Sinful Possession (5 page)

“No.”

She hardly heard the last
no. He was so close, so very close. Her gaze dropped to lips surrounded by a
light scattering of dark hair. Her heart did a kick against her ribs then
pounded hard in her ears.

“I will do whatever it takes
to keep you safe,” he murmured.

“Even risk going to jail?”

“Yes.”

Goodness. That one tiny word
made her pulse go into overdrive. She could hear nothing apart from her
heartbeat and her breaths rasping in her chest. See nothing expect his lips
filling her vision then his intense eyes when she glanced up. Her body felt weightless,
lifeless. Only the parts of her that were touching him felt remotely attached
to her.

What was happening? Was she
really so foolish that the notion of this man risking his life to protect her
would render all sense from her?

Apparently, yes. For she was
now as malleable as clay. He could do with her as he wished. Let him take her
to Stourbridge House—a den of vice renowned for scandal and every immoral act
possible. Let him ruin her in the eyes of the world. Let him...kiss her...

Ash’s gaze dropped to her
lips. She held her breath. His Adam’s apple bobbed once, twice, then he snapped
his gaze to hers.

“I will do all I can to
protect you. From the killer and from scandal. I swear no blame shall come upon
you.”

He eased his fingers away
from her arms and a strange burst of heat flourished where his hands had been
in contact with her body. At the same time, heaviness weighted her stomach. Had
she really wanted a kiss from her kidnapper? There was something wrong with
her. Perhaps she needed rest or sustenance. Or something.

But not a kiss from Ash
Cynfell. Why, he was nothing like any of her suitors. Yes, he did not sport a
ridiculous moustache or slather himself in pomade, but it was more than that.
He didn’t try to charm her—at least not in the way she expected. He did not
offer flattering words or kiss her hand. There were no flirtatious looks thrown
her way or the occasional dashing smile.

So why would she want a kiss
from him?

Ridiculous.

She straightened her skirts
and glanced up and down the lane again. Lila couldn’t see over the blackberry
bushes but far ahead there was a cottage. It would be impossible to dash toward
it and demand aid. Ash would be upon her before she had taken two steps. And
they had been travelling several hours. Who knew where in the country they
were? There was no escaping him really.

Eyeing him, she pursed her
lips and released a long breath. “I am relying on you to ensure I am untouched
by scandal,” she said haughtily, whilst not really believing he was capable of doing
as much.

The chances were she would
return home ruined and have to go back to the country to marry some ancient
earl with the worst moustache she’d ever seen who wasn’t aware of her utter
ruination.

“I will protect you,” he
vowed.

Lila sighed again. Protect
her from scandal...or the killer...or herself? Because in spite of it all, she
really did want a kiss from Ash Cynfell.

Ridiculous.

The columns of Stourbridge
House peeked through the trees. The carriage started up the long road toward it,
and Lila peered out of the window to gain a better view. Every inch the stately
home, if one didn’t know the things that happened behind those pristine walls, one
would be lead to believe it to be a fine place indeed.

Ash knew better. He’d been
here before—briefly—with a young lady in need of aid and at the same time had tracked
down a man his brother was looking for.

But he knew the owner of
this den of vice well enough. Lady Anna Dubois—now simply plain Anna, as she so
insisted—had been in town during his first years there, and they had been
friends until her ruination. He still wasn’t entirely sure of the circumstances,
but after an unexpected inheritance, Anna had left town.

Stourbridge had become her
livelihood. Specialising in the sinful, the worst and most scandalous of
society could be frequently found there. He had seen Anna on her infrequent
trips to London, and she was a far cry from the vivacious woman he’d known.

He glanced at Lila, whose
eyes were wide and her lips parted. She didn’t belong in a place like this.
Innocence shone from her every part of her. Even as he’d held her close after
her near escape attempt and felt her chest rise against his, he could only
think how beautiful and radiant she was. How he was being complicit in ruining
that. True, he hadn’t thought any of this through, but he prayed he would be
able to take the blame for what had occurred and she wouldn’t be ruined.

However, Lila’s safety was
more important than any of their reputations and not only one would expect her
to be here, but Anna had extremely tight security.

He aided her down from the
carriage once they’d stopped and tried not to recall how close he’d been to...Goddamn,
yes, as much as he hated to admit it, he’d wanted to kiss her. What was wrong
with him? Here he was claiming he’d bring her out of this unscathed while
images of her sprawled naked upon his bed with her lips parted and her eyes
begging him for more plagued him.

Because her eyes had begged.
Lila—little, innocent Lila—had silently begged for his kiss whether she knew it
or not. But she couldn’t know that he would want more—that he already wanted
more. So much about her appealed to him. Which was ridiculous. They could not
be more opposite. She exuded energy, youth, and happiness. Sometimes, when the
headaches struck, he felt seventy. He’d already proved bad for her. He wouldn’t
make things worse.

“So this is Stourbridge...”
she breathed, glancing up at the tall columns. “I expected it to be
less...grand.”

“Stay close to me,” he
warned, taking her hand and putting it through his arm. He tried not to think
how proud he would be to have her on his arm on any other occasion.

“If it is dangerous, why
have you brought me here?”

“It’s not dangerous. Miss Dubois,
the proprietor, would never let anything happen to you. She is very set on
ensuring all women under her roof are protected.

“By women you mean—” she
leaned in and dropped her voice “—ladies of the night?”

“Well, yes.” He led her up
the steps to the front door, but she froze. “Lila?”

“I cannot go in there. I
shall surely be ruined. You expect me to spend time w-w-with—” She shook her
head. “No, I just cannot. Take me home.”

She tried to turn, but he
gripped her arm and yanked her close. Lila stumbled a little and regret at his
rough actions fired in his gut.

“I brought you here because
no one would ever think to look for you here. At Stourbridge, everything is
secret. No one shall ever find out you were here, I swear. You are more likely
to come to harm in a travelling inn. Anna—”

“Anna?”

“The owner.”

“You know the woman?”

“We are friends, yes.”

Her back went a little rigid
at this and her lashes fluttered. “I see.”

“Anna will keep you safe, I
swear it.”

She looked back at the
building, and her shoulders slumped. “I suppose I have little choice.”

As they continued up the
steps, he heard her muttering to herself and couldn’t help but smile in spite
of the circumstances. No doubt she was cursing him and everything he’d done to
her. Not that Ash blamed her.

They were greeted by a young
woman who clearly had every intention of turning them away until Ash said Anna’s
full name. The girl turned away, closing the door momentarily. When it opened
again, Anna greeted them.

Unlike the other woman, Anna
wore a prim shirt, tied tight at the neck with a cameo and a long skirt. With
her glossy dark hair pulled severely back and no makeup as near as he could
tell, she was a far cry from the beautiful debutante that had once graced the
finest ballrooms in London. Had he seen her in the street, he never would have
thought her the madam of a place like this.

“Lord Ash Cynfell.” She
glanced behind him. “And Harris, I’m assuming. Whatever are you doing here?”

“We’ve come to ask for your
aid, Anna,” Ash said gravely.

She glanced between all
three of them and nodded before stepping back. “Come in.”

Lila stiffened beside him,
and he noted her gaze had fallen upon one of the many sensual statues in the
room. It was at that point, he wondered if he had lost his mind entirely. Now
not only did he have this beautiful young woman to care for but he had to do so
in surroundings that were designed to make a man think of one thing and one
thing only—sex.

He swallowed hard.

Harris followed them in and
chuckled. “Now this is my sort of place.”

Ash glanced over his
shoulder and narrowed his gaze at his brother in a way he hoped said behave.

Harris offered a grin that
said maybe.

“Why do you not take some
refreshments in the private dining room?” Anna motioned to the young lady who
extended a hand to a side room.

“Can I have a word with you
first?” Ash asked.

“Of course. Chastity, will
you escort Lord Harris and...?” She rose her brows at Ash in question.

“Miss Lila Radley.”

Ash saw a flicker of
recognition in Anna’s eyes. Of course, she knew everything and everyone so it
should not have surprised him.

“Miss Radley, you must be
hungry after your journey. Chastity here will ensure you have whatever you need.”

Lila nodded, blessedly quiet
for the first time since leaving London. She appeared to have been struck dumb
by Stourbridge. Not that he blamed her. Few women stepped foot here and those
who did were certainly not innocents like her.

Chastity led Harris and Lila
away while Anna bade Ash to follow her. They ended up in an office at the rear
of the building. Decked out in white and gold, it was so unlike the rest of the
house that he had peer out of the door before she shut it to ensure they had
not stepped into a different building. Here there were no couples’ embraces
moulded into stone or reclining naked ladies on canvas. The paintings were
floral, delicate, feminine. All the furnishings simplistic but pretty.

“What are you doing here, Ash?
And with that girl?”

“She’s in danger.”

Anna nodded slowly and
perched herself on the desk to eye him. Arms folded, she shook her head. “You
always did like to play the hero.”

“How so?”

“The first time we met you
offered to dance with me when no one would, remember?”

“Someone would have offered.”

Anna had been a beautiful
debutante but racked with shyness. It had turned her into a practical
wallflower.

“Only once you had taken the
first step.” She smiled softly to herself. “Anyway, that is in the past. Why am
I offering you protection?”

“There is a serial killer in
London.”

Her face remained
expressionless.

“Lila witnessed an attack
and was nearly killed herself.”

Somehow Anna still did not
react. He wanted to shake his head at how cold she was growing as the years
went by. Being hidden away at Stourbridge, managing a place like this had
hardened her.

“The killer is a powerful
man.”

“And you want her out of the
way.”

“Until the killer is caught,
yes.”

“You could not protect her
in London? Her family could not protect her? The police?”

He clenched his jaw. “We can’t
go to the police. We simply don’t know who to trust.”

“And you have put it upon
yourself to see to her safety.”

“It was my fault she even
witnessed the killing,” he said softly.

Anna shook her head. “You
always liked playing the anti-hero too.”

“Whatever does that mean?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she
said softly. “I’ll offer my protection for as long as it is needed. She shall
be safe here.”

Ash released a breath. “Thank
you, I will be forever in debt to you.”

“A Cynfell brother in debt
to me. Now that is a fine thing indeed. Do you intend to stay too?”

“Yes.” He hadn’t even
thought of leaving Lila’s side.

“I see.”

“You see what?”

She offered a sad sort of a
smile. “Lila is a beautiful young woman. I’m not surprised you wish to stay by
her side.”

“Her beauty has nothing to
do with it. I would wish to protect any woman in need.”

Her audible exhale made his
scowl deepen. “I know, Ash. It’s what I like about you. Rose is doing well, by
the way. She is quite an asset to the house.”

She referred to the beaten
woman he’d brought to her a while ago. He had not been able to resist aiding
her when he’d come across her on the darkened London streets and he knew Anna
would help her.

She pushed away from her
desk. “Never before have the Cynfells darkened my doorstep, and now I have had
three visit,” Anna mused.

Ash did not respond. No
matter how scandalous his brothers were, Stourbridge wasn’t their sort of
place. Pierce had been here simply to protect a woman. They had no need to hide
their deeds or pay for sex. He had to wonder at times if it was really Anna’s
sort of place either.

“We shall put her in the
large room at the rear of the house. I won’t tell you what we call it here but
suffice to say it was designed for ultimate privacy. She shall be safe from my
customers there.” Anna said this with a wry smile.

“I have my doubts you would
let anything untoward happen, Anna.”

“Your precious cargo shall
be safe here, I promise.”

“Thank you, I owe you a lot.”

“I think you’ll be cursing
me for not turning you away when you’re dealing with the aftermath of this,
Ash.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I
have dealt with worse.”

Anna eyed him for a moment
through a narrowed gaze. She stopped and shook her head to herself. He realised
then his words must have seemed unfeeling considering everything Anna had gone
through, but she was always so confident, so powerful. Not every young lady
dreamed of becoming the mistress of a place like Stourbridge but it had to be
preferable to a life married to some stuffy earl, surely?

A life Lila would probably
end up leading once he returned her home. Everyone one of those men had not
looked deserving of her.

“Anna, I—”

She waved a dismissive hand.
“Come. Let us make sure Harris hasn’t already seduced Miss Radley.”

Ash curled a fist.