The Danger in Tempting an Earl

by Sophie Barnes

  “And Sophia?”

  “She and her nanny are ready to take one of my carriages, but nobody, not even the driver, is aware of where they are going yet. They’ll be informed as soon as they’re ready to set out—­which they will do before us.”

  She looked up at him then, hope brimming in her eyes, as if she longed for him to save her. Her life and trust had been placed in his hands, and he felt both honored and humbled as, seizing the moment, he pulled her against him, enfolding her in his embrace. “It will be all right, Kate,” he muttered, hoping to soothe away her concerns. God help him, but even her touch, separated as it was from his skin by layers of clothing, still scorched his soul.

  Swallowing hard, he set her away and took a step back. “I’ll wait for you here while you gather your things.”

  “Should I bring a chess set along for the ride?” she asked as she tilted her head, eyes sparkling with mischief while a smile spread its way across her lips.

  Struggling to keep his eyes off those lips, Lucien met her gaze. “Only if you promise that you won’t mind me winning.”

  Her breath hitched ever so slightly and then she blushed, but before he had a chance to examine her response any further, she swatted him playfully on the arm, which of course threw him completely over the edge. “As if that’s likely to happen.” Her eyes twinkled with merriment and . . . dare he hope . . . a secret promise? Sweeping past him, she headed for the door. “I will return momentarily, and then we will be off.”

  Seated across from Katherine as the carriage tumbled toward London, Lucien quietly watched while she unwrapped a velvet-clad parcel and revealed the chess set she’d spoken of earlier. With her attention fixed on setting up the pieces while the carriage jostled and bounced about, Lucien was granted the luxury of allowing his eyes to roam over her body—­a body he’d recently held in his arms. His blood stirred at the memory of it, and he found himself cursing the pelisse she now wore for denying him a proper glimpse of her breasts. Thoughts of what they would look like, feel like, in the palms of his hands were swift to follow. With a muttered oath, he crossed his legs and peered out the window at the passing countryside. Was it possible for a man to go blind from unfulfilled lust? he wondered.

  “Black or white?” she asked, requesting his attention.

  Abandoning the view, he gave it to her without hesitation, his lips tilting as he took in the chess set that presently sat haphazardly balanced upon her lap. “A lady ought to be afforded the opportunity of making the first move,” he told her smoothly. “I’ll choose black.”

  She did not look at him, though he sensed she wanted to, for her head had jerked a little when he’d spoken, yet her eyes had remained on the board and the pieces upon it as if her full concentration had been required to keep them steady. Biting her lip, she selected a pawn and moved it forward.

  “When was the last time you played?” He moved his knight.

  She shrugged. “I don’t recall.” She was being evasive.

  Lucien raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you try?”

  Tension built between them, so thick and heavy that Lucien half expected to hear a clap of thunder within the confined space of the carriage. Heart hammering in his chest, he watched as she plucked the bishop from the board and set him on a diagonal path. The game they played was not a simple one but dangerously demanding. Driven by a base desire to claim her as his own, Lucien pushed for honesty, testing her defenses and denying her the comfort that avoidance offered.

  “If you must know, I haven’t enjoyed a game in some time. Not since the last time you and I played together.”

  Moving his other knight, he asked the only question that seemed important at that moment. “Why?”

  “Does it really matter?” Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke. “After all, it is only a game.”

  Something about the way she spoke made him want to toss the blasted chess set aside so he could ravage her right there upon the seat of the carriage.

  If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was toying with him . . . speaking in double entendres intended to heat his blood. Surely not. Katherine would never be so bold, but then he recalled the subtle display of her ankles yesterday in the library, the unintentional view he’d been given of her derriere, the accidental brush of her fingers against his, and the thought that she might be threatened to push him over the edge.

  Hell, standing on guard in front of her bedchamber had certainly tested his restraint. On more than one occasion he’d considered bursting through the door and climbing into bed with her, no matter her maid or footman. Christ! He had to find a way to regain control. After all, he was meant to be seducing her, not the other way around.

  With a good measure of wariness, he eyed her as she twirled her fingers around the bishop. The motion mesmerized him. She licked her lips. For the millionth time that day, Lucien fought for control. “So, tell me more about your investments,” he said as she abandoned the bishop and moved another pawn instead.

  “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t discuss the particulars with anyone,” she said, her hands steadying the chessboard as the carriage hit a hole in the road.

  “And ordinarily I’d tell you that you’re wise not to, but in this case, I think you must. Donovan is after you because of your business dealings, Kate. Making me privy to the specifics might help us figure out why. Besides, you know you can trust me, don’t you?”

  For the first time since they’d started playing, Katherine removed her eyes from the chess set and looked directly at Lucien. Her gaze was studious, assessing and pensive. Lucien forced himself to remain still, even though he felt like shifting beneath her scrutiny. Slowly, she nodded. “Yes, I do,” she said. She dropped her gaze to her lap. “Your turn.”

  Without thinking, Lucien moved his knight straight into the path of her bishop.

  “You’re not concentrating,” she chided as she claimed the piece.

  No, he wasn’t, but how could he when his body was raging to touch her? “So will you tell me about all of your holdings willingly, or will you force me to squeeze the information out of you?” He was clasping onto a very thin thread, he realized, but if she’d only talk to him about her business, perhaps he could force his torrid thoughts away from the sweep of her neck as she bowed her head and from the oh so tempting wisps of hair that curled against her cheeks.

  She chuckled with unabashed amusement. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Her words, soft as music, spilled over him, teasing and luring until he felt his resolve waver. God have mercy on his soul, he wasn’t going to make it. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his flesh. Did she have any idea of what she was doing to him? Of course not. She would never be so cruel. “Very well,” he said. “If I win this game, you will owe me three favors, one of which will consist of full disclosure in regard to your investments.”

  “You do realize that I’m merely having a bit of fun, don’t you? That I intend to tell you eventually? I’m not a fool, Lucien. I realize that it’s in my own best interest to do so.”

  “Nevertheless, I would like to have some guarantee.”

  “Very well then.” She watched as he moved a pawn. “What will the other favors consist of?”

  “That, my dear, will be a surprise.”

  She scrunched her nose. “I’m not so sure I like the sound of that.”

  “Afraid of the unknown?” Leaning forward, he hesitated briefly before saying, “You’ve never been a coward.”

  Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. “Things change.”

  Indeed they did. He could sense her apprehension, her fear of having no choice but to do as he asked, but Lucien wanted answers, and he would not allow her to back away now. “Perhaps,” he allowed, “but you’re still not a coward, or you would have gone with Sophia to Bath while I went chasing after the villain.”

  “Maybe,” sh
e agreed.

  “So will you rise to the challenge?”

  She claimed his bishop, raised her gaze from the board and smiled broadly. “By all means.”

  There could be no denying the importance of the game, for she felt it in every move she made. She’d never lost a game against Lucien and had always considered herself a superior player. But as the game progressed, she began to realize that he might have been serious when he’d suggested that he would win instead of her. Indeed, she was losing, and she was losing fast, which only served to prove how important winning had to be for Lucien. He wanted those favors, and the anticipation of discovering what the last two would consist of stretched her nerves.

  “Checkmate.” The word hung in the air as Katherine stared down at her cornered king.

  “Well played,” she said in reply. Raising her gaze, she met Lucien’s. Her mouth went dry. Gone was the tepid look of affection he’d always bestowed upon her. The emotion that shone in his eyes was powerful . . . heated . . . more raw than what she’d ever dared dream of evoking in a man. Her pulse quickened. She wanted him, and yet she didn’t. Heaven above, she didn’t know her own mind!

  The carriage jolted, scattering the chess pieces even as she made a grasp for them. It was to no avail. All she had left was an empty board, which was presently being plied from her fingers by Lucien. Katherine swallowed. If only she could still her pounding heart. To think that she’d entertained the idea of seducing him! How naïve of her to think herself sophisticated enough for such a challenge when instinct now told her to retreat. “I believe you wanted answers,” she said, grasping for something sensible with which to steady herself. A serious conversation would do.

  “First things first,” he murmured. His hand settled upon her knee and she almost leapt away from him. Except of course there was nowhere to leap to. Besides, she’d longed for this these past few days . . . had no doubt instigated this moment with her suggestive comments. But it was happening too fast. She wasn’t ready. Would she ever be? Probably not, because she was terrified.

  “Katherine,” he pleaded. “Please look at me.”

  She did and was instantly rendered breathless by the level of fear staring back at her. It mirrored her own, yet it was tightly wound with fierce determination. Everything was about to change between them. She could feel it in her veins and she was helpless to stop it.

  “I no longer have the patience for pretense or for keeping my feelings for you at bay when my greatest wish of all is for you to be mine.” Taking her hand in his, he brushed her wrist with his thumb until tiny sparks of heat danced across her skin. “If there is any chance at all that you will welcome my advances, please give me a sign. I cannot bear the thought of not knowing, when the mere sight of you, your very presence, stirs me like nothing else ever will.”

  “I . . .” The word was almost a croak. She tried to speak again, not knowing what she would say, but words failed to come.

  Lucien’s hand, still touching hers, toyed with the edge of her kidskin glove. Katherine watched, enthralled as he gently peeled it away so he could caress her bare flesh. Heat washed over her, dizzying her senses. Their eyes met, and Katherine could not look away as Lucien raised her hand to his lips and, with the utmost reverence, kissed her pulse.

  Pure pleasure flooded her insides, curling and building until it rendered her breathless. “Forgive me,” Lucien said, “but I cannot seem to stop myself. I need to know what it’s like to kiss you.”

  The words barely registered before he was on the seat beside her, pulling her toward him and lowering his mouth over hers. Their lips met, and as they did, every wicked thought he’d stirred in her these past few days collided, crashed over her, and made her desperate for more. Her hands reached for his shoulders, curling into the fabric of his jacket as his tongue traced her lower lip. Katherine’s insides melted with desire as it pooled between her thighs. Her lips parted, inviting him in, and he was instantly there, his tongue exploring with deliberate strokes while he pushed her back against the squabs of the seat, her breasts flattening against his chest.

  A groan filled the air. His or hers? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that his kiss would not be enough to satisfy the need that roared to life inside her, filling her breasts until they ached for his touch.

  “You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” she heard him whisper as he kissed his way along the edge of her jaw while desperate fingers worked at the ribbon holding her bonnet in place. The silk fastenings slipped apart and the bonnet tumbled away.

  Katherine didn’t spare it a thought but leaned her head back instead, offering Lucien the curve of her neck. “Tell me,” she begged.

  Licking and nibbling, he coaxed from her a sigh. “Years, Kate.” One hand settled on her thigh while the other found the curve of her breast. “Years of sleepless nights wondering what it might be like to touch you like this . . .” He gave her a gentle squeeze and she arched her back in response. “Imagining the feel of your body against mine, my name upon your lips as I give you pleasure . . .” She whimpered, entirely too helpless to resist reaching for more. His scandalous words had brought her to a point of unrestrained wantonness from which there could be no return. She wanted the pleasure of which he spoke—­wanted it more desperately than she’d ever wanted anything else in her life. “You’ve no idea how many times I’ve thought of peeling away your gown so I could kiss the skin beneath.”

  Katherine gasped. His words, undoubtedly meant to seduce, served instead as a stark reminder of her imperfections. For a heartbeat, she’d allowed herself to forget, but now, as he spoke of undressing her and of bearing witness to her ugliness, she was assaulted by a flood of unpleasant memories that sent her crashing back to reality.

  Placing her palm against Lucien’s chest, she gave him a slight push. “I’m sorry, but I . . .” Her voice was breathless. “This is happening too fast.”

  Lucien stilled, then pulled back. She knew he was looking at her, even though she dared not look at him, instead keeping her attention fixed on one of the chess pieces as it rolled from side to side on the floor. Silence descended, and he removed himself to the opposite bench. There was a beat, and then he asked the one question she dared not answer. “What are you so afraid of?”

  Katherine shrugged one shoulder. Her gaze rose warily to meet his. “Nothing,” she said, “but I have told you that I have no intention of remarrying or of becoming someone’s mistress, so really, where will all this lead?”

  “To the altar, I had hoped.”

  “I just told you that—­”

  “Yes, you did.” His voice was terse, his face set in grim lines. “Kate, you know that I must marry. Are you telling me that you would rather I choose another woman for my wife?”

  “I was under the impression that you had already considered doing so. After all, Lady Julie—­”

  “Is in love with Mr. Goodard, as I’m sure you already know,” he said. “She means nothing to me. More to the point, she never did.”

  “But at the ball and the other day when she and Mr. Goodard came to Cresthaven . . . your intentions toward her were so clear.”

  He shook his head. “My only intention was to find out whether or not you cared.”

  Katherine gasped as it all became startlingly real. “You used Lady Julie to try and make me jealous?”

  “No. She and I had an agreement.” He paused before saying, “You know, Mr. Goodard’s keen interest in Lady Julie when she hurt her ankle, ­coupled with your reaction to my recent embraces, have enlightened me greatly.”

  “You’re being unbearably arrogant right now,” she said as annoyance fanned through her. “If there was one thing I always thought I could count on from you, Lucien, it was honesty. Why would you deliberately trick me like that? Have you so little regard for my feelings that you would give no second thought to playing games with me?”

  “On t
he contrary, I feel very deeply for you, which was why I had to know if there was any chance you might feel the same toward me.”

  “Well, I don’t.” The lie, born from the pain of his deception, quivered upon her lips.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said, leaning toward her, “not when you responded the way you did to my kiss. Can you honestly tell me it wouldn’t bother you if I were to press such advances on another lady?”

  Katherine opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she wouldn’t care in the least, but jealousy soared and words failed her. Lucien smiled with smug satisfaction. “I thought so,” he said, settling back against the squabs. “Something is holding you back, stopping you from grasping on to what you want, and I have every intention of discovering what that something is, not only because I want to convince you to marry me, Kate, but because I genuinely care about you. I hate to see you suffer.”

  “So much has happened while you’ve been away.” She longed to explore the possibilities of this attraction between them, but fear held her back even as she tried to fight it.

  The glint in Lucien’s eyes softened. “Kate,” he told her gently as he placed his hand over hers, “we’ve come too far for you to back out now, and just so you know, I have every intention of slaying whatever dragons you’re hiding. After all, I still have one favor to ask of you, and I intend to use it wisely.”

  Oh no.

  “Lucien . . .” She eyed him warily.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t make good on it until I’m sure you’re ready. I’m not a beast, Kate—­I want you to be willing.”

  Heaven help her if he wasn’t speaking of taking her to his bed. To her complete and utter dismay, her body did not revolt at the idea. On the contrary, she felt heated from the inside out, perhaps even a little excited, if she was to be completely honest. A loud pitter-patter on the roof brought her amorous thoughts to a halt. It had started to rain, and from the sound of it, they’d hit a torrential downpour.

  Opening the window a notch, Lucien called to the driver, “We’ll stop at the next posting inn for the night.” Once the window had been closed back up, he looked at Katherine. “No sense in being reckless.”