Bargaining With a Rake (A Whisper of Scandal Novel) (13 page)

His lips melded with hers instantly,
deliciously massaging her good senses away. His tongue swirled inside her mouth,
sending her pulse into a rapid beat. Ordering her thoughts was impossible. He
wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her against the length of his hard
body. He thrilled and frightened her. She wanted nothing more than to explore him
and the desire he displayed for her. Yet the intensity of her feelings
frightened her and cut through the haze in her mind.

She tried to push away from him, but
her body shook, and instead of putting distance between them, she now clung. His
mouth softened, signaling a new, eminent attack. The kiss gentled, like the
swirling lap of the tide, beckoning to her and showing her a different side of
this man, one that pulled at tender emotions. She feared she could not battle them
in her present condition.

This realization, alongside the fact that
a throat cleared beside her, finally propelled Gillian into action. Bracing her
palms against Lord Lionhurst, she shoved away, nearly losing her balance in the
process.

“You must be quite the kisser,”
Whitney chirped, clasping Gillian’s arm before leveling Lord Lionhurst with a
look Gillian could only describe as admiring.

Heat flamed from Gillian’s neck to
her cheeks. How mortifying! If he had an ounce of courtesy, he would ignore
Whitney’s statement.

“What would make you say that?” Lord
Lionhurst questioned with a chuckle.

Gillian groaned. She should have
known the man didn’t possess even a speck of gallantry.

Whitney nodded toward Gillian. “Look
at her.”

Self-conscious, Gillian touched her
hair and grimaced at the wild disorder.

“Ah, I do see your point,” Lord
Lionhurst said with such a salacious undertone that Gillian looked at him
despite her resolve not to. He winked, and she hastily glanced away.

“It’s not just the flush and the
swollen lips,” Whitney crooned, clearly enjoying herself. “Last I spoke with
Gillie, she was coming here today to make Mr. Sutherland fall in love with her,
but by the looks of your embrace, I’d say she’s quite forgotten him.”

Gillian flung Whitney’s hand off her
arm and whirled on her sister. “I have done no such thing. Mr. Sutherland is at
the forefront of my every thought. Now, do be quiet before I remove my stocking
and stuff it in your mouth.” The widening of Whitney’s eyes and the slight
paling of her formerly rosy cheeks gratified Gillian.

“Does she mean it?” Lord Lionhurst posed
the question directly to Whitney as if Gillian were not even present. She
ground her teeth at the man’s continued audacity.

“She means it,” Whitney replied. “She’s
little patience and no sense of humor.”

That was unfair and untrue. With a
gentle shove, Gillian moved Whitney out of her way. “Go on ahead or I’ll show
you just how ill-tempered I can be.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to
stay and chaperone?”

“I’m sure,” Gillian snapped. She
could not for the life of her understand what had gotten into her sister. It
was as if Whitney were deliberately trying to sabotage the plan by encouraging
Lord Lionhurst. Gillian shook her head and turned back toward the source of her
problems, the blue-eyed devil himself.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Whitney huffed. “But
don’t expect me to cover for you if you two don’t show your faces in the next
few minutes.”

Gillian faced Lord Lionhurst, intent
on laying down some ground rules. “That is the second time you have kissed me
without asking.”

“Are you angry?”

The question gave her pause. She was
angry, but at herself for responding to him and not stopping him. “Do not kiss
me again.”

“I won’t, unless you ask.”

The audacity of the man! “I won’t be
asking.”

“Then I won’t be kissing you. But I
promise you will ask.”

“You!” She pointed a finger at him. “We
made a deal. You help me win the hand of your partner, and I’ll help you gain
revenge on my unwanted fiancé. Either stick to our deal or the bargain is off.”

“And how far do you
think you would get with my friend if I told him you only wanted to marry him
for his money?”

“That’s not true,”
she said with a gasp.

“How do I know? I
could be leading poor Sutherland into a life sentence of a terrible marriage.”

“No.” She shook her
head, her pulse skittering in panic. “I swear I mean to make him a good wife.
The best. A true and loving wife.”

Something darkened
Lord Lionhurst’s face, but he looked away, making it impossible to read what
the man was thinking.

“I may be a fool,
but I think I believe you.”

“Thank you!”

He turned to her, a
half smile stretched across his lips. “The only other time I believed a woman’s
declaration I lived to regret it. Don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t. I swear.”

“Straighten yourself
up, peach. I think we have company.”

“What?” She didn’t
see anyone coming down the path, but now that she was really listening she
heard men’s voices
.
She glanced toward the stables, knowing that at any moment the hunting party
would probably round the bend to find her mere inches from a well-known
libertine. The thought sent her flying backward in haste. Lord Lionhurst raised
an amused eyebrow at her, but made no move to advance in her direction.

She tidied her hair and smoothed the
wrinkles out of her dress. When she was done, she looked up and was surprised
to find Lord Lionhurst’s gaze boring into her. “Do I look presentable?”

“You look delectable.”

“Who’s delectable?” The deep voice
behind her caused her to flinch. She spun on her heel and met the inquisitive
gaze of Mr. Sutherland.

Mr. Sutherland stared down at her. His
coffee-colored eyes, she noted, wishing to heaven above that she could ignore
it, could not compare to the blue of Lord Lionhurst’s gaze. Of all the people
to come up behind her, it had to be him. She had no idea what to say to his
inquiry.

His gaze flickered from her face to
Lord Lionhurst’s. Lord Lionhurst stepped beside Mr. Sutherland and motioned to
her. “Lady Gillian was worried the ride over here mussed her hair. I was just
assuring her she still looks lovely.” His mouth quirked into a smile.

If that ludicrous explanation was an
example of how Lord Lionhurst intended to help her, she’d do better without
him. “Lord Lionhurst is teasing me.”

“Have I interrupted something
private?” Mr. Sutherland asked.

“Of course not. I was actually hoping
to have a chance to speak with you today. Would you care to escort me to the
hunting group?” She pasted her sweetest smile on her face. The one she had
practiced to get her father to rethink going back into Society. Of course, it
had not worked, but maybe she’d have better luck with Mr. Sutherland.

His throwing his head back and
laughing seemed like a good sign. She wanted to share in his mirth, but she was
too annoyed with herself. It was taking all her will not to glance at Lord
Lionhurst. She wished he’d go on ahead. His presence made flirting difficult. Finally,
Mr. Sutherland’s laughter died to a low chuckle. “I do believe you are a woman
after my own heart.”

“Your heart and everything else,”
Lord Lionhurst snapped, pushing past them, untethering his horse from the tree
and leading it down the path.

“Shall we join the hunting party?” Gillian
quickly asked, watching Lord Lionhurst walk away. What on earth was wrong with
him? He needed lessons in being helpful.

Before Gillian and Mr. Sutherland had
taken too many steps, her cousin Trent rounded the corner. Recognition flashed
in his eyes and a smile spread across his face. “My favorite cousin,” he said
with a wink and stepped forward to embrace her.

Gillian gasped at the changed man
before her. Trent had gone to Paris a man in the prime of health with shining
eyes. Yet one look at his slight body, drawn face and dull eyes told her this
was not the man she had said goodbye to a year ago. No, indeed. This man had a
fresh, angry red scar about three inches long, running down his right cheekbone.
She quelled her desire to question him and reached out to return his hug. As
her fingers splayed over his hard back, she noted his loss of flesh was even
greater than she had thought. What had happened to him?

“Gillie, I missed you.”

She felt rather than saw Mr.
Sutherland move past them. She would have to thank him later for giving them a
moment of privacy.

“I missed you too.” She squeezed his
hand. “Why are you so thin? Did the food in Paris not agree with you?”

“You could say that. Come, you don’t
want to hear my boring Paris stories. Moreover, those men are ready to hunt. We
can catch up tonight.” Trent held out his arm, and they walked toward the men
mounted on the horses in a semicircle.

Making it a point not to look Lord
Lionhurst’s way, she concentrated on the stable boy as he held Lightning steady.
The moment she sank into the saddle, Lord Lionhurst moved his beast beside her.

“I’m surprised to see you’re not riding
sidesaddle.”

“Why? I’m an excellent rider.”

“Really?” His eyebrows rose in an arc
of incredulity.

Situated between the man she meant to
catch and the man who apparently meant to drive her to insanity, she gripped
Lightning’s reins, determined not to be baited.

Lord Lionhurst smirked. He knew,
blast him. The devil understood the price her silence was causing her.

“Do you care to make a wager?” he
asked, taunting her.

She gritted her teeth, until she
thought she might crack one. Mr. Sutherland would think her utterly scandalous
if she took a wager. “No, I―”

“Never mind. I see you have
reconsidered your claim.” He turned his back, dismissing her as an unworthy
opponent.

Maybe this was all part of a grand
plan he had? If he led her astray may he suffer the pox. “I’ll wager you I can
reach the fox first.”

The group fell silent, including her
sister, which was never a good sign. Gillian kept her gaze firmly on Lord
Lionhurst as he faced her. An amused smile quirked his mouth.

“A bold claim. Since we’re both
confident in our abilities, why not raise the stakes?”

She swallowed. Backing down in front
of a group of people would kill her, and somehow Lord Lionhurst read the
weakness of pride in her eyes. A simple pox was too generous for him. He
deserved a thousand. “How do you propose we obtain a winner of the booty if not
by who reaches the fox first?” She was grateful her voice did not betray her
mounting anger. Had he lied to her? Did he mean to help her or ambush her?

His eyes bore into
hers. “Simple. We reach the fox,
and
we jump the fence.”

“You’re mad,” Gillian’s cousin Marcus
blurted. “Have you seen the new fence? It’s a good four inches taller than it
used to be.”

“I’ve seen it,” Lord Lionhurst said. “It
can still be cleared, but only by a rider with superb skills. Do you still care
to take my wager?”

“She does not,” Trent said.

“I do.” She met Lionhurst’s gaze. He
did not say a word, but his eyes held a dare in their depths. “I most certainly
do.” She could barely contain her smile. She was a superb jumper. She would
teach that man never to underestimate a woman.

“It sounds like this group is more
than ready,” the hunt master said. “Shall I release the fox, Lord Davenport?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Tally-ho!” the hunt master yelled,
causing her to jerk in surprise. By the time she got her wits about her and
tapped Lightning into a start, she coughed and spit in a most unladylike manner,
glaring at Lord Lionhurst’s departing back and the wake of his dust billowing
around her. It was not until she went around the first bend that she realized
she had completely forgotten about Mr. Sutherland and her plan to spend the day
making him fall in love with her.

* * * * *

Alex pressed low against his horse’s
neck, getting as close to Braun as possible. The beast snorted but did not slow
his frantic pace in the least. Wise beast. Tension strummed through Alex,
making him clench his legs tighter than he normally would. No doubt Braun was
reacting to the signals.

Swiftness was a must. Gillian appeared
to be very smart. He had no doubt she would quickly surmise he was leading her
deep into the woods, and he wasn’t entirely sure the lady would follow. He knew
Sutherland, though. If he thought Alex might be interested in the lady, that
would make his business partner all the more fascinated himself.

He tossed a quick look over his
shoulder to make sure she was still there. She was bent low over her horse,
concentration furrowing her brow. She’d gobbled up the bait of the challenge
more easily than he’d expected. The dogs yelped as they raced across the trail
in pursuit of the reddish-brown coats. Hooves pounded behind him, and with a
quick snap at Braun’s reins, Alex urged his horse to let loose. In seconds, the
wind blew harder in his face.

His instincts sang like lightning
through his veins. He pulled Braun’s reins to the left onto a narrow path,
hardly wide enough to be called a trail, but the passage would do for his
purposes. Braun did not hesitate as he descended the rocky incline toward the
water in the distance. The jarring motion clanked Alex’s teeth together,
causing him to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek. His mouth filled with
the metallic taste of blood.

Branches loomed from every direction
and trees passed in a swimming blur. He ducked just in time to avoid being
knocked clean off Braun by a low, gnarly limb of a gigantic oak tree. Was he
endangering Gillian by leading her down this steep path? He pulled up on
Braun’s reins to turn his horse and warn her.

Braun took objection and whipped his
head back around, causing the beast to misstep. As they slid down the path, Alex
braced his legs and threw his weight back. Approaching hooves beat an ominous tempo
behind him. Saints above, the woman would kill them both if she intended to
pass him on the narrow trail. Before he could move, noise exploded and Gillian
brushed past, so close their horses’ flesh whispered a greeting.

She maneuvered down the steep
embankment with the ease of water sliding down bare skin. At the bottom, she
paused where the slope met the edge of a stream. The sun shone on her,
highlighting auburn streaks in the shimmering black of her hair. She grinned up
at him, and Alex swallowed against a strange catch in his throat.

She raised her hand to her eyes. “You
should see the look on your face. Clearly, you’re astonished to find I am the
superior rider.”

What astonished him was the
realization that she excited him. A tug of jealousy that Sutherland would
likely soon be sharing her bed pulled at Alex.
Let it go, old man.
Everything is settled for the best
.

“If you’re so superior, why have you
stopped when you have yet to corner a fox?”

The smile slid from her face, and she
turned toward the stream. He regretted the loss of her smile, but he knew by
the way she reached for the reins but then hesitated that she only now realized
she did not hear the dogs, nor see any fox.

She faced him, black brows furrowed
together and lips pressed in a firm line. “Where are the dogs?”

“I do believe,” he said, surveying
the landscape to decide which way to send them, “the fox and dogs went upstream.”
The rocks led to a trail cast in deep shadows by swaying branches of willow trees—a
perfect place to get lost for a bit.

She cocked one eyebrow up before
plunging her horse into the stream to follow the path. She fascinated him. Steely
determination underlined everything she did, but she appeared a delicate
creature with her fine bones and luscious curves. His experience with the
opposite sex had taught him there was nothing fragile about their minds, which
turned, plotted and hurt a man foolish enough to forget this fact.

He blinked and tapped Braun,
signaling the beast to move. The horse plunged into the stream, soaking Alex’s
pants leg with ice-cold water. “Damnation!” With the weather a bit warmer, he
had not expected such freezing water.

Gillian chuckled from the other side
on the embankment, but as he drew nearer, he could see her lips had a slight
blue tint to them.

He arched his eyebrows. “You might
have mentioned the temperature of the water to me.”

“I might have, but this is so much
more amusing.”

Sutherland was lucky
. The unexpected thought astonished
him.
Keep your mind on the goal. Make Sutherland want the lady so you can
get revenge
.

“I don’t hear the dogs anymore.
You’re sure they came this way?”

“I’m sure they didn’t.”

“What are you up to, Lord Lionhurst?”

“Planting seeds and strategizing.”

Her eyes narrowed on him. “I beg your
pardon?”

“We men are like children.”

She nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

She had a beautiful smile. He
couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed until now.

“Lord Lionhurst…”

“Um, yes?”

“Your thought. Men are like
children…?”

He cleared his throat. “We want all
the toys in the playroom.”

Her brow furrowed in an adorable way.
He had the urge to reach over and rub his thumb over the crease. Instead he
gripped his reins tighter.

“Am I the toy?” she asked.

“In this analogy you are.”

“Do you mean to say you think Mr.
Sutherland will want me more if he thinks you want me?”