The Perfect Temptation (27 page)

com
mon sense between us in the next few seconds, I'm
likely to

thoroughly ravage you right
here on the stairs."

He expected her to start, to
squeak in protest, and then

claw her way out of his arms
and off his lap. Instead, she

pursed her lips for a second
and then gave him a grin so

bright, so utterly and
delightfully wicked, that his toes practically

curled.

"Christ Almighty,
no," he choked out, his breath catching

as his heart slammed into his
throat. "Don't do this to me."

She laughed softly and
straightened in his arms, letting

her hands fall into her lap.
"Then let me up."

She'd granted him a reprieve
and part of
him
was extremely

grateful for the kindness.
Another
part
of him,

though, was sorely disgruntled
about placing her on her feet.

And that part reminded him of
its long slumber as he rose to

his own feet and took a step
back. He nonchalantly drew his

jacket closed and buttoned it,
hoping to at least hide from

Alex the proof of his
frustration.

Remembering his admonishment
not to look into the hallway,

Alex allowed her gaze to skim
the width of his shoulders

as she drew a deep, steadying
breath. All those years

spent listening to the raja's
women talk. Nodding but not

truly understanding what they
were saying about the intoxicating

power of physical desire. She
did now, though. Thoroughly,

completely, and ever so
personally. It thrummed

through her, deliciously warm
and persistent, undeniable in

its simplicity and yet
mysterious in its fullness and complexity.

And Lord help her, she wanted
to explore-to taste and

feel-every last measure of its
potent promise.

All from one gentle, brief
kiss.
It
wasn't the first kiss she'd

ever had, but all the ones
before it certainly paled in comparison.

Oh, she was in terrible, terrible
trouble. She had to stop

smiling at him. Really, she
did. Unless she could gain some

control over her outward
behavior, Aiden was going to think

her the most easily acquired
woman he'd ever met. And he'd

have every right
to
make
that assumption.

What a curse it was to have
come of age in India, in the

women's quarters.
If
she'd
been raised in England, she

wouldn't be struggling with
any of this. She could huff and

puff and be truly, righteously
offended at the liberty he'd

taken. But her past was her
past and any protest she mustered

would be nothing more than a
bald-faced lie.

Oh, yes, she was fascinated by
Aiden and what he offered.

Which put her in a most
serious predicament.

He moistened his lower lip
with the tip of his tongue and

gave her a smile that seemed
nervous. Then his gaze slipped

past her and he straightened.
"Hello, Constable," he said, his

smile suddenly easy and
confident. ''We've had a small
cri
sis

here this morning."

Alex turned to the door as
Emmaline came inside behind

the officer and Aiden added,
"Oh, Mrs. Fuller. I'm glad

you're here. Would you please
take Alex upstairs and get her

a cup of hot tea? And keep her
and Mohan and Preeya occupied

while I speak with the
constable?"

Aiden was in command again,
Alex realized. Smooth, unruffled,

capable.

"I'd be glad to, Mr.
Terrell," Emmaline assured him,

bustling forward to take
Alex's hand and turn her toward the

stairs and adding, "Come
along, you poor dear."

She glanced back over her
shoulder to see him already

speaking with the constable,
his voice so low that she couldn't

hear his words. Yes, very much
in charge. And while she appreciated

his ability to do that when
necessary, she liked the

very human, very unbridled
side of him ever so much more.

"I knew,
I knew,"
Emmaline
said, drawing her up the

staircase, "that day they
were going
to
be trouble. I saw them

go past my shop just a bit ago
and suspected they were on

their way here and I
knew
again.
I'm just very glad that Mr
.

Terrell was here to so ably
dispatch them."

Alex's knees buckled without
warning. Grabbing the bani
s
ter,

she barely kept herself
upright. Emmaline made comforting

sounds as she slipped her arm
around Alex's waist

and supported her, but it
didn't make matters any better
.

Alex closed her eyes and took
a deep breath, sternly reminding

herself that she couldn't
afford the luxury of collapsing

whenever someone mentioned
what had happened.

She was made of sterner stuff
than that. She'd faced

tragedy and danger before
.
And
without Aiden Terrell there

to hold her in the aftermath.
There would be other tragedies

and dangers in the future.
That was the nature of life. And

when they came, Aiden wasn't
likely to be there for her. As

much as she appreciated his
intervention now, as much as

she was drawn to his strength,
his calm, and his charming irreverence,

she couldn't come to depend on
his presence. He

was a wonderful man, but he
was also the most temporary

feature of her existence. She
had to be able to stand on her

own when he walked away.

Lifting her chin, Alex opened
her eyes and gave Emmaline

a reassuring smile. Then, with
clenched teeth, she

forced herself to take another
step.

The smile he gave them from
the salon doorway didn't reach

his eyes. Alex didn't know
what to say, what she could do to

ease his obvious sadness, but
he didn't give her a chance to

fumble her way along the path
of good intentions.

''The bodies have been
removed," he said without preamble.

''The cleaning woman is here
and almost done with her

work and the constables tell
me they think there'll be no further

investigation
.
We're
free to go about our regular lives."

Emmaline rose from the settee,
smoothing her skirts and

saying, 'Then I should be
getting back to my shop."

Aiden dipped his chin in
acceptance. "I'll walk you there,

Mrs. Fuller."

"Oh, that's hardly
necessary."
.

"I'll do it anyway;' he
countered firmly. His gaze swept

around the room, touching each
of them briefly, somberly,

before coming back to Alex.
"While I'm gone, the three of

you need to get ready to leave
the house."

"Where are we
going?" Mohan asked, scrambling up

from his pillow nest, his book
tumbling onto the carpet at his

feet. "To buy more
horses?"

''There are some matters that
need to be attended," Aiden

supplied. "And I'm not
willing to leave any of you here

alone while I take care of
them. So we're all going."

Mohan momentarily looked
dejected and then brightened

to ask, "May I walk with
you and Mrs. Fuller?"

"Go get your coat."

"We'll be right
back," Aiden assured her as Mohan

bounded toward his room and
Emmaline glided toward the

doorway in his wake
.
"I'll
lock the door behind us when we

leave."

She nodded, worried for him,
troubled by the tautness of

his body and the coolness of
his distance. He'd comforted

her when she'd needed it and
it only seemed right that she

offer the same kindness in
return.

He'd barely disappeared when Preeya
said quietly, "He is

very much disturbed by what
happened."

"And determined not to
let it get the better of
him,"
Alex

agreed, laying aside her
needlework.
Just as I'm doing,
she

silently added, suddenly
understanding how she should approach

him when he returned. She had
a fairly good idea of

what a "regular daily
life" with Aiden entailed and resuming

it certainly seemed to be the
best course possible. Their kiss

might have changed matters a
bit but she'd simply adjust to

whatever signals he gave her
in that regard and go on. What

mattered most was that he have
a reason or two to smile in

the hours ahead. Maybe even to
laugh.

"I am grateful that you
had the wisdom to hire him, Alex.

Had he not been here-"

"I'd prefer not to think
of the possibilities," she interrupted,

determined to keep her newly
restored-and still

fragile-sense of control from
being undermined
.
"Perhaps

we should get ready to
leave."

"We?"

Alex frowned and then relaxed.
"I'm sorry. I forgot to

translate for you," she
offered, hoping that the functioning of

her brain improved as the day
wore on. "At the moment,

Aiden and Mohan are walking
Emmaline back to her shop.

When they return, we're all going
somewhere. Where, I

don't know. But Aiden says he
isn't going to leave any of us

behind and unprotected."

"He is a good man, your
gentleman."

"He isn't-" Alex bit
off the rest of the protest. He
was
her

protector. And more. A friend,
perhaps? Somehow that didn't

seem to be an adequately
meaningful distinction. A confidant?

Confessor? No, hardly that And
yet it didn't feel all that