Conspiring with a Rogue (24 page)

He would take her over and over, but he would never love her again. She was a master liar. How had he never seen it? She had so many faces that—
hellfire
. A brilliant idea struck him. He hunched his shoulders and tried to affect what he hoped was the look of a defeated man as Whitney and Johnnie-boy fussed over each other. Finally, they turned to look at him.

“
I can see I should go,” he said gravely.

Whitney jerked her head in agreement. “We can communicate through Sin.” Whitney’s voice sounded strained.

“
Very well.” Drake made eye contact with Johnnie-boy. “Would you grant me one last moment alone with Whitney?”

The man looked to Whitney before responding. She gave a curt nod.

“
A short moment,” Johnnie-boy replied.

“
Is there another kind?” Drake smiled at the man.

“
Right.” Johnnie-boy smiled good-naturedly. “You got me there. I’ll be waiting right outside the door.” As the man took his leave, his ornate, specially-made boots swooshed against the rug, or perhaps it was Johnnie-boy’s billowing trousers. Her would-be lover’s boots made one final swoosh before he swept out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Drake took care of that problem with four quick strides, then turned back to Whitney.

“
Why did you shut the door?” she demanded.

“
Afraid to be alone with me?”

“
Certainly not,” she said, but her chest rose and fell in rapid motion, betraying her. She was attracted to him. She may deny it with words, but her body told him otherwise.

He reached out, snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her against his chest.

“
You told Jonathan he won me,” she stammered and strained away from him.

“
I wasn’t speaking of your body, Kitten. He’s won your love. Your body I’ll fight for.” He pulled her tighter, hardening instantly at her soft breasts pressed against him, the hiss of her breath as she tried to control her own desire, and the furious beat of her heart that gave her away.

“
Let me go,” she demanded, pushing against him.

“
I will, but not quite yet.” He had never been more honest in his life.

“
We’re supposed to be saying goodbye,” she protested. “Jonathan could burst in at any moment.”

“
He could,” Drake acknowledged, finding it hard not to become lost in the wonderment of her full, rosy lips. He fought the overwhelming desire to crush his mouth to hers. First he needed to secure some time with her before he made her angry. He had no doubt a stolen kiss would anger her. “I’ve an idea that can allow you to go with me to see Lloyd.”

“
Impossible. If Jonathan saw me with you, he would be furious. I can’t risk it.” She shook her head.

“
Anything is possible, Whitney.”

She wrenched free of his hold, but he grabbed her hand before she could move entirely away. The iciness of her fingers surprised him. Out of habit, he stuck her cold hand between both of his and rubbed gently at her skin. “You can disguise yourself again, so no one will know it’s you. And you can slip away from here. I’ll help you. Johnnie-boy need never know you left your house.”

“
No!” The cried-out word dripped with worry.

Drake gritted his teeth. This had to work. He needed his revenge, and he was damn well going to get it. “What’s the matter with you?” Drake demanded in a hard voice. “Do you care so little for Lillian and her friendship that you wouldn’t do anything to find her, possibly save her? Don’t you think you should be there when I talk to Lloyd so we can all learn what each of us knows? What if I miss a clue, some bit of important information that could mean the difference between finding Lillian alive or dead?”

Whitney drooped before him like a windless sail. She was defeated in her objections, ensnared by the game she had chosen to play. She wanted to dress in disguises―well, now was her grand chance.

“
I’ll go with you.
For Lillian
. What choice do I have?”

“
None, Kitten. None.” The blood sang through his veins with sweet victory, but not quite sweet enough. He pulled her to him and claimed her mouth before she could protest.

He wanted to ravage her senses, melt her defenses and leave her body trembling with desire. Her lips were warm. She opened them just a bit, and he took advantage by sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. Her sweetness took his breath and set his body on fire, just as the very first time he kissed her.

He groaned, unable to control himself, and crushed her harder to him. He expected her to fight, but instead, little mewling sounds came from her. His body instantly responded, becoming hard all over. Their tongues touched, dueled and met again. He sucked and nipped at her lips, then slid his mouth down to her throat.

He wanted more.

Needed more.

Had to have more.

He licked a path across her burning skin toward the neckline of her gown, and as he lifted the edge of the gown, she jerked away.

“
Stop it.” She backed up several steps and wrapped her arms around her tiny waist. The flowing sleeves of her gown shook with the trembling of her body. She looked so small, and vulnerable and in need of protection. His gut twisted with doubt at his plan.

“
You’re too passionate to stay with an impotent man for the rest of your life.” His heart smashed painfully against his ribs like a hand beating a drum.

“
I love him,” she said. “What happened between us won’t occur again.” But her voice—her voice lacked any conviction. For a moment, hope sprung in his chest. He was an utter fool. He pushed the hope away.

“
I’ll be back in an hour to collect
Mr. Wentworth
.” He needed to clear his head and regain control. Soft emotions had no part in their relationship now. “Deal with Johnnie-boy.”

After Whitney sent Jonathan on his way, she hurried to her bedroom to change out of her dress and into her disguise as Mr. Wentworth. As she donned her trousers, shirt, vest and waistcoat, she contemplated her problem. Drake wanted to seduce her. No doubt to leave her pining for him. Revenge glittered in his gaze. Her first instinct had told her to avoid him, keep away from him. But the situation made that difficult. Slowly coiling her hair into a tight knot on top of her head, she allowed her thoughts to turn in a new direction.

If she gave him her body as he wanted, he might gain back his pride, and she would attain memories she never would have had. She would have to be very careful to submit in a way that would lead Drake to think he had broken her defenses, made her helpless to deny him. He would still have to believe she loved Jonathan and felt wretched about her betrayal.

Her heart raced with the idea. Would she be strong enough to leave him in the end? Mrs. Blightson’s face, twisted with fury and spouting Drake’s ruination, flashed in Whitney’s mind. She stuck her wig on her head and adjusted it until the hairpiece was centered perfectly. There was no choice but to be strong enough when the time came.

With the matter settled in her mind, a thrill of anticipation for the pleasure to come danced up her spine and left a pool of warmth in her belly that slid to every part of her body and made her tremble. Drake was her own personal apple, and she was going to pluck him and dwell in the Garden of Eden, if only for as long as it took them to find Lillian.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. He’d be here soon. If she was going to allow him to seduce her, the first thing she needed to do was clear the townhome of her pesky betrothed for at least the next week. It was a good thing Mrs. Frompington was away. Once she returned, Whitney would send the lady packing right behind Audrey. They could both cool their heels at Sally’s house while Whitney allowed her seduction.

She’d instruct Sally and Audrey to stick with the story that Mr. Wentworth was called away on business and did not want to leave the women in his home without male protection. Their absence was for the best anyway. Once she found Lillian, she was going to have to flee again, now that Drake knew she was Mr. Wentworth.

Anxious to commence her plan, she flew through the door and down the hall to the sitting room where she heard Audrey singing. Audrey whirled around to face her. “Going somewhere?”

“
Yes, and so are you.”

“
I am?” Audrey’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. “I knew you’d come to your senses and let me help you with this investigation.”

Whitney grabbed Audrey by the arm and dragged her out the door toward the girl’s bedchamber. “I’ve come to my senses, all right, and you can’t stay here.”

“
Why not?” Audrey pulled back and tried to wiggle her arm out of Whitney’s grasp.

Whitney blew out a frustrated breath and thought fast. “Because the more I learn about Lillian’s disappearance, the more dangerous this investigation becomes.”

“
I can handle danger,” Audrey said with a pout.

“
Of course you can.” Whitney released Audrey, strode into the girl’s room and whisked her trunk out of her wardrobe. “That’s why I need you to guard Sally for me.”

Audrey regarded Whitney with narrowed eyes. “You truly need me to watch over Her Grace?”

Whitney nodded enthusiastically and turned back to the wardrobe to hide her smile of victory from Audrey. She grabbed a handful of gowns, forced the smile from her face and faced Audrey once again. “The woman is a peril to herself and me. She’ll want to be part of this investigation, and I need you to make sure she stays out of trouble and doesn’t ruin everything. Can you do that?”

“
I can do that and more.” Audrey reached out, snatched the gowns out of Whitney’s hands and shoved them in the trunk. Within a few minutes, Audrey was packed and headed out the door on her way to Sally’s.

Whitney watched the coach disappear with Audrey in it, then walked slowly to her study. She needed to pen a note to Sally and warn her of Audrey’s task. She had no doubt the “and more” Audrey had promised would drive Sally to distraction. The notion of those two women trying to outmaneuver each other brought a smile to Whitney’s face. She hummed merrily as she explained the situation to Sally in a short letter.

Pausing, she read what she had written and decided to add a warning about Audrey and Sin. When Audrey had talked of Sin earlier, she’d had a bemused look that concerned Whitney. Surely Audrey was not so naïve as to lose her heart to Sin. As far as Whitney knew, Sin had never been in love with a woman. No doubt her enigmatic cousin wanted to keep it that way. Whatever he did when he disappeared for months on end did not involve any romantic relationship, if the scars he brought home were any indication. Unless his mistress was a hellcat. Whitney snickered as she checked the time on the clock on her desk.

Ten more minutes until Drake had been gone for exactly one hour. The anticipation inside her built with each tick tock of the clock until she found herself glaring at it. Why in God’s name had she thought a clock in every room was a good idea? The ticking noise was making her batty.

She inhaled deeply and smoothed her hands over her trousers. Being disguised as Mr. Wentworth no longer made her feel invincible. Drake knew exactly who she was underneath the wig, and she knew exactly what he wanted from her—a wicked liaison. Her burgeoning desire was interrupted by a loud knock that sent her flying to her feet so fast she scattered her papers all over the floor.

“
Damn!” The parchment crunched under her feet as she ran across the room and out the door. Surely this was Drake. As she turned the corner to the front entrance, she saw a golden head gleaming through the glass. “Jonathan!” she muttered, disappointment filling her. Why did so many complications keep piling on top of her shoulders?

Whitney wanted to scream, but she smothered it with a sigh and settled for yanking open the door and glowering at Jonathan as she stepped outside. “What are you doing back here?”

“
Your cousin is snooping around my town house.” Jonathan returned her glare with one of his own. “It won’t be long before he figures out which one is mine. I should know what to say.”

“
Just stick to the story,” Whitney replied, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“
I’d be happy to, if only I knew
what
the story was.”

Whitney drew Jonathan into the front foyer. “Oh, Jonathan, I’m so sorry.” She wiped a trickle of sweat off her brow. “I completely forgot I’ve explained nothing. How much did Audrey tell you?”