well wait. You and I need to straighten a few things out.”
“There is nothing to straighten out. Where is Lucien?” she asked, her gaze darting back the way she came.
A tick in his jaw alerted her to danger, but he only shrugged. “Probably still where I left him.”
Her hands moved to her hips. “You had no right to interfere. If I want to kiss Craven, I will damn well kiss Craven!”
“Like hell you will!” he growled, his fingers digging into her arms.
“You are hurting me,” Jo said and his grip turned gentle, yet remained unrelenting. As if she would bolt if he let go.
“I thought I made it clear. If you wish to seduce someone, I am more than happy to accommodate you.”
Defiance set strongly in her features. “Why? You have never shown any interest in me before now.”
He seemed to take his time to answer her question. Calculating every thought, every answer. Jo waited patiently, aware that a man like Damien would say no more than he needed to and would never be caught in anything that resembled a trap.
“You have never been in the market for a lover. Believe me, Lady Josephine, if I had known, I would have been first in line.” His voice was hoarse with the soft purr of seduction.
She had not expected such an answer and her eyes widened in surprise. Was it possible that the only reason for his continued interference in her life was because he desired to bed her? Goodness! She would have to set him straight on that account.
“As it so happens, I’m not in the market for a lover. I was, however, in the market for a first kiss, which I now have received.”
Jo felt rather than saw the change in his demeanor and took a step back. She had not known it was possible to anger him even more.
Jealousy, hard and unpleasant, pulsed through Damien’s veins, causing every muscle in his body to tense. His lips curled into a snarl. He wanted to go back and hunt Craven down. But the problem lied not with Craven, but the vexing lady scowling up at him, her eyes alight with fire. His reaction, he told himself, was purely based on the fact that she’d chosen Craven above him. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“You planned this,” he stated, recalling the Middletons’ antics. It was all so Lady Josephine may sneak away for her first kiss. “Why?”
“It was a wager, if you must know,” she replied, her eyes spitting fire at him.
“A wager? You would throw yourself to the wolves for a wager?” he growled, astonished by her recklessness and furious he had not been her choice.
“Oh, for pity’s sake, you forget who you are talking to,” she said on a huff. “I risk my reputation every day for my charities, as you are well aware. A kiss is the least of my worries.”
“Did you select the choice of gentleman, Josephine?” he asked in a soft whisper. “Or was he part of the wager?”
Damien watched as she closed her eyes. In defeat? Or annoyance? It mattered not. He would not stop until he had an answer.
“No, I did not choose him.”
“Would he have been your choice?”
Her lips parted on a sigh before she answered. “I suppose not, but it’s a moot point now. I won.”
“A man like Craven will never be satisfied with one kiss but he will not get another, not as long as I’m still breathing. You and I on the other hand,” he said leaning closer to her, “that is another story all together.”
Jo almost collapsed at his suggestive tone and had to summon what little self-control she had left to not lean into him. Why must he be the one her traitorous body reacted to? Had she done something to offend the fates? Because by saints, this man, luckily unbeknown to him, held too much power over her.
“As I’ve said, I’m not in the market for a lover.”
His eyes bore into hers for several unnerving seconds and a feeling of foreboding rippled down Jo’s spine. A familiar spark entered his eyes and his demeanor took on a deceptively relaxed pose before he replied, “I plan to seduce you anyway.”
Jo’s mouth dropped open at his declaration. It was too ridiculous to contemplate. She and St. Aldwyn? Preposterous. Yet, in no way would she be able to resist him. Not since she had secretly fantasized about kissing him.
“I assure you, my lord, you will not succeed.” Even though her voice had been calm, her panic started to rise.
“Call me Damien. It’s far too late for propriety now, my dear.”
“Where you are concerned, it is never too late.”
The simple fact was, she could not afford to get distracted by him. He was too dangerous where her heart and her body were concerned. She needed to remain detached and she needed to remind herself that, like Craven, he was a rake.
He stepped even closer—mere inches separated them now. “Stay away from Craven, Josephine. I meant what I said about what would happened if I find the two of you alone together again.”
“So you are allowed to attempt to seduce me but Craven is not?”
“Yes.”
“I think not, my lord. You have made your intentions clear, now let me make mine. I will kiss whoever I like and you cannot stop me.”
He stiffened. “Do you plan to kiss him again?”
Silence greeted his question.
“Stop looking at me like I stole your bonnet and tell me the damn truth,” he demanded.
“No,” she replied stubbornly.
He stared at her for a long moment. “All of that,” he waved his hands mockingly, “…for a wager? No, you are up to something else.” A hard edge had entered his voice.
Josephine gaped at him in astonishment. He did not believe her? The man could be so exasperating. She set her hands on her hips. “I won’t take this from the likes you. I have told you the truth. You can ask Belle.”
“Oh? I take it Lady Belle is responsible for the poor choice of candidate? Did you enjoy kissing Craven, Josephine? Did you enjoy having his body pressed up against yours?”
Jo panicked. It was not the note of danger in his voice that made her turn and flee toward the doors that held safety, but the gleam in his eyes. Too late she remembered his grip on her arm and within seconds she found herself pressed up against his rock hard chest.
“Answer me dammit!”
“Unhand me!”
“No.”
“Please, let me go,” she pleaded as she pushed against his chest to no avail. His hold on her only tightened.
“First tell me if you enjoyed—”
“Why?” she hissed and pushed harder.
“Lower your voice, or do you want us to be found, alone?”
Her struggles ceased and her voice calmed when she said, “Unhand me or I will scream, and not only will we be found, but you will find yourself married to me before the week is out.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Even though after my brother warned me to stay away from you, he would still demand marriage or your head.”
That seemed to amuse him and his voice held a note of curiosity when he said, “Your brother warned you to stay away from me?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “No need to sound so pleased. Your attention has not gone unnoticed.”
He waved her comment aside. “Your brother is a smart man.”
“Apparently. Now release me, please.”
“Very well.”
And just like that he released her. Jo relaxed her stiff shoulders. If she could be certain of one thing, it was of Damien’s aversion to m
arriage and commitments.
“Are you going to scream or shall I?”
She gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at him as he traced the lines of her hand with his finger. Her breath caught in her throat. Not certain what to do in the wake of that outlandish statement, Jo remained still. Then he leaned forward, setting his lips to the delicate pulse on her wrist.
“They say you must try everything at least once,” he whispered against her skin.
Jo tugged her hand out of his with a start when his words penetrated through her fog-filled mind.
“You cannot be serious? Marriage is not something you try, and your aversion to any sort of commitment is a well-known fact. I am concerned you have finally lost your marbles. That can be the only explanation for this madness.”
Displeasure darkened his handsome features. “Perhaps I have.”
“No.” She pressed her hands together. “I do not believe you’re as bad as you would have everybody believe. You can be quite gentlemanly if the occasion calls for it.”
“I suppose I should be flattered,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust.
“Yes well,” she looked away. “Be that as it may, I’m not like the other ladies you consort with. I will not be seduced by you.”
“Yet you would go off with a notorious rake for a midnight rendezvous?”
Jo felt her face redden with a mortifying blush. He was right. Normally she would never behave in such a scandalous fashion for the attention of a man. But if she was honest with herself, she’d been disappointed that her first kiss had ended so abruptly. She sensed there should have been more. Of course she would never tell him that.
“Lucian was a wager, nothing more,” she stated as a matter of fact.
“Still Lucian, is it?” he drawled, something dark flickering in his eyes. “Astonishing how you can call that lecher by this first name but not spare me a kiss.”
Jo’s blush deepened. She was in over her head but could not back down now. “I have already won my wager, but if it will stop your pursuit of me, you may have your kiss,” she blurted, shocked at her own words.
Eyes narrowing on her, he moved closer until once again she was pressed up against his chest. Then his head lowered and his mouth covered hers. His lips were soft and gentle, not at all what Jo expected, though she’d never expected to be kissed by him. It was…scintillating. Her lips tingled as he worked his magic and a burst of passion erupted low in her chest. She pressed closer to him. Curious, she looped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer, and that appeared to be all encouragement he needed to deepen the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth, taking her to new heights of pleasure, and the hard ridge of his manly part pressed against her, proof of his desire. She gasped at the sensation, which quickly turned into a groan of yearning when his hands ran down her spine, cupping her derrière and pressing her closer to him. Then just as abruptly he broke away from her with a torturous groan, his rapid breathing matching that of her own.
“Bloody hell.”
Indeed.
She whirled around, certain now more than ever that she needed to stay as far away from him as she possibly could. In an attempt to dissuade him from pursuing her she threw over her shoulder, “And by the by, you should take a clue from Craven in the kissing department.”
She lifted her skirts and ran when she noted his face turn thunderous and he took a threating step forward. She did not see the predatory smile stretch slowly across his face. Yes, she would pay for that comment.
Chapter 6
On the corner of some dirty wretched street, Lady Josephine and Lady Belle awaited the giant, James Shaw. The street bustled with the activity of unsavory characters. But by far the most disturbing were the poor, hopeless souls, wandering about with no direction or purpose. A twinge of guilt pinched in her heart for being born privileged, as it always happened in the presence of these people. She shook her head, ridding herself of her maudlin thoughts.
James had sent a note calling for an urgent meeting, yet he hadn’t mentioned the reason, which according to Jo meant only one thing—it would most certainly be dangerous and would rely on their discretion. Just the kind of project she preferred.
She’d met James Shaw and his brother, Derek, four years ago when she created her first charity to help young orphaned boys. Like her, they also aided orphans, and when they approached her with a most intriguing proposition, she could not refuse. Their assistance, however, extended more in the way of perilous endeavors, like kidnapping and smuggling people out of the country. Her charities provided the perfect front for their activities and in return, Jo had found her purpose. And though tainted by their black reputations, they remained good men.
“You do realize of course,” Belle commented in a dry voice, “that Evelyn will have a conniption if she learns we excluded her from this meeting.”
Jo shrugged. While she loved Evelyn, the moment she married Grey, she became answerable to him, and a disadvantage to them. “She will understand.”
“I feel guilt expand in my chest,” Belle said, a hand clutched over her heart. “I hate guilt. It’s such a distasteful emotion.”
“Oh do not be so dramatic, is Westfield still bothering you?”
“An understatement.”
Jo considered mentioning she had won the wager, to distract her friend, but found no words formed. She’d feel compelled to admit she’d kissed St. Aldwyn too and she wasn’t ready to acknowledge what had transpired two nights ago.
Oh bother! Now he engulfed her mind. She half expected him to jump from the shadows, once again catching her in a place she was not supposed to be.
“Where is James?” Jo muttered under her breath.
“Has this elusive brother of his returned yet?” Belle asked.
“No, though he is expected back in a week or so.”
Her friend nodded. “So the outcome of this project depends on us. Now there’s a scary prospect.”
Jo shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. Derek Shaw brought a certain quality to their group that produced results. Without him, well not to say they would not succeed, but their chances diminished some.
“I daresay we are competent to complete this project on our own,” Jo murmured, surveying the area for any sign of James. “For one thing, we have your cousins to distract unwanted parties.”
“I do not understand why they decided to take it upon themselves to act as our guardians.”
Jo sighed, she knew exactly why. “They are men and are of the opinion that as women all we must do is drink tea and gossip over the latest fashions.”
“How ridiculous.”
Jo nodded. “Heaven forbid we do not satisfy their unending wishes and paltry needs.”
Belle chuckled, but clamped her mouth shut when she drew the attention of two men nearby. “Regardless, I want nothing to do with those wretched men.”
“I agree, but as they have taken it upon themselves to meddle in our lives, we shall have to deal with it smartly, or we may end up married to one of them.”
Belle visibly shivered. “Marriage? The thought gives me the willies.”
Jo chuckled. “If the notion of being married to Westfield gives you the willies, imagine what the thought of being married to St. Aldwyn does to me.”
“They say reformed rakes make the best husbands.”
“Debatable,” Jo said, but the memory of his lips on hers still burned. Not even the talk of marriage quelled the sudden desire to feel his solid chest beneath her hands. Spying a huge cloaked figure in the distance, she said, “James approaches on your left.”
Belle tipped her head slightly his way. “Don’t know why he bothers with a cloak, a man that size will never be missed.”
Jo smiled. James’s presence did not draw attention, it commanded it. He acknowledged them with a nod and motioned to a narrow alley across the street, where they could converse out of sight.
“Ladies, thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” he s
aid with a smile that always appeared effortless.
“You have a project?” Jo asked.
He gave a single nod, his face grim. “Constance Cartwright.”
Belle straightened at the name. “The duke of Richmond’s niece who eloped with the son of a merchant?”
A soft rumbling noise tore from his throat signaling his displeasure.
Jo frowned in his direction. “That was not the case?”
“No,” James snarled, “he kidnapped her and forced her into marriage, but for her family’s sake she remained quiet about her husband’s actions.”
“But that’s barbaric,” Belle said horrified.
“And not even the worst part,” James continued, his handsome face flushed with anger. “He refuses her any contact with her family and beats her when she attempts to run away. She remains under constant supervision, proving near impossible to get to her.”
“Holy stars,” Jo muttered. “Does your brother know about this?”
“No, I sent word but I’m afraid we have little time. We need to act fast and cannot afford any interference from your friends.” He gave them both pointed looks. “We need to retrieve her quickly, effortlessly and undetected. Cartwright is a dangerous man and won’t hesitate to kill any of us if we are caught.”
“Why Lady Constance? He could have picked anyone, why did he pick her?” Belle asked.
“It appears to get back at the Duke. Cartwright holds a fierce bitterness after the Duke reportedly ruined his father’s shipping business.”
“Did he?” Jo asked.
James shrugged. “It matters not. We must save her before Cartwright’s kills her, which is his ultimate plan.”
“It will be difficult,” Jo acknowledged. “But not impossible.”
“We can burglarize his home and kidnap her?” asked Belle.
“Too dangerous,” James said with a shake of his head. “A mouse cannot enter that residence without being caught or Richmond would have had his niece in his possession already.”
“It may be possible to snatch her when she goes shopping,” Jo murmured.
James scrunched his thick brows in thought. “That may work.”