His Mistress (18 page)

It was a fact he wasn’t the only one to notice as he narrowed his gazed at Mallen. There was more than a hint of familiarity in the man’s demeanor as he bent over Jane. While she wasn’t shrinking away from the man, Tobias instinctively knew she was finding Mallen’s presence annoying. Driven by a sudden urge to protect his bride-to-be, Tobias slipped unnoticed around the small gathering of guests to reach Jane’s side.

“Good evening, Jane,” he said as he bowed. At his quiet greeting, Jane jerked her gaze up to him, and her eyes immediately widened with concern. He offered her a wry smile while Mallen straightened with a disagreeable air.

“I say, Lynsted. That’s rather familiar of you, addressing Lady Jane in such a manner,” Lord Mallen said in a contemptuous manner.

“Is it?” Tobias growled softly as he lifted his head to eye Mallen coldly.

The nobleman immediately flinched as he caught his first glimpse of Tobias’ face. Mallen’s visible reaction filled Tobias with a grim satisfaction as he fought the urge to drop the man with a quick punch. The man’s immediate wariness told Tobias the man would think twice about ever calling him into the boxing ring. He glanced down at Jane again and was startled to see irritation flash across her face.

She reached out to wrap her hand around Tobias’ wrist and rose to her feet. The firmness of her grip surprised him as her fingers bit into his arm for a few seconds. The touch wasn’t painful, but it was a clear signal she intended to speak for herself.

“I appreciate your concern, Lord Mallen. However, I’m quite capable of determining who may or may not address me by my given name.” Jane’s eyebrows rose in a delicate arch as she met Mallen’s disconcerted look for a brief moment then turned to face Tobias. “Mr. Lynsted, might I have a word?”

“Of course,” he said with a small bow.

Tobias frowned as Jane walked away from him toward the open French doors leading out to the patio. There was something different about her tonight. No, not just tonight. Over the past week, he’d noticed small differences in her behavior whenever they were together. It was almost as if she’d discovered his secret and was using that knowledge to her advantage.

Tobias quickly dismissed the thought. His current predicament was making him read things into her behavior that weren’t there. As she reached the French doors, Jane turned her head and smiled at him. Seductive and alluring, her beckoning smile caught him off guard.

Even despite the distance between them, Jane’s look of temptation said she was in complete control of herself and her surroundings. Tobias narrowed his gaze at her, and the confidence in her smile faltered slightly before the self-assurance returned to her expression. It was a look that blindsided him.

His stomach knotted at the renewed lust Jane stirred in him. It was fast becoming a familiar sensation where she was concerned. She knew nothing of his dark world or how he controlled the demons lingering beneath the surface. Even if she discovered the truth, he couldn’t expect her to understand why he craved the forbidden pleasure of submitting to a woman. But even knowing she wouldn’t understand his dark needs, Tobias found himself wishing Jane possessed the same skills that
Mystère
did. Skills that would give him the release he craved so badly.

Bloody hell, Lynsted. You’re out of your mind
. Muscles tight with tension, Tobias followed his bride-to-be out into the dark determined not to give way to the desire she aroused in him.

F
or a brief moment, Jane thought Tobias might disregard her silent command to follow her out onto the patio. Their gazes locked, she watched his dark eyes narrow with a look of assessment she was beginning to know so well. The intensity of his stare sent a shiver of trepidation racing down her spine. Had he recognized her? Jane brushed the question aside. He was simply balking at her command.

If there was one thing she’d learned about Tobias from their short time together at
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
, it was that his willingness to submit to a woman’s strength hinged on more than just desire. If it were lust, he would have easily yielded to her last week. He hadn’t. A man battling an unseen enemy could not have fought any harder than Tobias had in that private room.

Her confidence faltered slightly in the face of his authoritative air, but she forced herself to smile at him before retreating into the shadows of the patio. The light from the salon threw a soft glow across the brick terrace, and her eyes took only a moment to adjust to the low lighting. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Tobias staring at the doorway she’d passed through.

Even from here his marred features made her breathing hitch in her throat. The bruises and cuts on his face merely heightened the raw masculine power emanating off him. She frowned, what on earth had happened to him? The moment she’d seen the cuts and bruises on his face, an urgent need to comfort him had rushed through her.

Something violent seethed beneath that steely control of his, and it told her that he was close to breaking under the strain of it. It had made her long to pull his head down to hers until their foreheads met, while her fingers gently touched his face in a silent effort to soothe him.

The moment she’d sensed him at her side a short time ago, she’d known something was wrong. She was growing more in tune to his emotional state with each passing day, even with Irene insisting on acting as a chaperone. This evening, Tobias’ emotions, held tightly in check, churned beneath the surface like a raging river after a storm.

When he’d openly challenged Lord Mallen, his reaction had sent a small thrill through her. He’d practically growled his abrupt response when Lord Mallen had objected. Like a knight fresh off the battlefield determined to defend what was his, Tobias had silently dared the other man to object to his familiarity with her. Strong and potent, his behavior had aroused and comforted her all at the same time.

Perhaps it was his duality that attracted her to him the most. Strong, virile, and authoritative in public, he presented an imposing figure when dealing with her father and others. But it was his darkest desire to submit to a woman in private that fascinated her. No, it excited her in a way that was almost frightening in its intensity. And she would soon learn whether or not Lady
Mystère
excited Tobias just as much.

All week she’d been asking herself whether or not he would return to
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
and do as she decreed. If he was in their private room tomorrow night it meant she’d won a small concession from him. The possibility elated her in one respect, but dismayed her in another. She was in competition with another woman—herself. A woman she wanted to openly share with her future husband, but was afraid to do so. The irony of her situation made her wince.

Jane walked to the edge of the terrace where the grass from the floral garden met the stone surface. The night air held just a bite of crispness that mixed with the warm remnants of the afternoon sun. She wasn’t certain if it was the cool fall night or the thought of being alone with Tobias in the dark that sent a small chill gliding across her skin. It would be the first time they’d been truly alone since that night in
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
.

Irene had gone out of her way to play the doting stepmother in front of everyone ever since Jane’s father had arranged her marriage. Under Irene’s vigilant gaze she and Tobias had found it difficult to converse on whatever topic they chose. The woman consistently went out of her way to steer their conversations back to the usual social pleasantries. It made Jane chafe at Irene’s ludicrous sham of acting as a chaperone.

Irene’s behavior was beyond farcical, but the woman had deliberately and skillfully managed to prevent Jane and Tobias having any private conversations since Tobias’ proposal two weeks ago. Irene had said it was simply for the sake of propriety, but Jane knew differently. It was her father’s fiancée silently emphasizing that in the Culverstone household, she, and she alone, reigned supreme.

Jane choked back a quiet laugh. What would the woman do if she were to learn of Jane’s visits to
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
? She bit back another laugh. Irene would act horrified, but Jane was reasonably certain her future stepmother would secretly want to know more. If only to ensure her total control over Jane’s father.

The hair on the back of Jane’s neck rose up, and she instantly knew Tobias was behind her. Her mouth went dry, and her hands were trembling so badly that she clasped them in front of her before turning to face him. In the shadows of the patio, with the light from the salon shining behind him, Tobias seemed even taller and more powerful than she’d ever seen him. She swallowed hard.

“You wished to speak with me, Jane?”

The sound of her name rolling off his lips seemed like a gentle caress, and it heightened her awareness of him. Without thinking, she moved toward him to reach out and lightly touch his cheek where a dark bruise was forming. He immediately stiffened at her touch, but didn’t pull away from her. Gently, she turned his head to one side until she could see his injuries more clearly in the dim light.

“I assume you left the other man in worse shape.”

“I did,” he said with a small smile. “These are mere scratches in comparison.”

His fingers closed over hers as he slowly pulled her hand away from his cheek. The touch seared her skin in a manner that ignited a flame deep in the pit of her belly. It spread its way through her limbs until she yearned for him to satisfy her dark longing. She swallowed the knot threatening to close her throat and pulled free of his grasp with a slight tug. Once more, she reached out to skim the edge of his jaw with her fingertip.

“Come, we should attend to these cuts.”

“The doctor has already tended to me.”

“Perhaps, but you’ll let me examine you,” she said firmly. “Besides, one can never have too much clove oil on a cut. Come.”

She turned away from him only to hear his chuckle of amusement fill the air behind her. The laugh echoed with the same arrogance he’d displayed the other night when Lady
Mystère
had commanded him to do something. Irritated, she whirled around to face him. As she glared at him, he raised his hands in a placating gesture and shrugged.

“I place myself in your capable hands, but do so under duress.”

The boyish grin curving his mouth sucked the air out of her lungs. She’d always found him handsome, but this was the man she remembered from
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
. He was as dangerously charming now as he’d been the other night.

This was a man capable of doing more than breaking her heart. He could easily shatter it. Jane fought to breathe as the air between them was suddenly thick with heat and a frisson that vibrated against her skin in the same way it had almost a week ago. The man was mesmerizing.

Tobias narrowed his eyes as if he were searching for an answer to an unspoken question. Her chest tightened as the air left her lungs. Once more she wondered if he’d recognized her. Jane nibbled at her lip. The mask she wore at the club hid a large portion of her face, and there was no reason he should connect Lady Jane with Lady
Mystère
.

She’d even taken care not to invite Angélique to any of the small dinner parties at Culverstone House. Her friend had understood, but it was one more secret she was hiding from Tobias. Despite the uncertainty flooding through her veins, Jane steadily met his intent gaze for a second before she offered him a small smile. Her steps slow and measured she closed the distance between them to press her hand against his chest.

“I have no intention of forcing you to do anything, Tobias,” she murmured as she stretched upward to brush her mouth against the corner of his mouth. “Either you allow me to tend to you as I wish, or we can return to the salon.”

The taste of him lingered on her lips as she pulled back, her hand still pressed into his chest. The air between them crackled with tension, and she could feel the energy in his body pulsing its way through her fingers into every inch of her. Excitement flared inside her, and to avoid him becoming aware of her sudden desire, she stepped away from him. Her gaze locked with his, and she saw him swallow hard.

“Lead on, my lady,” he rasped and gave her a sharp nod.

The soft words streaked across her skin like a sun flare lashing out at the universe. White-hot heat slid through her veins sending a tremor through her. Determined not to let him see how much he affected her, she quickly turned and walked deeper into the patio’s shadows. Jane didn’t bother to look over her shoulder to ensure he was following her. There was no need. She could feel the steadiness of his gaze on her back.

The French doors leading into the breakfast room clicked softly as she opened the door. Once inside, she headed toward the servant’s pantry door, outlined by a thin stream of light from the other side. They passed through the small workspace and entered the kitchen where several servants looked up at them in surprise. With a reassuring wave of her hand, Jane smiled at the staff.