by Bold, Diana
The servants brought out the first course. When they withdrew, Sutcliffe let the weight of his gaze fall upon each of them. “This is certainly a first. All my dutiful children sitting down to supper together. Of course, you’ll be leaving soon, so we won’t have to make a habit of it.”
Kathryn felt Daniel’s sudden tension. Despite everything that had happened, she pitied her husband. She knew how it felt to be scorned and ridiculed by your own father.
“You mean to go through with this?” Daniel’s face paled, and she saw the faint tremor in his hand when he picked up his fork.
“Of course. Did you think I would change my mind?” Sutcliffe shook his head. “You’re a fool.”
Daniel put his fork back down without taking a bite. “You’ll forgive me, then, if I decline the pleasure of dining with the lot of you. There are other places I’d rather spend my last two nights of freedom.” He gave Kathryn a wry, apologetic smile. Then he stood and exited the room.
Sutcliffe cursed under his breath and then turned his wrath upon Kathryn. “This is your fault. If you’d been woman enough to keep him at home, none of us would be in this situation.”
Kathryn sucked in her breath, but before she could say a word in her own defense, Talon stood up and threw down his napkin. “I won’t listen to this. I refuse to stand by while you belittle her.”
“You refuse?” Sutcliffe stood as well, and the two of them faced off, nose to nose. “Who are you to refuse me anything? Need I remind you that I hold the future of everything you care about in the palm of my hand?”
Fury sparked in Talon’s beautiful eyes, and Kathryn felt the tiniest fission of fear creep down her spine. This wasn’t the tender friend who’d offered her a shoulder to lean on and wiped away her tears. The stranger across the table was every bit as dangerous as the man who had sired him.
“You are an evil son of a bitch,” Talon muttered, spinning on his heels.
The moment Talon left the room, Kathryn got to her feet as well. She’d rather starve than stay here with her father‐in‐law. But when she reached the door, she turned and met his icy gaze.
“You may as well get used to dining alone,” she told him, shocked by her own audacity. “You’ve just insured you shall remain that way for the rest of your life.”
* * * * *
Talon went searching for Kate the next morning. He had a strange, masochistic compulsion to spend more time with her. Surely, once he got to know her better, he would see she was just like all the other women he’d known. Manipulative, conniving, uncaring of anything but her own needs and wants.
If he didn’t find a reason to dislike her, it would be almost impossible to do as his father commanded.
He found her in the library, pouring over a huge tomb of sea navigation. He knew the book well because one just like it had graced the captain’s cabin aboard his ship, The Western Sky. The book was an old friend and had guided him through many a storm.
He paused in the doorway, enjoying this chance to observe her. She twined a strand of hair around her finger as she read, an adorable wrinkle in her brow. The complicated sea charts probably looked like Greek to her.
He smiled and entered the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. She jumped and closed the book, looking like a child who’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar.
“What are you doing?” He crossed the room and leaned one hip against the edge of the table, looming over her. “What are you reading?”
She sighed, but he didn’t miss the hint of color that stained her cheeks. For some reason, she was embarrassed to have been caught reading. “It appears I shall be going to America, whether I like it or not. I thought it would be wise to find out as much about the land and people as I can.”
His gaze shifted from her lovely face back to the table. Beneath the navigational chart were various histories of the Americas. His regard leapt another notch. He’d never known a woman who liked to read. Never known one who could read, come to think of it.
“I like the way your mind works.”
She frowned, seeming truly upset. “Don’t tease me. Not about this.”
“I’m not teasing.” He leaned forward and stared into her troubled eyes, wondering why on earth she’d think such a thing. “Your intelligence is one of the most attractive things about you.”
She flushed and looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. “My father says an educated woman is nothing more than a harlot. At school, they taught us to read, but only for the purpose of writing notes and planning menus.”
The mention of Kate’s father made Talon’s blood boil. He hated the fact that such a heartless, unfeeling bastard had raised her. Once again he felt the strange urge to shelter her, to protect her from life’s harshness.
“If you were mine…” The words were out before he could stop them. Dangerous, treacherous words. He pulled away, a bit startled by what they made him feel.
“Go on,” she whispered, her eyes wide.
He laughed, a short, strained sound. “I would never discourage you from broadening your mind.”
Naked gratitude shone in her eyes. It was obvious no one had ever shown her any sort of encouragement. How very sad. He also knew she was beginning to care for him, and he wanted to warn her not to. Didn’t she know better than to wear her heart on her sleeve?
She blinked and looked away. “Do you know anything about the sea?”
“Quite a bit, actually. Until recently, I was… a ship’s captain.” He thought it best to hide the exact nature of his past profession. It seemed a lifetime ago anyway. Sometimes he wondered if he’d dreamed the successful life he’d built for himself.
“Really? I didn’t know that about you. So, you know the route we’ll be taking?”
He leaned closer, inhaling a deep breath of her sweet smelling, freshly washed hair. “I think we’ll probably go this way.” He covered her hand with his and trailed her fingertip over the map. “At least, this is the way I’d go if I were at the helm.”
She trembled and then turned her palm face up, twining her fingers with his. “Thank you for taking me to see my father. I’ve never had a friend like you.”
“Friends?” His gaze was drawn to the plump fullness of her bottom lip. He was dying for another taste of her. “Is that what we are?”
Her eyes widened, mirroring his reckless desire. “Of course. That’s all we can be.”
“Is it?” He ran his thumb over her cheek, willing her to make the first move. If only she’d meet him halfway and play the seductress. He wanted to be able to tell himself she’d known what she was getting in to.
“Oh, Talon.” She closed her eyes and turned her head, pressing her lips to his palm. “You make me ache for things I cannot have.”
“Come here.” He swept aside the books and sat on the edge of the table, then tugged on her hand until she stood. “Let me hold you for awhile.”
A choked little laugh escaped her lips. “This is so very wrong.”
He pulled her closer, into the lee of his thighs, reveling in the soft press of her breasts again his chest. He thought of what she’d said, about aching for things she couldn’t have. He felt it, too. This was the third time he’d held her, and it seemed more natural each time.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I fear this thing between us will end badly. Already you’re monopolizing my thoughts and stealing my breath.”
He smiled into her hair, glad he wasn’t the only one. “Then why do you fight it?”
She lifted her head, and there were tears in her eyes. “Because I must. Daniel doesn’t take our vows seriously, but I could never forgive myself if I were to forsake them as well.”
He sighed and released her. “I’ll respect your wishes.” He forced a lightness he was far from feeling into his tone. “But I’m going crazy cooped up in this house. Would you like to go riding?”
She hesitated for a long moment, and he could see the battle being waged within her. She obviously wanted
to spend more time with him, but it went against everything she’d ever been taught.
Come on. Take a chance. Just this once.
His silent pleading seemed to work. “Yes,” she said. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Eight
As Kate hurried up to her room to change, she knew she’d been a fool to agree to go riding with Talon. But how could she have said no?
He was everything she’d ever wanted. Handsome and kind, yet wild and a little dangerous. He treated her as though her opinion mattered, as though what she said and thought were of interest. When she was with him, the harsh reality of her life drifted away. He made her feel young again.
She frowned at the thought. Why shouldn’t she feel young? She was only twenty‐two years old. Her marriage to Daniel was making her old before her time. With new determination, she finished buttoning her emerald riding habit, then pinned her hair up beneath a jaunty green hat.
When she met Talon in the stables fifteen minutes later, his gaze swept over her with undisguised appreciation. “I’ve never known a woman to be so prompt, yet still manage to look so lovely.”
She smiled, trying to tamp down the pleasure his words provoked. “I’ve never known a man so free with his compliments.”
A charming grin lit his face, and he motioned toward the waiting horses. “The groom told me you preferred Ginger, so I took the liberty of having her saddled.”
“Ginger will be fine, and Jack here is another of my favorites.” Kate assessed Talon’s choice. For some reason she’d expected him to choose a high‐spirited stallion, perhaps that black devil his father liked to ride.
Instead he’d chosen a rangy, chestnut gelding.
Talon helped her mount the little gray mare, his hands lingering longer than necessary on her waist. A thrill moved through her when he leapt into his own saddle. He sat his horse with ease and fluid grace, as though he’d been born to it.
They rode west toward Hyde Park and the infamous stretch of road known as Rotten Row. It wasn’t long before they started garnering curious glances.
“We’re causing quite a scandal.” Kate bowed her head, guiding her mare closer to Talon’s mount so she could speak to him in whispered tones. “We should go somewhere else. By noon, everyone in town will know I was seen riding in the park with my husband’s brother.”
Talon raised a sardonic eyebrow. “Why do you care? You’ll be leaving soon. There’s nothing any of these small‐minded people can do to hurt you.”
He was absolutely right, and the knowledge freed her. For the first time in her life, she needn’t worry about what everyone thought. The only person who would be hurt by a scandal was her father‐in‐law.
She wanted to cause one just to spite him.
A laugh bubbled from her lips. Not the quiet, restrained laugh she’d been admonished to use in public. No, this laughter was uninhibited, husky, and not at all ladylike. Heads turned in her direction, but she ignored them, wondering why she’d ever cared what anyone thought about her in the first place.
Talon shot her a quick glance and then laughed with her, the deep sound ringing out across the park. “You have a beautiful laugh. I hope to hear it more often.”
“You will.” If anyone could make her laugh, it was him. She kicked Ginger into an undignified cantor, and Talon raced alongside her, his lean body moving in graceful tandem with his horse.
They sped past the sedate aristocracy who had come merely to see and be seen, through a copse of trees, and into a lovely little garden filled with wild roses and a small, white gazebo.
He reined in beside her, his blue eyes dancing with pure devilry. “Let’s stop here for awhile. You like roses, don’t you?”
She frowned, a prickle of unease chasing down her spine. The garden was completely secluded, the perfect place for a tryst. “Maybe we should head back to the house.”
“Nonsense.” He dismounted and came around to offer her a hand. “I’ve already promised to play the gentleman. You have nothing to fear from me.”
He’d only promised to play the gentleman, not be one.
She searched his gaze and then allowed him to help her dismount.
Once again, he held her against him, chest to chest, for just a moment longer than was necessary or proper. His scent, freshly washed skin, horses and musk, made her heady with delight. At last he stepped away, pressing one hand to the small of her back and leading her to the bench inside the gazebo.
“How did you know I liked roses?” She was desperate to get the conversation back to safe ground, determined to resist him no matter how much he tempted her.
He leaned against the rail and placed one booted foot on the bench beside her. Muscles rippled down the long length of his thigh, and she stared, transfixed.
Bowing his head, he fiddled with his jacket cuff. “I was in the library, back at the Manor, when Sutcliffe interrogated you.”
She’d already known that, thanks to Betsy, but she was glad he’d told her. For some reason, she didn’t want there to be any secrets between them. She sighed. “You must have thought me pathetic.”
He shook his head. “Ah, Kate. You were anything but that. I liked the way you stood up to my father. And I really loved the fact that you had dirt on your hands.”
She flushed and clenched her hands, trying to hide her calloused palms and chipped, ragged nails, once again afraid he was mocking her.
If only she were elegant and worldly, the kind of woman who could dazzle a man like Talon with her charm and wit. The kind of woman who could take a lover and not feel guilty about it.
“I’ll miss my roses.” She blinked, hoping she was strong enough to hold back more useless tears. “I think I’ll miss them most of all.”
He took her hands, bending down until his beautiful face was disturbingly close. “Tell me about your roses. Why do you enjoy gardening so much?”
No one had ever asked her about the things that made her happy. A lifetime of hopes and dreams were locked deep within her. She didn’t even know where to begin. “There’s just something about working in the dirt, getting dirty and sweaty, making things grow.” She shrugged, feeling silly. “When I’m out in the garden, I don’t have to worry about doing and saying all the right things. I can just be myself.”
He brought her hand to his lips, his long lashes sweeping low as his mouth brushed her knuckles. “You don’t ever have to pretend with me. I like you just the way you are.”
His lips were fine and full, warm and satiny to the touch. She wanted to kiss him, to run her hands over his skin. Lord, he was a dangerous, dangerous man.
Flustered, she pulled her hand away. “What are you passionate about, Talon? What makes you happy?”
A flicker of pain crossed his handsome features, but then he smiled. “I like simple things. The wind in my face. The smell of the sea. Warm, willing women.”
Warm, willing women. His words were like a dash of icy water in the face. They reminded her Talon Montgomery had been with dozens of women. He probably had to fight them off with a stick.
She didn’t doubt he could make her very happy for a night or two.
But then he’d move on. She’d be left behind, alone and unloved, more miserable then ever because she’d know what she was missing.
Clearing her throat, she stood. The time had come to put an end to this foolishness. “I think we should leave, Mr. Montgomery.”
* * * * *
Talon cursed himself all the way back to his father’s townhouse. What a royal botch he’d made of everything. Kate was silent beside him, her back rigid with dismay.
Warm, willing women. What a stupid thing to say. But her question had surprised him, and he’d realized that she was the only thing that had made him happy in a very long time. So he’d brazened it out, made it sound as though she were merely one of hundreds, thousands even, to cover his discomfort.
Now she thought he would use her then abandon her without a backward glance. He wanted to pull her off that
horse and shake her, make her look into his eyes and see what kind of man he truly was…
His thoughts trailed off, and embarrassed heat crept into his cheeks. Necessity had made him exactly the kind of man she feared him to be.
What was it about her that made him forget himself? When he held her in his arms, he forgot about his men, forgot everything but the memory of her lips melting beneath his, her softness, the scent of roses and innocence.
She made him feel alive, as though anything were possible.
He had to remember this wasn’t a romance. He was being blackmailed, and he couldn’t afford to let himself be carried away by emotion.
It was best to nip this maudlin daydreaming in the bud. He had to focus on the subject at hand—cold‐hearted seduction.
He was pushing her too fast.
She was attracted to him. But she was suffering intense guilt over the one meager kiss they’d already shared. Her defenses were up, and she was determined not to give in to him again.
Well, he didn’t have time for her maidenly protests. He wanted her to fall willingly into his arms. He wanted her to be a different kind of woman altogether. One who’d take the pleasure he offered and not be burdened by morality.
He sighed, and she turned to look at him. Her gaze was reproachful, even a little fearful. But beneath it all was something else, something hungry and needy. Something that made him think maybe he hadn’t botched it after all.
Forcing himself to be ruthless, he pasted on his most charming smile. “I’m sorry if I offended you. It certainly wasn’t my intention.”
She gave a dismissive flick of her hand, her face softening. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come with you. It was selfish.”
“How often do you do anything for yourself?” He shook his head. “Don’t regret the time we spend together, Kate. I won’t allow it.”
“You won’t allow it?” Her voice rose in disbelief. “Don’t tell me what you will and won’t allow. I already have enough men in my life telling me what to do.”