“Liar.”
She gasped.
A torrent of words fought to escape, words that would tell her how much he desired her, how exquisite she was, how sensual and how addictive. He stifled them all. He had no right to pay compliments to a woman he could place in the hangman’s noose. His soul grew colder than a frozen mountain peak. He’d known twelve years ago what clearing his father’s name would cost him. What he’d not understood, could obviously never have comprehended, was that his pilgrimage would likely kill the last shred of his humanity.
He wanted it to be over. Wanted his task finished. He wanted his life back.
He would settle down and become the head of a respectable, scandal-free family. He would put aside his desires, his wants, and ensure the Strathmore name rose to prominence once again. He’d sworn it on his father’s grave.
His cravat suddenly felt very tight.
The woman before him was everything he craved and everything he should fear. Beautiful, sensual, spirited, intelligent, and secretive. But was she deadly?
Rheda was like a drug seeping into his blood. In small doses he could control his need for her, but the more he saw, felt, and scented her, the stronger the craving became, until he could all but forget his mission. He could feel his resolve not to bed her slipping like a set of whore’s drawers.
Should he heed Alex’s advice? Was he so coldly calculating that he could seduce, bed, and then arrest her? He looked down into vibrant eyes of ocean green. They were defiantly challenging, and his blood heated. He would not delude himself. The answer was yes.
He took a breath and felt like a sinner in confession. “I have never willingly indulged in any relationship with Lady Umbridge.” He pressed on. “Yes, she was in my room when I returned from Tumsbury Cliff Manor last night. But not at my invitation. She’s simply trying to cause trouble. She’s the one who is jealous. She can sense my interest in you.”
He saw Rheda’s eyes flick over his face, and he steadfastly met her gaze.
“I want to believe you,” she said at last.
He didn’t understand why that was important to him. He advanced his course further. “There is one point on which I know we can agree. You want me just as much as I want you. Can you honestly deny it?”
She looked away, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth. When her gaze returned to his face he could tell she’d made a decision. “What does it matter? You would never want a marriage with the likes of me, and I’ll not hurt my brother with any further disgrace. There can be nothing between us.” She sighed in resignation. “Who you chose to sleep with is none of my concern.”
He allowed anger to seep into his voice. “It is of no importance who I’ve slept with in the past, true, only who I now wish to sleep with.” Lady Umbridge had pleasured him last night without his permission. He didn’t want to inform her he had actually been dreaming of Rheda’s mouth on him at the time. He pulled her to him like a fish on a line. “There is only one woman I want in my bed.” He took her lips in a kiss, the taste of her rousing his need to boiling point.
Guilt assailed him. He shouldn’t care about her, but he did. She was trying to do the right thing by her brother. He respected her for that.
Let her walk away
. But he couldn’t let her demise stand in his way. Not until he knew whether she was involved with smuggling or worse, treason.
Rufus’s heart clenched in his chest at the thought. A successful mission could mean her death. If she were guilty she’d hang. Not even he could save her.
He heard her wince. He noticed he was gripping her arms tightly and loosened his hold. He frowned. He couldn’t let himself have any feelings for this woman. Not when he might have to arrest her—or worse—see her put to death.
Instead he turned his anger upon her. “Then let’s end this before anyone gets hurt. Tell me about the barrel. What are you hiding? Who are you protecting?”
“Tell me why this information is so important. Then I might tell you. Can’t you trust me—”
He released her and stepped away. “No. I don’t trust anyone. Especially beautiful women.” He pushed his coat aside and lifted his shirt. Rheda gasped as his torso came in to view. “A woman whom I trusted gave me this. A woman equally alluring as you. A woman who also asked me to trust her.”
He was so beautiful. His chest and stomach glowed golden in the sun. Her hand rose to touch the sparse brown hair sprinkling his chest. Only when he was silent did she notice the jagged scar that sliced down his left side, destroying the perfection. She couldn’t imagine any woman wanting to mar such beauty. She had to curl her toes up tight to stop herself stepping forward and planting kisses on the scar’s jagged length.
“Who was she?” she asked in a quiet voice.
The pain drained from his eyes. He quickly lowered his shirt. “She is of no consequence.”
“That’s not true. She hurt you.” She tentatively touched his chest. “Why?”
“Why?”
“Why did she knife you?”
He looked away, his mouth set in a firm line. “Because I was a fool.”
“You’re a fool if you judge all women by one bad experience.” He tugged at his cuffs. “Says the woman who judges all men by her father’s standards of honor.”
She turned away before he could see the pain in her eyes. “You did not know my father.” Then she swung back to face him. “If you had you’d probably have liked him. He, too, loved bedding as many women as he could, while never engaging any other emotion than lust.”
Rufus’s lip curled up in disgust. “Lust is an emotion men cannot hide. A woman can see and feel a man’s lust. On the other hand, women can fake lust as easily as they can fake every other emotion. That is what makes women so dangerous.”
Rheda watched the play of emotions roaming his features. She saw hurt, pain, and something that looked a lot like guilt. “The woman who knifed you—you loved her.” It wasn’t a question. “You surprise me, Rufus. I never would have imagined a man like you being capable of love. Interesting ...”
He narrowed his gaze. “I never make the same mistake twice,” he warned. “Don’t play games with me, Rheda. You won’t like the outcome.”
She moved until her hand pressed against his side where he had been wounded. “Only yesterday you were expertly demonstrating how pleasurable games could be. Why the sudden change of heart?” Her hand crept up his chest until she could feel a beat under her palm. She looked into his warm brown eyes and saw her answer. Her heart suddenly seemed to be trying to own all of her chest cavity. Did he have feelings for her? Was that why Rufus was determined that she believe he was not sleeping with Lady Umbridge? She could neither help nor hide her victorious smile. “Perhaps with me more than simply your lust is engaged.”
She could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest under her hand. His breathing increased, and his pulse raced. She licked her lips and stood on tiptoes to place a gentle kiss upon his sensuous mouth. He groaned and pulled her hard against him. Just as he’d stated, Rufus could not hide his lust for her. But was he hiding other feelings? She longed to find out.
Rheda took charge of the kiss. She plunged her tongue deep into his mouth, tangling with his tongue in a duel to control the rising taste of pleasure. She withdrew to stroke the inside of his cheek as he had done to her, before reissuing her challenge for dominance. She played with his tongue like an expert and won. He seemed to enjoy her occupation, if his escalating moans were anything to go by.
The kiss carried her away. She was lost in a swirl of desire. Her breasts ached for his touch, her belly churned, and she grew hot and restless. If he laid her down on the grass and lifted her skirts to sink between her thighs, she’d let him. The knowledge of her complete surrender should have frightened her, but instead it made her grow bolder.
She reached between them and ran her fingers over the hard ridge at his groin. His size was daunting and thrilling. What would he feel like when he drove deep within her? A wave of heat swamped her, and her fingers frantically fought with his trouser buttons, eager to free him to her touch. He lifted his head and roughly pushed her out of his arms. He stood looking at her with such heated longing it made her knees weak. His breath came in ragged pants, and he swallowed convulsively.
“What are you trying to prove?” he asked.
“You want me.”
“I’m a man. Of course I want you. Any man would. Especially when you accost him like that.”
She smiled and gave a laugh. “Then why did you stop?” He stood glaring at her. She pushed on, her smile vanishing. “You stopped because what you felt wasn’t purely lust and you don’t like it.”
He snorted.
“I’m right, aren’t I? A man simply consumed by lust, a man with no honor, would not have stopped until he’d thrown me to the ground and taken me.”
“There is still time for that,” he said dryly.
She nodded her head, studying their surroundings for a few seconds. Finally pointing she said, “Over here I think. The ground is dry and won’t mark my riding habit.”
His mouth softened yet his eyes still burned hot. “You enjoy riding. You could always ride me. If you sit atop me you’ll not get one mark on your clothing.”
She only just stopped her mouth from gaping open. Ride him? The idea intrigued her.
His smile widened, and he stepped toward her and ran a finger down her cheek. “What? No witty reply.”
She shivered and tried to ignore his arousing touch. “I agree. A much better idea. If anyone came upon us my skirt would hide our joining.”
His voice came in a low whisper that sent her heart racing after her pulse. “If you were riding me you’d not notice any visitor, I promise you that. Shall I demonstrate?”
Now it was Rheda’s turn to swallow. Before she could answer a man sauntered through the trees. Davidson, Meg’s brother.
“Excuse me, Miss Kerrich. I have an urgent message from Meg.”
Rufus’s eyes missed nothing. At the man’s approach, even Rheda’s freckles lost color as her face paled and she immediately began chewing her bottom lip. Her gaze swung back to him, and he could see fear in their green depths. Who was this man? And what was she afraid of?
With a swift nod in the man’s direction she said to Rufus, “Please excuse me. It looks as if our—discussion—will have to wait until another day.”
He took her hand on the pretence of kissing it, but he felt her pulse; it was hammering.
Interesting
. “I hope our pleasant—discourse—has not been stopped by an emergency.”
She pulled her hand from his, her flirtation finished, and produced a snippet of a smile—rather a strained smile. “No. I’m sure it is purely a domestic matter,” she said, and made to leave.
As she hurried on her way with the stranger whispering in her ear, Rufus called, “I look forward to our future riding lesson.” His baited sentence made no impact. Her concentration was honed on the man at her side.
Rufus stood watching as they left, heading toward the cliffs and Jacob’s Point. He’d give them a few minutes before following them. The man was not one of Rheda’s servants, so who was he and what did he want with Rheda? Was he Dark Shadow’s messenger?
He tapped his foot, waiting until he thought it safe to follow. He couldn’t tell if the buzz in his veins was excitement from anticipating a chance encounter with Dark Shadow or if it was the scent of Rheda still lingering in his nostrils. He absently pulled a rose off one of the bushes and put it to his nose. Rheda smelled infinitely sweeter, and her taste ...
He dropped the rose in disgust and set off at a safe distance. It didn’t take him long to catch up with them. The discussion between Rheda and the man was animated. He was gesturing up the coast and pointing to the sky. Rheda giving as good as she was getting. Her hands were on her hips, and she was shaking her head. Hidden behind the bushes, he couldn’t quite catch what they were saying, their voices kept low.
A few minutes later his patience was rewarded when the man suddenly threw up his arms and yelled. “It’s too bloody dangerous. Why won’t you listen to me?”
Rheda swung her gaze along the cliff top, thankfully not pausing on where he remained crouched behind the foliage. “Shhhhh. Keep your voice down.” They continued the discussion in quieter tones.
Rufus ignored the pain building in his cramping thighs and counted to ten. What should he do? Should he reveal himself and threaten this man, or remain hidden and follow him back to where he came from? If he had to force information from one of them, it would have to be the man. He knew he couldn’t physically hurt Rheda. Anything physical with Miss Kerrich would be of a more pleasurable nature.
His annoyance made it difficult to remain still. He glanced sideways and was evaluating if he could make it to the tree on his right without being seen, when he saw the scruffy man give Rheda a piece of paper. She didn’t even read it, simply shoved it down her bodice.
They separated and began to leave in opposite directions. Rufus tensed, frozen by indecision. He wanted to see what was in the note Rheda had tucked away, but the man leaving rather swiftly could lead him directly to Dark Shadow’s hiding place.
Don’t be ridiculous. The man would have to be stupid to go directly back to his leader.