Two Shades of Seduction

by Monica Burns

  Arousal skimmed its way through her blood, and she put several feet between them. Not because he intimidated her of course, but because… Lord. Of course, the man intimidated her, not to mention disturbed her. Something about the Earl of Devlyn said his kisses would be potent and heady. Completely unlike the one or two caresses she’d received from Shively.

  Devlyn’s mouth tilted upward on one side in that dangerous smile of his. It emphasized his scar, making him look every inch the wicked scoundrel people claimed he was. It also emphasized he was quite capable of breaking her heart if she were to let her guard down. But she would ensure that wouldn’t happen. This was strictly a means to escape her father’s tyranny and experience what it was like to be made love to by a man of Devlyn’s experience.

  “Are you having second thoughts, Miss Hamilton?”

  “Most certainly not.” She straightened her spine and tilted her head at a proud angle.

  “You don’t appear all that certain.”

  “And exactly how do I look?”

  “Like you’re afraid I’m going to take a bite out of you.” His wicked smile made Sophie scowl at him.

  “You exaggerate, my lord,” she snapped.

  The swiftness with which he moved caught her by surprise as he pulled her against him. The scent of sandalwood teased her senses as her face came within inches of his. Hard muscles rippled beneath her palms as the white linen of his shirt grazed her fingertips. Even through her riding habit, she could feel the heat of him warming her body.

  Her gaze dropped to the buttons running from the base of his throat downward. What would his bare skin feel like against her hands if she were to unbutton his shirt? His forefinger traced her lips, and she trembled at the intimate touch. Was he going to kiss her? The green eyes staring into hers took on a lazy gleam.

  “Exaggeration is for the timid, my dear Miss Hamilton, and I’m far from timid. But be assured of one thing. When I take a bite out of you—and I will take a bite, my sweet,” he murmured in a voice that was like sinful velvet against her skin. “I promise you’ll never forget my doing so.”

  The words weren’t just an invitation to sin. They held a promise of something she wasn’t sure she would survive. Good Lord, if she didn’t take care, this man could easily rule her heart with just the sound of his voice. His lips brushed over hers in a feathery caress, and she trembled at the touch. She had to do something to restore the balance of power between them.

  “And I’m sure you’ll never forget my allowing you to do so, my lord.” Her words brought a laugh to his lips as he eyed her with amusement.

  “Should I be worried your given name is Kate as in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew?”

  “No,” she said with irritation. “My name is Sophie.”

  “I like how eager you are, Sophie. I suggest we dispense with the formalities of an engagement and marry three days from now.”

  “Three days. I don’t think—”

  “I have a feeling you think far too much,” he murmured in a voice that made her breath hitch.

  His features blurred as he captured her mouth. Hot like a summer day, his lips singed hers. The heat of his kiss simmered and melted its way into her limbs, leaving her with a craving for more. An unfamiliar sensation spread its way through her body, igniting a fire inside her that she didn’t know how to quench. No one had ever kissed her like this before. It made her weak at the knees, and she fought to keep her senses from reeling.

  Without thinking, she kissed him back. A growl rumbled in his chest. It was a primitive sound that made her lips part slightly, and instantly his tongue swept into her mouth. The taste of brandy laced its way over her tongue. Although the liquor’s flavor held no fire, it didn’t need to. The way his tongue swirled around hers made up for the lost heat of the brandy. White-heat plundered its way through her veins, and she moaned with delight.

  She wanted to sink into him. Mold her body to his and allow him to do whatever he demanded of her. Sweet Lord, this was beyond her wildest, most hedonistic imaginings. She’d never expected to feel so wanton, so eager for a man to take her into his bed. Fear suddenly knifed through her. Restraint. She needed to come to her senses. Desperate to regain control of the situation, she turned her head away from him. Hands splayed across his chest, she pushed against him in an effort to escape.

  Immediately, he released her. Devoid of his heat, a chill swept over her. She didn’t like the cold sensation. A craving to feel the warmth of his touch again made her stomach lurch. Still shocked by the wanton feelings he’d aroused in her, Sophie kept her eyes averted. Her breathing was ragged, and her heart was still racing as she endeavored to control the intensity of the sensations he’d stirred to life inside her.

  As she struggled with the strength of her reaction to his kiss, she shuddered. She’d responded to his touch like a woman starved for love and affection. The realization made her heart sink. He’d been in jest that they marry. What man would want a woman so much older than him? Just the way he’d pushed her away so abruptly spoke volumes.

  After all, she was the daughter of the man who had ruined him. How could he possibly be serious about marrying her? No doubt, he’d merely been toying with her. He’d taken pity on her and given her a taste of what could have been for her if she were much younger.

  She straightened her shoulders at the thought. She might be an old maid, but she still had her pride. Pity was the last thing she wanted from anyone, least of all this man. Head held high, she looked at the earl once more. Despite the several feet between them, Sophie noticed how his chest rose and fell rapidly, almost as if he’d been running.

  There was an odd expression on his face that vanished the moment he caught her studying him so intently. Perhaps he hadn’t been completely unaffected by their kiss. She dismissed the thought as a wild fantasy.

  “This is a mistake,” she said in a quiet, yet firm, voice.

  “It’s not a mistake to feel desire.” A dark emotion flashed in his green eyes and made her heart skip a beat.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t lie to me or yourself, Sophie,” he bit out. “You came close to letting me have you on my desk right now.”

  The shocking statement made Sophie swallow hard as Devlyn’s gaze bore into her. He was right. If he’d pressed his advantage, she would have surrendered to him without any protest. Sophie shuddered and looked away from his intense gaze. God in Heaven, what was happening to her? Despite being so much older than him, the man made her feel like an innocent, and she was far from that.

  She knew what went on between a man and a woman. She’d witnessed it that day in the stables when Eleanor had been rutting with a stable hand. No, the only innocence she possessed was from the actual experience itself.

  Innocent or not, she’d been daft to think she could marry a man so much younger than herself. It just wasn’t done. She winced at how foolish she’d been to come here. Determined not to act the fool, Sophie forced herself to look at him again. She expected amusement, but something far darker glittered in his green eyes, and it made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

  “I concede that what I felt was…it makes no difference what I felt,” she snapped “My coming here today was a mistake. The arrangement I proposed is ludicrous.”

  “Is it? I don’t see how,” he said as he narrowed his gaze on her. “I think it will be mutually beneficial for both of us. In fact, I think it will be even more pleasurable than either of us expect.”

  “I am sorry, but it’s impossible. I’m…well I’m far too old for you. I’m certain you need an heir, and the possibility of me…it’s highly questionable as to my ability to…provide you with one. I’m sure you’ve plenty of younger women to select from when it comes to your choice of a bride. One of them would be more capable…suitable when it comes to providing you with an heir. And as I’ve said, there’s the age difference between us. While I’m certain it would be pleas—it’s impossible, i
t simply won’t work. I can’t give you an heir, and I just don’t think this—”

  “Enough.” The harshness of his voice scraped a chill down her spine. She would not want to anger this man. She didn’t move or speak as he folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. “I can’t abide prattling in anyone, least of all a woman.”

  “I was not prattling,” she snapped then bit her lip as Devlyn arched a stern eyebrow at her. He was right. She had been prattling.

  “You have something I want, Sophie. You offered me the chance to take revenge on your father in exchange for my name. We both agreed to our arrangement. You might be having second thoughts, but I don’t intend to let you or my chance for vengeance slip away.”

  “But you don’t understand—”

  “I understand perfectly. I excite you and that frightens you.” Despite the implacable expression on his face, it was the flash of desire in his eyes that made Sophie’s mouth go dry. She ignored the odd sensation tightening between her legs.

  “Now you’re being arrogant,” she snapped. She wasn’t sure if her anger was because he excited her or the fact that he knew it.

  “Simply because I’m younger than you doesn’t make me a fool. You might be older, but I have experience beyond anything you can imagine. Experience you covet.”

  She flinched at his confident tone. He was right. She was a frightened spinster who was terrified he could excite her so easily until she forgot everything but the way he was caressing her. Even more alarming was the possibility of what this devastating man might do to her heart. His reputation for breaking hearts was well-known to her. It had been painful enough when her father had helped Eleanor steal Andrew from her. Somehow, she was certain that if she developed feelings for Devlyn, losing him would make the anguish she’d experience at Andrew’s betrayal a mere pinprick to heart.

  More than that, she hated to admit Devlyn was right. She’d offered him something in exchange for his name. He’d agreed, and honor dictated she could not renege on the offer. The calculating gleam in his green eyes was intimidating. It made her wonder if he could read her thoughts.

  Sophie squared her shoulders. She refused to give way to her fear. All her life, she’d lived under her father’s tyranny, and she would not allow herself to suffer the same fate in her marriage to Devlyn. The only reason she’d suppressed her rebellion where her father was concerned had been to avoid physical retaliation. She wouldn’t jump from one frying pan into another.

  Once he left her bed, she would lead her own life and Devlyn would lead his. That’s how all her friends’ marriages worked, it would be no different for her. After all, wasn’t she simply buying a husband with her offer of revenge? Determined to regain her footing on the slippery slope she was climbing, she sent him a forthright look.

  “You’re correct, my lord. I proposed a bargain and you accepted. It would be dishonorable of me to back out of the agreement.” At the look of satisfaction on his fact, she shook her head. “There is one more item that is to be settled between us.”

  “Item?” His gaze narrowed at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

  “I will have your word that once we are no longer…sharing a marital bed, I am free to lead my life as I see fit. I will gladly see to the management of the household, but I will not agree to you dictating my every move.”

  “That’s a rather bold demand.”

  “It is part of our bargain. Agree or don’t.” She shrugged with a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “It is your choice.”

  Despite her bold words, she knew in reality that Devlyn could easily break his agreement once they were married. As her husband, he would essentially own her, but something about him made Sophie believe he would honor their agreement. For all his efforts to make himself out to be unredeemable, something in Devlyn’s gaze said there was another man hiding behind his reputation as a scoundrel.

  “I agree to this additional item,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice as he nodded his head. “Are there any other points you feel necessary to negotiate?”

  “No,” Sophie said as her cheeks grew hot.

  “Then it’s settled. And your father, I assume you’ve a plan as to what to tell your father.”

  “My father?” She flinched and felt the blood drain from her face.

  “Surely you didn’t think he would just let you waltz down the aisle with me.”

  “No, but in all honesty, I didn’t expect you to agree to my proposition.” For the first time, she realized it was true, she really hadn’t expected him to say yes to her proposal. A small smile twisted the corner of his mouth.

  “Well, now that I’ve agreed, we need a plan of action.”

  “A plan?”

  “Yes, a plan.” His authoritative manner seemed less intimidating to her as she realized it was simply his way to bring order to his thoughts. “Tomorrow, I’ll request a license from the local magistrate, and we’ll marry in three days. I believe my vicar is still in residence at the Devlyn parish. He can perform the ceremony. With regard to your father and sister, I believe the element of surprise will work in our favor.”

  “But—”

  “Are you familiar with the trail that winds through the glen near the old woodcutters cottage?”

  “Yes.” She nodded her head as she tried to keep up with each new twist of their conversation.

  “Good. Meet me in the glen at noon tomorrow. Cook will prepare a lunch basket for us.”

  “I’m sorry, my lord, but I don’t understand.”

  “How long have you known me, Sophie?” he asked with a note of exasperation in his voice. Startled by the question, she frowned. How long had she known him? She glanced at the mantle clock.

  “Less than an hour, my lord.”

  “Precisely. The gossips will wag their tongues enough at our alliance. But if we spend time together before our marriage, we can honestly say we courted in secret. It will protect your reputation to some degree.”

  He was worried about her reputation? It was an honorable gesture, and it warmed her heart. She’d learned a long time ago not to believe anything her father or Eleanor said. But her friends had hardly been complimentary about Devlyn, either. Her face must have signaled what she was thinking as his mouth twisted into a derisive smile.

  “My reputation for debauchery doesn’t mean I have no honor.” There was just a tinge of bitterness in his voice, and she experienced a flash of guilt at having judged him without knowing him. She shook her head.

  “I try never to listen to gossip. Invariably, it proves false in the end.”

  “So, I’m to marry an innocent philosopher who craves excitement.” The gentle teasing made her cheeks hot for not the first time since entering his domain. Something dangerous glinted in his green-eyed gaze, and a frisson skimmed across her skin. “Remember, Sophie, desire is not shameful, but lying to one’s self is.”

  “And you call me a philosopher?” At her retort, he grinned. It lightened his dark features and made him look like a youth far younger than his thirty-two years.

  “Just remember that I also hold the title of scoundrel as well.”

  The wicked glint of humor in his eyes made her laugh. As he arched his eyebrows at her laughter, her pulse hummed along at a faster pace. She would need to guard her heart well. Despite what she’d heard about this man, he was far more enigmatic than she’d ever expected. Being his wife could easily be her downfall.

  Chapter 3

  Sophie quietly entered Townsend Hall through the servant’s entrance and hurried up the back stairwell in her effort to remain unseen by her father. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her lack of composure at the moment. Once inside her room, she breathed a sigh of relief. Deceiving her father would not be an easy task. She’d never been very good at lying.

  Her stomach lurched as she remembered how at six years old, she’d accidentally knocked over the inkwell on her father’s desk when he was away from home. She had ruined his blotter and the desk ha
d been marred. It had been the innocent mishap of a small child, but her father had been furious when he’d returned home and discovered her crime. Her childish attempt to avoid his wrath had resulted in a lamentable attempt to deny any wrongdoing. Despite her mother’s protests, the lie had earned her a beating she’d never forgotten.

  Now, she was about to ignore that terrible childhood lesson by betraying him. Sophie swallowed the ball of fear tightening her throat as guilt lowered its weight on her shoulder. What sort of a daughter would turn her back on her father? In the next breath, a fiery anger knocked the thought aside. Her father was a tyrant. A man without scruples who treated his servants better than the woman the world believed was his firstborn. Not once in Sophie’s life had he ever spared her a kind word or the benefit of his affection. She owed him nothing.

  With a sharp inhalation of air, she crossed the floor to her dresser and its oval looking glass. Slowly, she rolled the veil covering her face upward until the netting rested on the brim of her hat. The woman staring back at her seemed like a stranger. Confidence and determination shone in a pair of wide hazel eyes. It was an expression she’d never seen in the mirror before.

  Was this what happened when one took their destiny into their own hands and shaped it into the form they wished? And that’s what she was doing. Her decision to offer Devlyn his revenge had taken more daring than she thought she possessed. She still couldn’t believe she’d been audacious enough to propose their bargain, or that he’d accepted. But then she’d never believed she would be daring enough to secretly keep a second set of her father’s financial records either.

  From the time she was a little girl using her fingers to count off her numbers, her skill with calculations had been obvious. It was practically the only thing her father had ever noticed about her and then only to exploit it. When she’d failed to make a match in her first season, her father had refused to pay for a second season in town. Instead, he had put her in charge of his accounts.