With a flippant air Serena moved away from his glowering regard, Kit’s eyes following her, watching the natural sway of her hips and how the firelight turned her hair to a living flame. She was so beautiful, so bravely, defiantly beautiful, and when he thought of her deliberate, provocative behaviour over recent days, he felt anger pound against his temple.
‘Well, Kit? What do you mean by this impropriety?’
The menace in Kit’s eyes holding hers with a terrifying glitter was visible and deadly. Rising out of the chair, he approached her with the quiet stealth of a cobra about to strike. A deep crease had formed between his eyebrows, and in his eyes was a simmering anger, a violence fighting its way up to the surface.
Fear began to take its grip on Serena when he remained silent. ‘I don’t know the reason for your dark mood, but please leave, Kit. You—you look awful.’
When she tried to pass him, his arm shot out and he pushed her brutally against the wood panelling beside the fireplace, glowering down at her. Averting her gaze from his angry face, her eyes were drawn to the dark hairs exposed beneath his rolled-up shirtsleeves on his forearm. There was something so masculine in the strength of that arm preventing her escape that her heartbeat quickened.
‘Don’t play games with me,’ Kit growled, his eyebrows drawn together with brittle anger. ‘You tempt and entice me like a woman tempted by desires of her own. I warn you to take care because you push me to my limits.’
‘Kindly release me,’ Serena demanded bravely. With his jaw set and his nostrils white with anger, she realised he was in a tyrannical mood from which no human power could move him. ‘I think you forget yourself.’
‘Nay, lady,’ he growled, his fingers tightening on her shoulders, gritting his teeth against violence as her heady scent invaded every pore of his being. ‘It’s you who forget yourself. It’s you who plays the strumpet with my closest friend.’
Serena threw him a taunting smile. ‘Are you jealous, my lord?’
Kit’s eyes narrowed dangerously, the black orbs burning ruthlessly down into her own, his anger surmounted by growing passion. ‘I’m not a man inclined to jealousy, but this time—with you—Goddamn it, Serena, I’m not a eunuch. I warn you to have a care, especially where Ludovick is concerned. I worry about the manner in which you are leading him by the nose like a poodle down a path to no-where—how you show romantic interest without having serious intentions. Are you so simple that you cannot see he’s taken the bait and means to have you?’
‘As his mistress or his wife?’ Serena goaded through her fear. Kit’s taut face was close to hers, his hot breath fanning her face.
‘Ludovick will be content with either. But he hasn’t spent weeks alone with you like I have. I know you in a way he never could.’
‘And how is it that you have such knowledge about my emotions when I have not expressed them?’
‘Because I do not imagine what your eyes say to me. They are far too eloquent, Serena. Nor did I imagine what your lips said to me.’ Kit’s eyelids drooped as his eyes fastened themselves on her lips, as if he meant to sample their sweetness once more, but they returned to her eyes.
‘I congratulate you. You play your part to perfection. Your talents as a temptress are not lacking. No sooner did Ludovick arrive than you began your enticement, and if you don’t care for him you should tell him so. I am heartily tired of your game. I will not watch you parade and flaunt yourself brazenly before Ludovick any longer, as though it pleases you to make a fool of me.’
‘Game! I play no game.’
‘No? You shamelessly exhibit your charms with such expert ease that I ask myself—how many other unsuspecting swains have you lured into your net?’ He spoke sarcastically, with cold contempt.
Ire brought a fiery sparkle to Serena’s eyes. She struggled against his hands still clasped like a vice over her shoulders, his fingers bruising her soft flesh until the pain brought tears to her eyes, but he refused to relinquish his hold or to take his merciless eyes off her.
‘Was Blackwell one of them?’ Kit hissed cruelly. ‘Did you harbour a romantic fancy and play the temptress to entice him—only to find your naïve, unsuspecting female heart was faced with a rampaging beast with no thought other than to violate you?’
‘How dare you say that to me—after what he did to me, after what he’s done to us both,’ Serena flung back at him. Her face changed from crimson to white, and she fought with all her strength to hold back the tears that swamped her.
‘Aye, the man has maimed us in different ways,’ Kit rasped, ‘but at least you can be sure of surviving with your neck intact.’ Suddenly his fingers relaxed their terrible hold and he dropped his arms, taking a step back from her. His face was as if carved from granite, and there was a saturnine twist to his mouth which made Serena want to hit him. ‘When Ludovick calls on you tomorrow, you will send word with one of the servants that you are indisposed. You will not see him. Is that understood? I will witness no more flaunting of yourself beneath this roof.’
Defiance showed through Serena’s fear. ‘And you think that because you give me shelter you can dictate my every move?’
‘Have a care,’ he snarled, fury blazing in his eyes, noting a pulse beating in the long curve of her throat that almost drove him crazy. ‘Whilst you reside in this house and remain in my charge, you will do exactly as you are told.’
‘And you, sir, will allow me some privacy by removing your odious presence from my eyes and my room this instant before I raise the whole house. How will you explain that to your mother, pray?’
Incensed by her tenacity, Kit’s hands clamped down hard on her shoulders once more, bringing a moan to Serena’s lips when she felt the renewed pain. ‘If you so much as open your mouth to create such havoc, I will give you cause to regret it,’ he growled, his face close to hers. Illuminated in the dim light from the candles, his face was contorted with fury and desire, the line of his mouth cruel.
Hiding her fear, Serena tossed back her head and glared at him defiantly. ‘How dare you? Whatever you hope to gain by remaining in my room when you clearly have so low an opinion of me baffles me.’
Kit thrust his face close. ‘Then I think it’s time I showed you.’
She stood still, her face flushing with indignation as his eyes boldly raked her, from her face to the gentle swell of her partially exposed bosom. When his eyes came back to her lips she spoke, trying to move back, but his hands held on to her shoulders and she found her back still pressed against the wooden panel of the wall. ‘Don’t you dare kiss me,’ she said as his face came closer. ‘I’ll scream.’
His fingers slid through and gripped the hair on either side of her face. ‘With my lips on yours I would say that’s a physical impossibility.’
Letting his anger and need dictate his actions, Kit ground his lips savagely against hers so that she could hardly breath. There was nothing tender in that kiss. It was punishing and bruising. Often Serena had dreamed of him kissing her in the same tender manner as when he had kissed her before, not like this, in anger and contempt. It took the breath from her body and for a moment she swayed against him, hating him, and hating her own body for the treacherous ease with which it betrayed her.
Recollecting herself she fought him, intent on inflicting pain and careless of receiving it. Suddenly he released his grip. No longer supported, Serena lost her balance and crumpled to the floor, but that kiss had laid bare the pitiless, hopeless love she felt for him. For an instant Kit remained motionless, looking down at her, listening to the chaotic pounding of his heart as desperation died and it slowly returned to normal. He was aware of the woman huddled at his feet—of her stricken face, her hair a wild tangle about her shoulders, her soft lips bruised and trembling.
The shock of the last few minutes had eaten into the deepest cavities of Serena’s being and she remained where she had fallen. With eyes alive with fear, vivid and awash with tears, she raised them to Kit’s, and Kit despised himself for what he h
ad just done. The sight of her tears and, God forgive him, the fear in her eyes when she looked at him drained away the last of his anger and almost unmanned him.
Unable to see her so distraught, he groaned wretchedly, wanting to hold her, to beg her forgiveness. Swiftly he fell down on one knee beside her, gathering up her unresisting body and drawing her gently into his arms, burying his face in her tumbling, sweet-scented hair and feeling a deep surge of compassion and grieving for the hurt he had caused her.
Unable to pull away from his all-enveloping arms, Serena placed her face on his chest and huddled against him like a child. She tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words because of the scalding tears rolling down her cheeks and filling her throat. The pain was so great she was unable to utter a word. Kit felt her body convulse against him and his arms tightened.
‘Don’t cry, Serena,’ Kit entreated, his voice hoarse and strained. ‘Please, my love, don’t cry. Forgive me. I’m a brute—I know it. Please, love—don’t cry. You are the last person in the whole world I would hurt.’
Raising her head, she gazed at him, meeting his eyes on a level with her own, wondering if she had heard that small word of endearment. His eyes were disarmingly tender as they gazed into hers, which made her heart beat wildly and a soft glow spread over her features. His fingers gently brushed away her hair clinging to her wet cheeks and, bending his head he began to cover her tearstained face with feather-light kisses.
‘I do forgive you,’ Serena whispered, glorying in his closeness. ‘But what did you call me?’
‘My love,’ he breathed, looking deep into her eyes. ‘There, you have it, Serena. I love you, which is why I cannot bear to see another man touch you. Not even Ludovick, my closest friend.’
‘You—you jest.’
‘I would not jest on so serious a matter. Do you love me?’
Serena gazed at him. ‘Deeply. Mock if you will, but I do love you.’
‘I will not mock—Serena—my love. My darling girl, I have loved you from the start.’
To be told he loved her, that he had loved her from the first, even when they had fought and been at odds with each other, touched the deepest and most sensitive chord within Serena. Savouring the exquisite happiness, the only thing she was aware of was Kit holding her, his hand gently stroking her hair and the comforting, masculine smell of him.
He placed his lips softly against her head, his arms tightening around her. ‘What is between us is too strong to deny, Serena. Can you tell me you don’t feel what I feel, that you don’t tremble when I hold you and kiss you—that you don’t want what I want?’
She tilted her head and looked at him, drowning in his dark-eyed stare. ‘That is exactly how I feel, Kit. But I had to fight it. I was so afraid that I would be unable to leave you when the time came.’
‘And now?’
She sighed against him. ‘I was right. I cannot leave you,’ she murmured, raising her lips and placing them tenderly on the warm flesh of his neck. ‘I believe I have loved you from the start without knowing it, but I fought it—and you. I told myself that I wanted nothing from you—that I desperately wanted the journey to Scotland to end so that I could go to my father and put some semblance of order back into my life. But I could not escape the fact that my heart rejoiced every moment I was with you.’
Kit’s arms tightened and he planted a kiss lightly on her hair. ‘Bless you for that, my love. Poor Ludovick,’ he said after a moment, suddenly remembering his friend and how disappointed he was going to be. ‘We must tell him.’
‘I already have. I realised I couldn’t fight what I feel for you any longer, and I realised I was being silly trying to make you jealous with your friend.’
‘So—you admit it?’
‘Yes. Absolutely.’
‘Then why didn’t you tell me you’d already told him, instead of letting me bluster on?’
Serena’s cheeks dimpled in a smile. ‘Perhaps that’s because I enjoy your blusterings, my lord. They’ve certainly given added spice to my life of late. Why didn’t you tell me you loved me?’
‘I had to consider very carefully what it would entail before I made any commitment to you. After being the recipient of your tongue on frequent occasions, I realised there was need for caution. I was fearful in case a lifetime with you by my side reduced my life span by a decade or more. And besides,’ he murmured, a hint of gravity entering his voice, ‘I knew you had set your heart on going to your father. I didn’t want to stand in your way—and I knew I could not give you the life you deserved—not until my name has been cleared of the foul accusations against me and my honour restored.’
Serena looked at him with loving eyes. ‘You’re wrong, Kit. Honour! You still have honour. It is something no king can give. It’s something you give yourself. That, no man can take away from you.’
Kit met her gaze, his dark eyes probing hers deeply. ‘You’re a strange woman, Serena Carberry. In all truth I cannot make you out.’
‘Then don’t try. Do you know how fine you are to me, Kit Brodie?’
‘No—but you can always show me,’ he breathed, his lips hovering enticingly over hers. ‘I’m not the kind of man who wears his heart on his sleeve—but suddenly the treacherous thing just fell there and there it remains, my love.’
‘And that is where I insist you keep it.’
‘That is music to my ears. Will you be my wife, Serena? Will you marry me now—here in Edinburgh, before I leave for London?’
‘There is nothing I want more. But not only do I want to be your wife, but your lover and your friend—and as such I will go with you to London to be by your side throughout your trial.’
‘I’m reluctant to allow you to put yourself at risk on my account. There’s every possibility that you will be arrested when it’s discovered who you are. But it will be difficult leaving you behind. Being alone with you for so long transported me to heights beyond all endurance. No man should be made to suffer so.’
Serena listened to him while her heart beat in chaotic rhythm. ‘I didn’t mean for you to suffer so, Kit. Had I known, I would have—’
‘What?’ he murmured, touching her responsive lips with his own. ‘Relieved my suffering?’
‘Only by removing myself from such close proximity,’ she teased.
‘Never do that. You drove me hard, Serena. You were always so close—yet so elusive that it became torture for me just to look at you. I was soundly caught in a trap, my love.’
Unable to resist her a moment longer, he lowered his lips and covered her mouth, snatching her breath into his own, teasing her lips when they opened to his. Pulling her down on to the carpet beside him, he slipped his hand about her waist as she stretched out her body against his, touching full length while he kissed her in a passionate frenzy, amazed and intrigued by the mixture of innocence and boldness which fired this woman with whom he would spend the rest of his days. Raising his head, he looked down at her, unable to get enough of her.
‘Here, let me look at you,’ he murmured, pushing back the hair which had fallen over her face. ‘You’re so adorable.’
Serena sighed, allowing him to look his fill. He had never looked at her like this and she found it oddly disturbing. ‘Kit,’ she whispered.’
‘Hush,’ he breathed, leaning over her, his mouth teasing hers, her lips warm, eager and sweet as sweet could be opening under his own. Kit felt her whole body quiver with desire. She was so appealing he felt his heart turn over. ‘Don’t talk. I don’t want to waste time talking. I’ve waited too long for this moment. We may have so little time to be together.’
Serena stiffened against him. ‘Kit! Why do you say that?’
‘I have no illusions about my trial—what may happen. There is every possibility that I shall be found guilty and condemned.’
In alarm Serena sat up, her glorious flame-coloured hair tumbling over them both like a silken sheet. ‘No. It can’t happen—can it, Kit?’
‘It’s not unlikely.�
�
Fearfully Serena looked down at him, his achingly handsome face languid and his dark eyes heavy with passion as his fingers gently traced the line of her throat. ‘Please tell me all is not lost,’ she begged.
‘I can’t,’ he answered, pulling her down, wishing he’d never mentioned the trial.
Kit’s heart was beating so hard Serena could feel it against her own. His mouth consumed hers with a hunger that demanded more, rousing her sensations and persuading her heart to beat in a frantic rhythm. Her fervour mounted by the second, and she caught her breath as suddenly she was overcome with a sense of panic. Feeling there might be few times for them to be together like this, she was lifted high by a love stronger than fear or reason.
‘Kit—love me,’ she said in a shaken whisper, his passion having ignited a flame within her that would not be easily quenched. ‘If that is what you fear love me now—before it’s too late for either of us.’
He raised his head and gazed at her, her words spiralling through him dizzily as he battled with his desire. Hot blood flowed into his loins, heightening his tormented, hungering need, and he knew he must leave her now, otherwise there would be no stopping him. ‘No, my love. Your kisses set my body ablaze for want of more, but difficult as it will be we must wait until we are man and wife.’
Deliberately Serena disengaged herself from his arms and got to her feet, taking it upon herself for what would happen next. Not taking her eyes from Kit, who remained lying sideways on the carpet, his head propped up on one arm and his gaze fastened intently on her, silently she began removing her clothes, one by one, dropping each article on to the floor as he watched in fascination, making no attempt to stop her as she fired his appetite a degree more with each garment she discarded.
She was wanton, bold, and she performed without modesty, like a consummate artist, who knew the secrets of kindling a man’s desire. In the golden glow of the firelight her exposed, proffered beauty stole Kit’s breath away, and the harsh intake of his breath was the sweetest accolade of all to Serena.
Conspiracy of Hearts Page 24