.
William was very aware. He was aware of the way Leah had made it so they could never be alone and had also become aware of the way she walked, smiled, and the very scent of her body. He was so aware of her that he hardly paid attention to anything else. Julius had also tried to corner her to, but no avail.
It had been chance that she’d finally left the house. Julius had remained at the House so William could follow. He’d been surprised when she’d entered Levander Cross’ building. Sadly, the way the building’s interior had been designed didn’t allow for someone to stay in the hallway unseen and listen to conversations beyond the door, so he’d had to wait for her to leave.
And then he’d decided to give her a ride home, knowing the carriage would finally give them the opportunity to be alone.
He couldn’t return to the house emptyhanded. “What if I swear to only ask three questions?”
She stared at him and even as her skin paled, he could see her determination not to bend to his will. But whether it was the cold or his promise that finally forced her to make a choice, he was glad when she finally climbed into the carriage and settled in on the other side.
The driver got the team underway quickly, and William bent down to get her a brick. She lifted her skirts just enough for him to gain a glimpse of her stockinged ankles and then settled her skirts back down before sighing. “What is your first question?”
He looked up at her as he straightened. “Where is your husband?”
“I haven’t the faintest clue.” She undid her frock then and William was surprised when she turned and gave him the view of her back. Unblemished skin stopped just above where her corset began. No well-bred English woman would have dared do this.
But an experienced French woman… Perhaps.
Blood filled his manhood, and he fisted his hands on his knees as the need to undo the rest of her gown and lay her out in the carriage rose. The end result would likely not get him the answers to any questions he had, but getting her to cry his name as he buried his pounding flesh inside her body over and over again seemed like a fair exchange.
She glanced at him and asked, “Would you be so kind as to close my dress for me? It seems to always come apart.” Her golden gaze was demure, and her lips remained slightly parted. It took William a moment to realize what she was doing. This was her attempt to distract him.
He had two questions left. What would they be? It became hard for William to think, but since he’d never backed away from a battle in his life, he had no plans to do so now.
He smiled and moved forward. “My pleasure.” He purposely crowded her space and heard her swift intake of air. He’d have to show her who was master of this game. “I don’t think you fully answered my first question. Surely, you must have some idea as to your husband’s whereabouts. Otherwise, how would you know if you are safe at the Spinster’s House?” He did up the first button and let his fingers drift over her skin. Compared to his calloused hand, her flesh was smooth and very warm. He noticed the way her lashes fluttered and her skin pinked. She was easily affected by his touch.
Her lips parted moments before she spoke. “That is the second question.”
“No, my questions require expanded answers.” He pressed his hand flat against her back and trailed it under her chemise and up her shoulder, unable to resist exploring her sweet skin. Or was it sweet? He leaned forward and kissed her neck.
She jumped and pulled away, gathering her frock around her as if it would protect her. “How dare you! I didn’t give you leave to touch me that way.”
He smirked. “Well, I’d have asked first, but since I’ve only three questions…” He saw no need to say the rest. She’d tried to distract him with her body, and he’d shown her how dangerous such an act could be. His kiss had been chaste compared to what he truly wanted to do to her. He envisioned shredding the thin and frail fabric from her body and lavishing that soft skin with a million kisses in a million places, leaving no inch of her untouched.
When he finally met her gaze again, he found hers to be startled. Were his intentions for her so very clear?
“You mentioned a blackmailer,” she said, her fingers pale as they clenched the dark frock. “If you believe me to be this woman then it reasons that you would hurt me.”
“If you’re guilty, there is no length I’ll not go to to see you punished.” There was no reason to lie. There was no place she could run that he’d not find her anyway. He had her scent on his tongue and, like a bloodhound, he’d track her until she yielded. If William discovered her to be less than who she said she was, then he planned to deal with her justly. Though he could imagine implementing a special form of punishment himself. His hand lifting and falling with a sweet smack on her bottom. The thought of it made him even harder.
“And yet you want me,” she said in amazement. “You’d hurt me, but if given the opportunity—”
“I would spread you on this very floor and kiss you in places and in ways you’ll never forget.” His want for her was painful; was that not punishment in itself? “Do the two have to be so separate?”
She’d turned red at his words, but a smile spread across her luscious mouth in the next second. “Yes, I believe they do, and that was the answer to your second question. What is your third?”
William froze and realized he’d been played once again. Leah’s expression of glee struck him in the gut and the feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He enjoyed having a worthy opponent.
A good soldier knew when to retreat and regroup, so that was what he did. Leaning back on his side of the carriage, he tried to think of the best question to ask, one that would benefit their situation the most.
“You didn’t faint at my comment about what I wanted to do to you.” Not a question, but he prayed for an answer nonetheless.
She shrugged and settled back in her corner of the carriage. “The senses of a French woman are not as fragile as those of an English bride.”
He lifted a brow but didn’t voice his question.
She held his eyes and answered his unspoken words anyway. “I’ve had lovers before.”
He wondered why she would be willing to give him such private information. Did she think it would scare him away or make him lose interest? If he’d been a gentleman, it might have, though usually if a man took a lover, he expected her to be experienced.
But William was only half a gentleman. His other half didn’t mind the wildness of the creature before him. In fact, he enjoyed it.
She glanced out the window when they turned down a street that took them away from the Spinster’s House. Then she swung back toward him and glared. “Where are you taking me?” A second later, she blinked and something else entered her eyes. Fear. It was so heavy in her golden eyes that William could almost feel it seeping into their small confinement.
He didn’t like it and didn’t question why that was. “No harm will come to you this day.”
“But tomorrow?” she asked.
He crossed his arms. “I can’t make any guarantees for the future.”
She seemed to come to her own understanding of those words and slowly the air between them cleared but only to a certain measure. She was still visibly wary of him, which William thought would not help his chances of getting her into his bed.
Which meant he’d have to retreat further and attack her from another angle, one she’d never see coming while presenting her with someone nearly harmless. He could easily spy on her and have his friends do their research on her story to gain the information he needed while he tried gaining her friendship for the time.
The plan formed and became solid in his mind. It felt right, and thus he decided to execute it.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You ask many questions, Mrs. Wells.” William smiled. “Perhaps I should limit your questions as well. You shall have three. Will this be one of them?”
She pursed her lips but nodded.
“The Runners’ station.” He had to hold back a laugh when her eyes widened.
“You’re taking me to the redbreasts?” she asked. “But I’ve done nothing wrong!” Forgetting her frock, she thumped her hands on her lap. “This is unfair!”
“I’m not taking you as a criminal.” Even though he still suspected she was. “I need to secure watchmen for the Spinsters’ House for when we leave for Greenmore.” As promised, he would not leave the women at the Spinster’s House unattended while he and Julius were gone and would choose from amongst men he knew.
Leah calmed once more and narrowed her eyes.
He smiled. “And yes, that was your second question. Care to use your third?”