Temptation: 3 (Timeless Series)

by Sandy Loyd

  “An extended stay might be nice. Geoff was already planning on spending several months there, plus Jones, my man of business, can handle anything that comes up in the meantime.” Smiling, the duke rubbed his hands together. “I quite like the idea and see no problem with waiting for your ship to come out of dry dock.” Markham glanced up and asked sheepishly, “That is, if you don’t mind houseguests? I hope I’m not being too forward.”

  “Of course not. I’m staying with Parker, and I’ve no doubts he’ll welcome you with open arms,” Lucas lied. He picked up his wineglass and took a lengthy sip. Now all he had to do was convince Parker that the duke’s visit was worthwhile for their business interests.

  “Good, good. Our plans are set then.” Markham smiled. “I’m looking forward to it, as I’m sure Geoff is looking forward to seeing Lady Penelope again. Everything should work out splendidly. I doubt the earl can interfere. By the time we’re back, his influence over the heiress will have ended.” Markham held up his glass of wine and said to all at the table, “Here’s to Geoff and Lady Penelope. May they find happiness together once they are married.”

  Chapter 19

  “Are you planning on making a move, or are you going to concede defeat?”

  Parker’s voice startled Penny out of her thoughts. Her focus lifted from his strong hands to his chest, then moved higher. She inhaled deeply to stop guilt in the form of warmth seeping into her face at being caught covertly studying his fingers while pretending absorption in the chessboard.

  He stood and headed to the bar at the far end of the library. “’Tis obvious this is going to be a long night, and I need reinforcements. Would you like one?” he asked, holding up a glass.

  Spying the usual amusement in his blue-gray gaze, she clenched a fist, fighting the urge to punch the expression away. “No, I’ll pass tonight,” she declined politely, though she didn’t want to. She’d love one. Only now she understood how much she needed all her wits about her to deal with him. Penny was simply too susceptible to his charm, especially during evenings like this when in the company of his family.

  Her thoughts then shifted to her situation.

  Soon after their ride to his special place weeks earlier, Parker’s demeanor had changed. Oh, he never gave her cause to worry about his conduct, which was always above reproach and very appropriate, but he no longer hid his yearning.

  Ignoring the need ever present in his eyes was next to impossible, made even more so when her own desires simmered in her soul as well. The thought of those beautiful hands roaming over her was a constant one, making her forget at times she was supposed to be waiting for Geoff. And thoughts along those lines only made her feel guilty and undeserving of Geoff’s love.

  “How about you, Mother?” Parker said, drawing Penny’s attention back to the room. His nod indicated his sister who sat reading across from her. “Catherine? Can I get you something?”

  “Of course.” Catherine smiled warmly. At the same time Elizabeth shook her head and said, “Not tonight, dear.”

  Parker poured another drink. Penny watched as he handed it to Catherine, the smile on his face speaking of amused indulgence. Though in command at all times, he seemed different with his family. He took care of them, but it wasn’t lost on her that Catherine had a certain amount of freedom, a freedom to be different from most young women of Penny’s station. He could be totally protective while also accepting, an amazing aspect in her mind and so like her father.

  Ambling back to the table, Parker curled his lips at the corners. “Well?” He sat and lifted a brow. She looked at him with the question in her eyes and that same disarming grin spread, causing the thousands of butterflies in Penny’s tummy to flutter. “You know I have you, so give it up.”

  Pushing the sensation away, she rolled her eyes. “You’re so sure?”

  “Yes, and so are you.” He chuckled. “Maybe you’ll win the next game,” he offered, taking a sip of his bourbon and holding her gaze.

  The challenge in those eyes seemed to mock her. Seemed to be saying he was winning and there was more than a chess game at stake. Her chin jutted out and she said haughtily, her accent becoming more pronounced, “We’ll see about that.”

  Parker only laughed. “Spoken like a true lady of the manor.”

  Penny made her move and tried very hard to ignore the pleasure surging through her at his obvious approval.

  ~~

  “Just the person I was looking for.”

  Shielding her eyes, Penny glanced up and noted Parker sauntering their way as she weeded in the garden next to his mother. “It’s a beautiful fall day. You don’t mind if I take advantage of it and steal your helper for a ride, do you, Mother?” he asked, halting behind them.

  Elizabeth sighed, and sat back on her feet from her kneeling position. “Of course not. I never meant for her to spend all her time helping me, but she seems determined to make herself useful.” She wiped her forehead with her arm.

  Parker chuckled and bent to pull Penny to her feet. “Come on, angel. You’ve earned a ride.”

  “I guess I could be persuaded.” She brushed a bit of dirt off her dress.

  “I thought we could ride over to see your friend Mindy.”

  “Really?” Penny’s delighted squeal filled the early October air. “I had almost given up seeing her.”

  “I’ve been too busy for such a long ride, but I remember promising you.” He nodded to his mother. “We’ll be gone for several hours.”

  “Enjoy your ride,” Elizabeth said, still on her heels. She stared after them with a huge grin lighting her face as Parker led her through the garden.

  Their trip on horseback took more than an hour before ending at a tidy farmhouse centered among fields being harvested.

  Parker and Penny dismounted at the same time.

  Penny started toward the house just as Mindy burst out the door, not stopping until she had her in a hug.

  “You’re still here? I was so worried,” Mindy said, laughing. “I can’t believe you’ve come for a visit.”

  “I know we didn’t give you any notice. I hope it’s all right?” Penny asked tentatively.

  “Of course it is. You know both Mary and I owe your family much,” Mindy scolded, keeping an arm around her while she led her up the whitewashed porch stairs.

  Mary Johnson, Mindy’s sister, stepped out onto the porch. “Lady Lytton. What a wonderful surprise. Please come in.”

  Penny winced. She was a countess in her own right, and after marrying, her husband would acquire the title of earl. Her family’s title had passed to her, due to an earlier provision from an eccentric pair of great-great-grandparents. She hadn’t informed Mary of her ruse, thinking it wouldn’t matter.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she flashed a quick glance at Parker, who now tended the horses, to judge his reaction. She heaved a relieved sigh, relaxing her shoulders a bit when his face showed no emotion. “We’re in America now, so please call me Penny,” she said softly, in an attempt to brush aside Mary’s use of her title.

  “I’d be honored, my lady,” Mary gushed. “Penny it is.”

  Turning toward Parker, Penny couldn’t meet his gaze as he strode up to stand beside her. She ignored her rising trepidation and said with more calm than she felt, “Parker Davis, allow me to introduce Mary Johnson, Mindy’s sister.”

  Parker took Mary’s hand, kissing it while saying in a most charming voice, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Johnson. Mindy has told me all about you.”

  Blushing, Mary patted her hair. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Davis,” she stammered. “She’s also told us all about you and your brother, Captain Davis. I know I have the two of you to thank for her safe passage. Please! Come inside. Can I offer you both some tea?”

  Penny and Parker drank tea, catching up on the last six weeks before talk centered on the ball the Davises were hosting. Elizabeth had instructed both Parker and Penny to invite Mindy as well as her sister and her husband. When nothing in Parker�
��s words or facial expression indicated he’d overheard Mary’s slip, the rest of Penny’s apprehension eased.

  They were just about to leave when Mindy grabbed her hand. “Penny, you have to see my new room. Mary let me decorate it any way I wanted. We ordered pillows and material from Baltimore.”

  Looking at Parker with a question in her eyes, his answer was an indulgent smile along with, “Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

  The two scampered off.

  Once they were out of earshot, Mindy whispered, “So, how is it you’re still here? I thought you determined to make your way to California.”

  “I was, but my plans changed.” Penny explained her mishap at the train station and Parker’s intervention.

  “Thank heavens you’re safe. Now that I know you’re in the area, we can visit more often.”

  The two friends spent another few minutes oohing and aahing over her room, before heading back down the stairs and into the parlor, where Mary and Parker stood talking amicably. Amid hugs, Penny reiterated Elizabeth’s invitation to the Harvest Ball.

  On the trip back, Parker stayed silent, letting Penny carry on the conversation, grunting occasionally to let her know he was listening to her rambles.

  When they approached the bend in the road leading to Parker’s bluff, he asked unexpectedly, “Are you in a hurry to get back?”

  “No,” she answered truthfully, wondering what was on his mind. Something in his voice had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, eliciting a feeling of impending doom.

  Parker dismounted near the same rock the two had sat on and talked weeks earlier. He turned and placed his hands on her waist, easily lifting her off the horse, his expression unyielding.

  Penny hurriedly moved out of his grasp once she was on the ground, but stopped short when his voice cut through the air with rapier sharpness.

  “Were you ever going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” Stalling for time, she spun away from him and walked past the big boulder, keeping her gaze on the serene scene below.

  “Who you really are.” He’d moved with her and was now directly behind her.

  “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking,” she said evasively.

  He chuckled, but the sound was anything but humorous. “I had a pleasant and illuminating chat with Mrs. Johnson while you were occupied with Mindy. Would you care to know what we discussed?” He reached for her arm, forcing her to turn around and face him.

  Penny heard the bitter edge to his voice and she couldn’t meet his eyes. “I wouldn’t know,” she murmured, looking at the ground.

  “I’m sure you can hazard a guess. Go ahead and try.”

  Penny chanced a glance at his eyes and was stunned to see a cold glare emanating from his gaze. Everything in his stiff demeanor said he was livid and his anger scared her. She’d never seen him like this, and while watching him, fear, much as she felt when she’d been back with the earl, streaked through her.

  “No? Cat got your tongue?” he sneered savagely. “All right, if you can’t remember, I’ll tell you. You are none other than Lady Penelope Lytton, daughter of the late Earl and Countess of Lytherton. Ring a bell?”

  “Please! You don’t understand,” she whispered, growing more concerned.

  “Oh, I think I do. God, you’re a countess, an heiress to Lytton Mines, no less. How you must have secretly laughed at me when I first brought you here to this very spot and bared my soul about my past. Me, a lowly coal miner, thinking to marry a lady and the owner of the mine. What a fool I was,” he hissed.

  “That’s not true. Please don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me,” she begged, cringing from the unyielding glimmer of hate written over his features, before his expression became an implacable frozen mask. “Why are you acting so horribly?”

  “You’re a goddamned aristocrat—one of those simpering, spoiled misses I can’t abide. Not only that, you own mines that suck the life out of its workers.”

  She shook her head. “No. That’s not true.”

  “Now I understand why you won’t marry me. I’m good enough to use for pleasure, but not for a husband. You need the brother of a duke for that,” Parker said, ignoring her denial, not keeping the fury out of his voice.

  Tears blurred her eyes. “How can you say such a thing?”

  “I say it because it is true.”

  “No.”

  “Then prove it,” he ground out. “Marry me.”

  The accusations he hurled at her stung. This hidden irrational side terrified her. He hadn’t spoken of marriage since the afternoon they’d ridden to this very spot. If he had asked the question before now, she might have accepted. That she was coming to think more favorably toward the idea made her realize how out of control her feelings had gotten. During the past few weeks, she’d begun to think he might actually love her as she had come to love him, even though he never spoke of it. Right now, with fear guiding her, she wasn’t sure about anything. And because indecision filled her, she offered her most honest answer.

  “I can’t,” she replied softly.

  “I see,” he whispered in a tone that belied his words. “Damn, how was I so stupid as to think someone like you could actually be happy with someone like me?”

  “What have I done to make you hate me all of a sudden?” she asked, holding her head high, her clipped English accent slipping into her speech.

  Noticing her stance, he shook his head and said with derision, “Ah, the lady to the manor born. You do that so well. I don’t hate you. I just have no use for you.”

  She flinched as more tears threatened. But she would not cry. Fury filled her, and using it as a crutch, she flung it back at him, “Why are you so angry? What have I done besides keep my past a secret?”

  “You exist. You’re all the same, money-loving bloodsuckers of the lower classes, thinking it’s all right to suck them dry for your own gain and amusement. Is that what I’ve been? An amusement? An adventure?”

  “No!” she yelled, her voice horror-struck. At this point she couldn’t halt the tears now streaming down her face. His words struck at her very core, sending a cold feeling throughout her system. How could he think those things after all they’d shared? She stared at him with tear-glazed eyes. “Surely you know the person you describe is not me.”

  “Isn’t it? It’s all right to share a bed with me, but not my name? No, you’d rather have a man you don’t love, your Geoff, brother to a duke, than a mere cloddish American commoner with neither title nor breeding who once toiled as a miner.”

  Again she shook her head.

  “You want proof?” he all but shouted, gripping her shoulder and pulling her toward him. “I’ll show you.”

  The next thing she knew his mouth ground into hers in a hot, demanding kiss, the emotion of it catching her off guard. Penny didn’t push him away, which was her first mistake. Responding was her second. She should have known he affected her too much. The minute Parker’s lips softened, begging her to yield to him instead of commanding, she wanted more. The heat of her anger and fear altered to a different sort of heat. One of passion. Though his words and anger terrified her, his kisses scorched her. She burned from the inside out. She knew she should stop this when rage drove his actions, but for weeks she’d wanted his lips and hands on her.

  Right now, warmth filled her and all she could do was feel the sensation of pleasure seeping into her that his kisses generated. She’d deal with her remorse and his anger later.

  ~~

  He’d meant the kiss to be punishing, but his lips had slowly softened of their own volition. The minute they connected with hers, Parker couldn’t stop the hunger from overtaking him. He’d been holding it in check for too long. When he felt her arms go around him and her determined hands pulling him closer as her mouth and tongue met his, all sanity deserted him.

  God in heaven, she was part angel, part demon sent to torment him and Lord help him, he still wanted her. No matter that he h
ated what she was, he still yearned for the heat between them.

  Desperately Parker continued kissing her, sinking to the earth without breaking contact. In moments, he had her blouse unbuttoned and his hands found her breasts, releasing them. He then undid her riding skirt and pushed it down, exposing her center, where he spent the next few minutes using his mouth and tongue, as well as his hands, to bring her to the edge of her release.

  On the brink of losing his mind and before he lost total control, his lips moved higher, grazing her bare midriff, breast, and shoulder, all the way to her ear. He whispered, “Tell me you don’t want this, even though you say you’re going to marry another man.”

  When it clearly dawned on Penny that he’d stopped kissing her, with his lips an inch above hers and his tormented gaze meeting hers, she shook her head, sincerity shimmering from her eyes. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”

  Her honesty took away some of his anger, but he still heard himself ask, not bothering to keep the hurt out of his voice, “You still mean to marry him?”

  Penny contemplated his words before asking, “Do you mean to say you love me? Is that why you’re so insistent?”

  “God in heaven, I should hope not. I’ve experienced your actions firsthand when you admit to loving someone,” he scoffed. Her eyebrows shot up in question and he added in a voice dripping with derision, “Like when you threw yourself at me, though you professed to love Geoff? More like you love his status and his place in society. I’d never give one such as you my heart. Not when you toss my offer of marriage in my face to marry someone you don’t love. So let’s leave love out of this, shall we?”

  “Then let me go,” she begged, tears glazing her eyes, making them look ten times their size.

  He glimpsed something else before she shuttered the look—a spark of hatred for him mixed with self-hatred. He understood exactly how she felt. At that moment, he hated himself for the driving need coursing through him almost as much as he hated her for tempting him.