by Anna Bennett
His powerful, effortless strokes mesmerized her. Truly. She would have been content to sit there and stare at him rowing, even if he steered the boat right off the edge of a waterfall.
She’d always found him attractive, but today he was different. Almost irresistible.
She tried to put her finger on what had changed. Perhaps it was his uncharacteristically carefree smile or his charming manner. The tight lines around his mouth had vanished, and the scowl he usually wore hadn’t surfaced all morning. He seemed a decade younger, and whatever had wrought the change, Fiona welcomed it.
This relaxed version of Gray would make broaching the subject of the blackmail note with him—which she would do today—a bit easier. She waited until he had steered the boat to the middle of the river and the laughter of the people onshore blended with the gentle lapping of water against the hull and the croaks of toads in the distance.
“I’m glad to have a few moments alone with you,” she began.
“Oh?” He arched a brow, as though thoroughly intrigued. “What do you have in mind, siren?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Nothing like that.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes,” she lied. Heaven help her, she wasn’t certain of anything when he spoke in that wickedly seductive manner.
“How disappointing.” His heavy-lidded stare made her skin tingle deliciously.
Pretending to be immune to his charms, she said, “I wanted to talk with you.”
He rested the handles of the oars across his lap. “I wanted to talk with you, too. You first, though.”
Fiona had rehearsed the words she’d planned to say earlier that morning—and couldn’t recall any of them now. But it didn’t matter. All she had to do was tell Gray the truth. Despite all his usual brooding and gruffness, he was a reasonable person. He would understand.
She gulped past the knot lodged in her throat. “Do you recall the letter I sent when I proposed to you?”
“Vaguely,” he teased.
“And after you read it, you pressed me to tell you the reasons I wanted to marry you.”
Gray went very still, and his expression turned somber. “Yes.”
“And do you remember the reasons I gave you?”
“I believe you mentioned my title,” he said dryly. “And wanting access to your marriage portion as well as a measure of independence.” He scratched the back of his neck. “What’s all this about?”
“I did my best to answer truthfully at the time, but I barely knew you then.”
“So those weren’t the real reasons you proposed marriage?”
“No, they were.” She swallowed nervously. “They are. But there’s another, very specific reason that I didn’t mention before.”
Wariness and, perhaps, disappointment flickered in his eyes. “I’m listening.”
“A few weeks ago, I received a blackmail note. Someone—I don’t know who—is threatening to expose a scandal regarding a member of my family unless I pay them a substantial amount of money.”
For several moments, he sat staring at her, his expression grim, and she began to wonder if he’d heard her.
“So you intend to pay off the blackmailer with your dowry money? Jesus, Fiona. You should have told me.”
“I know. I wanted to. At first, I thought I should handle it on my own—that the fewer people who knew about it, the better. But then I realized that if the scandal became widely known, your reputation would suffer, too—because of your association with my family. It wasn’t fair to keep you in the dark about it.”
“That’s not why I’m angry.” He dragged his hands down the sides of his face. “You should have told me so that I could find the fiend who’s threatening you. We’ve been wasting precious time here at a bloody house party while the villain is likely plotting his next move in London.”
Fiona bit her lip. She hadn’t anticipated Gray’s reaction. And though it warmed her heart to know he was ready to slay an evil dragon on her behalf, something else he said niggled at her. “Do you truly think the house party has been a waste of time?” She recalled kissing him in the garden, sketching him in the library, and making love to him in the cottage. It had been the most glorious, enlightening, and exciting week of her life.
And Gray had called it a waste.
“You’ve been focused on securing a husband—namely, me—when we should have poured all our efforts into identifying and stopping the blackmailer. Then you wouldn’t have had to marry me at all.”
Oh God. She should have seen this coming. Now that Gray knew the sordid details—well, some of them—he was having second thoughts about marrying her. Her belly dropped, and her skin turned clammy. “I suppose that’s true, but I … that is, I…” She groaned.
“Fiona?” He dropped to his knees in front of her and held her cheeks in his palms, forcing her to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“If you don’t wish to marry me, I understand,” she choked out. She couldn’t bear it if he resented her for the rest of their lives. “I’ll find another way to deal with the blackmailer—and protect my family.”
“It’s too late for that,” he growled. “You gave yourself to me. If you think I’m going to let you marry someone else, you must be mad.”
Chapter 23
Gray swore under his breath. Jesus, he was making a mess of things. Everything he said was coming out wrong. Had he really just forbidden her to marry anyone else?
Fiona swiped at a tear that trickled down her cheek. “I don’t want to marry someone else.”
Gray sat back on his heels and took a deep breath. “But you would if you had to?”
“I will do what I must to protect my family’s name.”
“Even if it means binding yourself to someone you don’t love.” Hell, he wasn’t sure what had made him say that. He was the last person on earth who should be spouting lectures on the importance of love. “What, exactly, did the blackmailer threaten to reveal?”
She raised her chin and looked into his eyes. “I would rather not say.”
He flinched. “It must be quite scandalous if you’re willing to sacrifice your happiness to keep the information secret.”
“As I said, I will do what I must.”
“A few days from now, we will be married. And yet you won’t confide in me. Why not?” He already knew the answer but wanted to hear her say it aloud—if only to confirm that he wasn’t the only one who had a difficult time with trust.
“Because it’s not my story to tell.” She paused, then added, “A few days ago, your grandmother told me the same thing—in a very different context. The point is, if the secret was about me, I’d be at liberty to share it with whomever I pleased—and I would tell you. But it’s not about me.”
Interesting.
“Lily?” he guessed.
Her shoulders slumped. “Yes. But you must believe me when I say she is completely innocent of wrongdoing. The potential scandal is not of her making … but it would almost certainly result in her downfall.”
Gray considered this as he paddled around a fallen tree and they floated farther down the river. “And yet you are the one being blackmailed?”
“Yes.” She hesitated briefly. “Though the salacious information concerns Lily, she is entirely unaware of the facts and circumstances—which she would no doubt find devastating. The blackmailer must have known I would go to great lengths to spare my sister from both the public humiliation and personal anguish this knowledge would cause her.”
He respected what Fiona had said, and yet he couldn’t help wanting to protect her.
Couldn’t help wanting to throttle the villain who would threaten her family.
“I won’t press you to reveal the information about Lily, but perhaps you could tell me the particulars about the blackmail itself—how much the blackmailer is demanding and when and where he expects to collect payment. I’d like to see a sample of the handwriting and whatever parts of the letter you can share—to examine
it for any potential clues as to the blackmailer’s identity.”
“I’ve received two notes. I suppose I could show parts of them to you.” She worried her bottom lip. “But you should know that I’ve made up my mind. Even if we were to discover who he is, I intend to pay him for his silence.”
Gray could think of other, more effective, ways of silencing a man but kept them to himself. “Are you certain the claim he’s made is true?”
“He has physical proof—evidence I was able to independently verify.”
He nodded. His grandmother was right. Fiona was smart and strong. Not to mention strikingly beautiful.
“I’m glad you told me about this.” He reached out and brushed his thumb across the satin skin of her cheek. “I admire you for wanting to protect your sister, and I will help you. But most of all, I intend to protect you. I don’t want you meeting shady characters in seedy alleys or placing yourself in peril. If something happened to you…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
“Thank you for understanding—and caring,” she said. “But nothing will happen to me.”
As he slowly dragged his thumb across her lips, she captured the tip of it in her mouth and teased him with a kiss that was warm, wet … and arousing as hell.
Shit. If they’d been anywhere besides a rickety boat, he’d have pulled her onto the ground and kissed her till she moaned with desire. Pleasured her until she cried out in bliss. A rowboat was hardly the ideal place for seduction …
But Gray had never been one to shy away from a challenge.
He set his oars down and shrugged off his jacket. “Forgive me—it’s easier to row without this.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, I think I might find it easier to enjoy the view without my bonnet.” Deliberately, she tugged on the ribbons beneath her chin, slowly slid her fingers down the lengths of silk, and removed the straw hat, revealing a glorious mass of auburn curls pinned at her crown.
“That is an improvement,” he agreed. “But I confess you are too far away for my liking.”
“I recall you giving me strict orders not to move from this bench,” she countered.
“As captain of this vessel, I am constantly assessing the conditions and deem it safe for you to join me”—he sat on the floor of the boat between the benches—“here.”
She shot a skeptical glance at the small space. “Where would I … that is, how would I…?”
“Remember how you sat against me while we rode Mercutio?” He spread his jacket in front of him and grinned.
Her eyes widened. “Oh.” A telltale blush spread over her cheeks and down her neck. “Are you certain that’s wise?”
“No one’s around. And I miss you.”
A shy smile played about her lips. “I miss you, too. Promise me that this won’t result in mayhem?”
“Such as?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She waved her arms, exasperated. “Running aground? Drifting into enemy waters? Encountering pirates?”
“Promise.” In one swift move, he pulled her down and turned her around so that she sat between his thighs, her back pressed to his chest. Her soft bottom squirmed against his growing erection, and her legs, like his, were bent at the knees.
He bowed his head to the graceful column of her neck and kissed her beneath her ear before tracing the shell with his tongue. God, she tasted good. And being with her felt so, so right.
He kissed her temple, her eyelid, the side of her nose, and the corner of her mouth, greedily claiming all of her. His.
Tracing a path along her neckline with his fingertips, he caressed the swells of her breasts and the smooth skin of her shoulders. She leaned her head back, giving him greater access and a glorious view. With every breath she took, her breasts strained against her corset and bodice, but he didn’t dare unlace her gown on a boat—much as he would have liked to.
Instead, he cupped the mounds in his palms, lightly circling the tips till she moaned. When she arched her back, he increased the pressure, rubbing the tight peaks through the layers of silk.
She reached behind her and wound an arm around his neck. “Don’t stop.”
God, she was amazing. He listened, attuned to every blissful cry and whimper. He watched her eyes flutter shut with satisfaction and her body tremble with desire.
And he committed it all to memory.
The woods were dense around this part of the river, and the lazy current carried the boat so slowly that it felt as though they were standing still. The landscape crawled past them at a tortoise’s pace, as if it, too, wanted to savor every moment of the ride.
“Yes,” she breathed, parting her legs farther and wriggling her delectable backside against him.
Gray slid a hand under the hem of Fiona’s skirt, skimming his palm over her knee and down the inside of her thigh, above her thin silk stockings. He teased the soft, taut skin at the top of her legs with featherlight strokes, venturing closer and closer to the apex of her legs and the spot that would bring her pleasure.
When at last he touched the folds at her entrance, she was damp and swollen.
Surely he’d died and gone to heaven.
Because in the real world, beautiful, talented heiresses did not give themselves to men like him—men with ornery dispositions who lacked fortunes. Men who were utterly incapable of love.
And they most certainly did not give themselves to men like him while floating downstream in rickety rowboats.
* * *
Gray kissed a path from Fiona’s temple, down the side of her neck, and over the curve of her shoulder, alternately sucking and nibbling, leaving her skin tingling in his wake. With one hand, he caressed her breast, rubbing its tight bud until her body shimmered with delicious warmth. With the other hand, he touched her intimately, finding the center of her pleasure and stroking her, inside and out.
While it wasn’t the same as making love with him, she had to admit it was rather spectacular. She relaxed completely against his chest, giving herself over to the aimless drifting and gentle rocking of the boat—as well as the sensations he stirred in her body and heart.
Because she had no doubt her heart was wholly his.
She’d told him about the blackmail, and he hadn’t abandoned her. He still wanted her—or desired her, at least—and did not intend to go back on their deal. Surely that demonstrated some level of commitment or affection or …
Whatever it was, it was enough for now.
The rustling leaves above, the lapping water below, and buzzing insects around her slowly faded from her consciousness till all that remained was Gray.
His impossibly hard body cradling hers.
His wicked touch fanning her desire.
His scorching mouth cruising over her skin.
His gruff voice seducing her with every ragged whisper. “Come for me, Fi. Right here, just like this. I need to feel you come apart in my arms. Need to see your beautiful, perfect release. Need to know you’re mine.”
Oh God. Her traitorous body obeyed his orders as though he was a sorcerer with the power to command her. For an interminable moment, she held her breath, waiting as the pleasure spiraled higher and brighter.
Desire thundered in her ears as she balanced on the edge of a waterfall. Currents churned around her, dizzying in their intensity. She tumbled over the edge, weightless, pulsing with light and heat and … something unspeakably wonderful. Something that felt a lot like love.
Gray held her tightly and took her mouth in a hungry, yet tender, kiss. She clung to him as she slowly surfaced, sated and pleasantly dazed.
He seemed in no hurry to move, so she resolved to savor the closeness for as long as it lasted.
At last, he said, “I have a confession.”
“I’ll wager it’s not as shocking as mine was,” she jested. “It’s rather hard to outdo the threat of blackmail.”
He chuckled wryly and laced his fingers through hers. “True, but you shouldn’t underestimate my ability to shock yo
u.”
“Thank you for understanding about my secret,” she said sincerely. “Whatever your confession is, I shall try to be equally understanding.”
“Good. Because we ran aground a quarter of an hour ago and haven’t moved since.”
“Gray!” She righted her skirts and scrambled onto the bench, looking for signs the boat was taking on water. “Are we going to sink?”
“Not likely. We’re sitting on a mudbank in approximately two feet of water.”
“But we’re … stranded?” She placed a palm over her belly, wishing she’d thought to eat a bit more at breakfast that morning. She was already feeling peckish, and heaven knew how long they’d be stuck there.
“Only temporarily.” Grinning, he hoisted himself onto the bench, then slung his legs over the side of the boat and splashed, boots first, into the river. “Hold on.”
Fiona barely had time to grasp the bench before he lowered his shoulder against the hull and shoved repeatedly. The boat lurched an inch or two each time before one strong heave finally dislodged it. Gray chased the boat into deeper water and was quickly submerged to his waist.
She panicked briefly at the thought that she might float away without him, but he lunged for the side and managed to climb in, spraying her with water in the process.
“Forgive me,” he said, looking distinctly unapologetic.
She shrugged and smiled. “A few water droplets never hurt anyone, and running aground is one more notable detail in a day I shall never forget.” She could hardly wait to write about her adventure in her journal and was already considering possible titles for the entry.
“A River Tryst?” No.