Desire and Deception (45 page)

The Creole hesitated a long moment, before he smiled philosophically and reached into his coat pocket for the note. "Forgive me,
chérie
," he said to Lauren, "for backing out of our wager. But you see how it is. You will be achieving your goal, at any rate." Picking up the money, Felix stuffed it into his pocket as he rose to leave. "A pity," he murmured, looking down at Lauren. "I don't think I have ever regretted winning such a large sum."

Lauren had no reply to that, so she merely smiled and offered her fingers for Felix to kiss. When he had gone, she stole a glance at Jason. He was watching her, with a look in his eye that warned of the reckoning still to come.

Holding her gaze, Jason slowly stood up. "Shall we go, mademoiselle?"

She knew better than to protest as he came around the table to assist her from her chair, but she had a momentary reprieve when Desiree stepped between them. The beautiful brunette touched Jason's sleeve, looking up at him with a pout. "Will you not stay,
M'sieur
Jason? I have been very lonely without you.

Jason flashed
her a
regretful smile. "Thank you, my sweet, but I mean to escort Mademoiselle Marguerite home."

As they walked away, Lauren could hear Desiree grumbling to herself about Amazons.

They were required to wait for Jason's carriage to be brought around, and Lauren found herself growing more nervous in the ensuing silence. She considered asking the majordomo, Kendricks, for help, but decided Jason's temper was uncertain enough that he might carry her bodily out of the casino if she refused to accompany him.

Jason's grip on her arm was painful as he escorted her to the phaeton which drew up before the casino. After assisting Lauren up, he tossed a coin to the black youth holding the two horses, then took his own seat and set the pair in motion.

Not until they were well out of town did he speak. "Putting yourself," Jason said, not taking his eyes off the road, "at the mercy of a man like Duval is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen you do."

His voice was quietly grim, like velvet over steel, and his simmering anger made Lauren uneasy, but she resisted the urge to squirm and turned her head away to gaze at the passing shadows of hackberry and
sweetgum
trees that lined the road. The sultry night was rather dark, with only a thin sliver of moon lighting the way. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked rather lamely.

"Matthew suspected you might do something quixotic and had the good sense to come to me.
Which is precisely what you should have done.
I'm far better equipped to handle Duval than you will ever be. I have greater skill at cards, and can afford to lose more, besides having the ability to defend myself. You had no business taking on Duval by yourself."

Lauren stiffened at his tone. She had little defense against Jason's logic, yet she objected to being chided as if she were accountable to him. "I don't need you to tell me how to behave," she replied sullenly.

"It's obvious someone needs to."

"You aren't my guardian, Jason."

"That's debatable, but I won't dispute it at the moment." He shot her an angry glance before turning his attention back to the horses. "I can admire your loyalty to Matthew, Lauren, but this damned determination of yours to remain independent has reached the point of obsession."

Sitting rigidly beside him, Lauren didn't deign to reply.

"What were you planning to give Duval if you lost? No, don't answer that. I can guess all too well."

"I didn't plan to lose," she snapped, her own anger rising. "I meant to expose his cheating before that."

"Sweet Christ," Jason breathed. "And just what do you think his response would have been if you had taken away his livelihood? There isn't a chance in hell I could have protected you if he decided to have his revenge later."

"I didn't ask you to protect me."

Jason took a deep breath and counted to ten before he replied. "As a gentleman, I'm obligated to assist a lady in distress, even one who's fool enough to bring trouble on herself."

"That wasn't chivalry! You just wanted to make sure I remained in your debt."

Jason turned a blazing blue glare on her. "I do not under any circumstances expect or want you to feel indebted to me.
For any reason whatsoever."

"No? Then why did you suggest our bargain if not to make me feel obligated to you?"

"Damn it, Lauren, I want you to learn the shipping business precisely so you won't feel obligated to me. So we can meet, if not on equal, then at least equivalent ground. And so you'll be prepared for the responsibility when I turn the Carlin Line over to you in a few months."

His hypocrisy, after his declared intention of winning both her and the Carlin Line, galled her. "You want the Carlin ships, don't deny it!"

Jason clenched his teeth. "I won't."

"And you said it was 'all or nothing.' I can't believe you've given up so easily."

"I haven't." Abruptly pulling the horses to a halt, Jason secured the reins as he turned to face her. "I'd like to be indispensable to you, but not because you need me to organize your affairs. I wanted this past month to be an opportunity for us to get to know each other—"

Realizing at last that she had given him an opening for the very subject she wished to avoid, Lauren held up a hand. "No, please! I don't want to discuss it."

"Ignoring an issue won't make it go away, Lauren. You can't run from it forever."

As if to prove his point, he reached out to grip her arms. His grasp wasn't painful, but it engendered panic in Lauren. "You promised you wouldn't speak to me of that!" she exclaimed, trying to pull away.

"Just answer one question. What is it you have against marriage anyway? Are you afraid of something?
Of me?"

"No . . .
yes . . .
I don't know!" she cried, pressing her hands to her ears.

Seeing her genuine distress, Jason forbore to capitalize on his advantage. Suddenly releasing her, he gathered the reins and urged the horses on. Neither of them spoke another word to break the tense silence.

When they arrived at Bellefleur, Lauren jumped from the carriage before it had stopped, and ran up to her room where she remained, refusing to talk to anyone, even Lila. She spent a miserable few hours, pacing the floor and regretting the entire evening. Jason was right, she knew; she should have let him handle Duval. She had been infinitely relieved when he had won back Matthew's note, but she hadn't sounded a bit grateful. Instead she had reacted like the petulant child he had accused her of being, arguing and flinging accusations at him. And what was worse, she had given him the opportunity to renew his proposal at a time when she was least prepared to deal with it. The only good thing that had come of the evening was that they had prevented Matthew from going to jail.

Too involved in self-castigation and self-pity, Lauren was unable to sleep when the rest of the household retired for the night. Even Ulysses had deserted her, for the cat had been gone for hours and hadn't returned. It was well past midnight when she heard his plaintive yowl through the open French windows. Lauren called to him, but when Ulysses didn't come, she stepped outside, where only a faint breeze stirred the sultry night air, carrying the heavy scents of Cape jasmine and magnolia blossoms. Searching the darkness, she could see no sign of him, and so she silently made her way along the gallery.

She saw the great feline when she rounded the corner of the house. He was sitting in a soft pool of light that streamed from one of the rooms. Lauren softly called again, but to her dismay, the cat stretched, then bounded inside.

Lauren hesitated for a long moment. There was only one occupied bedroom at the back of the house, and that had been given to Jason. She shrank from the thought of having to face him. But he might be asleep, she reflected. Or he might not be there at all. He might have returned to the gaming house in search of more congenial company. Half hoping he would be gone, Lauren followed the elusive cat.

When she reached the door to Jason's room, she stopped abruptly. Jason was there, Lauren saw at once. He was stretched out on the large four-poster bed, wearing nothing but his breeches, the light from a single candle illuminating his long, muscular body. He had obviously not yet attempted to sleep, for the covers hadn't been turned down and the mosquito net was still open.

He seemed lost in thought, for he lay on his back, one arm supporting his head, his free hand absently stroking the cat's orange fur as Ulysses rubbed against his thigh.

Lauren decided not to disturb him, but before she could turn to go, Jason sensed her presence. Raising his head from the pillow, he regarded her with a frown.

When she felt Jason's gaze rake her scantily clad body, Lauren suddenly became quite conscious of her state of undress. Her nightgown, little more than a thin cotton shift, left her arms and throat bare, while her golden hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders. Yet she knew Jason wouldn't approve of her presence there if she were fully clothed with her hair bound in a tight chignon. "I came for Ulysses," she explained hastily before he could order her out.

He didn't reply. He made no move at all. Lauren's trepidation increased as she stepped into the room. "May I have my cat?" she repeated. "He usually sleeps with me."

Jason exhaled slowly, as if he had been holding his breath. "Lucky cat," he said in a strained voice.

"I offered once," Lauren reminded him. "I seem to recall you were the one to refuse."

Jason sat up then and arranged the pillows behind his back. "Lauren, come here."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Really, Jason, you surprise me. I expected you to remind me that it is highly improper for me to be here in your bedroom."

"It is improper.
Particularly when both of us have so few clothes on.
But I'll try to restrain myself." He held out an inviting hand, his gaze compelling her to obey.

Lauren found it impossible to resist the arresting power of those blue eyes. She moved closer, yet halted at the foot of the bed, clutching at the poster as if at any moment she would be pulled into the vortex of a storm. "I suppose," she replied, her tone defensively mocking, "
that
I should be flattered you deigned to notice. You've been so occupied with Desiree
lately,
I thought you had forgotten me. Indeed, I expected you to return to the casino. What could you be thinking of, to disappoint Madame
Gescard's
girls so? Desiree must be heartbroken."

Jason's mouth twitched as if he were repressing a smile. "I do wish you would give me a chance to defend myself against your broadsides, Lauren. Come here," he repeated, indicating for her to sit beside him.

"Why?" she countered warily.

"Because, my sweet, the candlelight behind you makes your nightdress nearly transparent.
It gives you a decided advantage."

"Oh!" Lauren flushed. Reluctantly she obeyed Jason's command, gingerly sitting beside him on the edge of the bed.

Jason took her hand and held it loosely between his. "Furthermore," he added, "I'm quite receptive to a midnight tête-à-tête, but only if I have some assurance that you will stay to finish the conversation."

When Lauren nervously attempted to extricate her hand, she discovered it to be imprisoned in a painless but immutable grip. "I suppose," she said stiffly, "that now you mean to use brute force?"

Jason met her gaze steadily. "Your accusations are beginning to bore me, Lauren. You don't really think that, any more than you believe I would force you into marriage. Or for that
matter, that
I only want to marry you for the Carlin ships."

Ulysses jumped off the bed and disappeared into the night shadows, but Lauren never even noticed. "Then why
do
you want to marry me?" she asked in a breathless voice.