Strictly Forbidden (17 page)

“How lucky you are to be so close. I miss having my sisters about. They are quite
a bit younger than me, but once they left Norfield Park for London, I swore no church
graveyard could be so quiet.”

Gavin truly missed his sisters; Kira heard that in his voice and she smiled. “Now
here is your chance. If you approve of one of Kate’s suitors, betroth them and allow
her the happiness that marriage affords. In doing so, you will free Anne to stand
in the light Kate once occupied.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” He reached for her hand. Resolve and appreciation glowed
in his eyes. “I believe you are right. Thank you.”

Kira only had time to respond to the feel of his warm, bare palm against her own before
he leaned toward her. He swamped her senses with his nearness, his musky scent, and
subtle heat. Did he mean to kiss her? Her heart thumped, beating a feral rhythm against
her ribs as he came closer. Did she want him to?

His breath fanned against the side of her face, inciting tingles. A moment later,
his mouth settled there, pausing as he kissed her cheek. Time stood still for a moment—a
breath—as yearning sprang up inside her.

Darius had kissed her cheek many times, but never had it made her feel
h
opeful, dizzy, uncertain,
and
giddy.

Kira tensed as Gavin pulled away and released her hand. Something of her shock must
have shown. He withdrew his hand with a contrite grimace. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t
have—
”
Gavin seemed to search for words. “You were so gracious in helping me, and I am so
appreciative for your sage advice
.
I fear I became carried away in expressing my gratitude. Can you forgive me?”

Gratitude, of course. Why else would the duke direct such a gesture to her? The fault
lay with her for reading more into his appreciation. Nor should she want the act to
mean more.

Her wedding would take place in nine short days. Clearly, she suffered from prenuptial
shivers. Darius had vowed that he’d conclude his mysterious business here in London
quickly so they could return to Norfield Park ample time before the wedding. But the
thought of being married forever to James, a man she’d known only
six short weeks
… Well, it was daunting. She simply was not thinking clearly.

“There is nothing to forgive.” She did her best to smile. “I’m glad I could be of
some help.”

“Indeed. And I fear I’ve only repaid your kindness by startling you and interrupting
your correspondence.” He flashed her the self-deprecating grin she was coming to know
well, the one that deepened the cleft in his chin. “I’ll leave you to finish your
letter.”

Kira watched the broad expanse of his retreating back, his sleek dark hair brushing
the collar. His long legs covered the length of the elegant room. For some reason,
she did not want him to go. “Gavin?”

He turned, a question poised on his striking face. “Yes?”

She paused, trying to think of something to delay him. “I merely wanted to wish your
sisters well in matters of marriage.”

A gentle smile softened his bold mouth. “Thank you.”

He left the room then, and Kira continued to stare at the door. Cropthorne had shown
his love for his family. And she liked him all the more for it. In fact, the man simply
did not want to leave her mind. Her thoughts were somewhat reckless. Not all of them,
but that crazy instant when she had wondered
,
even for a wild heartbeat hoped
,
that he meant to kiss her, as neither James nor Lord Vance ever had… Definitely prenuptial
shivers.

* * * *

“I cannot believe I must go through with this dinner party and have the Melbournes
at my table.” Aunt Caroline sighed the following evening, tapping her foot on the
jewel blue carpet in the dining room. “Everyone we know will be completely aghast.”

Gavin understood her sentiment, though he wished she could express them with fewer
dramatics. “I had no notion before we came to London that you had planned this fete.
Otherwise, I would have insisted we delay the journey.”

She closed her reddening eyes, which were perilously close to tears. “Would that you
had never brought them to London to begin with. And now it is far too late to cancel!”

He seconded that sentiment as well. After tonight, all of London would know beyond
a doubt that James meant to wed Kira Melbourne. He and Aunt Caroline could not ignore
the girl
altogether, without
causing tongues to wag about a family rift… and not without hurting James. But neither
did Gavin want to endorse the woman to the
ton.

Nor, he was forced to admit, did he have the will to publicly humiliate Kira. He’d
discovered that he bloody enjoyed spending time with her, which was complete nonsense,
of course. He
must
seduce her. But he was utterly angry with himself. James, Aunt Caroline, the family
name—these were important. Nothing else.

The woman had allowed Lord Vance every intimacy without marriage. She would not be
a good clergyman’s wife, despite the air of innocence in her manner. That artlessness
must be part of her ruse; certainly it had ensnared James. Gavin would not allow himself
to follow suit. Despite her appearance of goodness, he still knew who and what she
was. The fact he loved to hear Kira Melbourne sing and appreciated her perspective
was irrelevant. He found her company pleasant, yes. But he also enjoyed a lot of women’s
company, though none came to mind at that exact moment. And he had to stop wanting
to bed Kira quite so badly as well.

It was a bloody shame he could not make her his mistress, touch her when he wanted—possess
the exotic perfection of her lips, take her lush breasts in his mouth, tumble her
senseless at will—until he worked her from his system.

Yet he feared indulging such fantasy would only further incite the infamous Daggett
lust. Every day he spent in her presence only made erasing her from his mind and his
erotic dreams that much more difficult.

“We will endure this evening,” he told his aunt. “I will watch Miss Melbourne closely
and do my best to keep further scandal at bay.”

Aunt Caroline arched a pale brow at him. He knew that look; she was suspicious. “From
everything I’ve observed in the past three days, you’ve been close, perhaps too close,
to Miss Melbourne. Why?”

His shrewd aunt would notice him fraternizing with the enemy. But his plan to rid
the family of Kira was working. Already he had discovered some of her vulnerabilities
. She would do anything to
protect her brother
. Playing on her
self-doubt and
yearning
for acceptance
would be fairly simple, as well
. He sensed a bit of anger toward her absent father. She said nothing of her mother,
which he found most unusual and planned to explore later. Somehow the knowledge would
help him when they returned to Norfield Park and he created the perfect opportunity
to seduce her.

His conscience jabbed at him, reminding him that his plan was most underhanded. Still,
he had little choice. So she was beautiful. And he had never wanted a woman so badly
that he had memorized her perfume or allowed her to haunt his dreams. She was a scandal
his family did not need. It hardly signified that she possessed enough musical talent
to make angels weep. He enjoyed hearing her each time she played for him and he saw
the flushed passion on her face, but that did not mean he owed her any allegiance.
He owed her nothing at all.

“I’m going to compromise her,” he told his aunt. “I’m going to arrange a tryst so
that James can see for himself the kind of woman he plans to marry.”

Shock widened his aunt’s blue eyes. Then a stunned smile followed. “My clever, devilish
boy, what a wonderful idea! Perhaps I can be of some assistance? Provide insight into
the female mind?”

Gavin grimaced, finding the idea of enlisting his aunt’s help distasteful. “I’m making
good progress, I believe.”

Aunt Caroline clapped, her fingers stiff with thrill. “Splendid. I am eager for you
to reveal to James exactly what kind of harlot Kira Melbourne is.”

He restrained a wince. Harlot was a strong word. After all, if she had been completely
wanton, she would have invited him to her bed already, with any luck more than once.
And he would have enjoyed accepting
,
if she weren’t the only woman he’d ever known who could crush his inhibitions with
her mere presence. Instead, she had offered him advice on handling his shy youngest
sister
, and
some of
that
advice had proven wonderfully effective thus far. And Kate’s engagement was all but
sealed. He really ought to thank Kira for that—before he wended his hands up under
her skirt for James’s benefit.

Blood hell, this had turned ugly. But Gavin knew he could not relent for his conscience’s
sake. He must seduce Kira Melbourne.

Unfortunately, the desire he struggled to keep caged in her presence chafed against
its leash like an unruly dog.

Resigned to a terrible evening, Gavin made his way to the drawing room. Soon, Aunt
Caroline and the rest of the family joined him, including the delicious, problematic
Kira.

Within minutes guests began arriving. By London standards, the party was a small one.
No one cut Kira directly
;
t
hey wouldn’t dare do so in their host’s home. But almost no one spoke to her. Lord
Darehurst, notorious womanizer that he was, scarcely spared her a glance. Even Aunt
Caroline did not approach her or make any gesture to set her at ease. And the hurt
on Kira’s face twisted something in his gut.

Finally, Brock and Maddie’s arrival ended Gavin’s self-induced brooding, for which
he was grateful.

“Cousin Madeline,” he greeted her with a gallant bow and a kiss upon her cheek. “You’re
looking wonderfully.”

“You might even say she’s glowing,” Brock teased.

“Glowing?” Gavin inspected his cousin. She did look radiant, her skin a smooth ivory,
her eyes sparkling with almost silver brilliance.

“Indeed. Don’t all expectant women glow?”

Gavin looked from his friend to his cousin. “Maddie, is it true?”

With an excited little nod, she smiled. “In November.”

“A third child.” Gavin patted his friend on the back. “You have been blessed.”

“We think so.” Maddie smiled at her husband, the adoration on her face so apparent,
Gavin felt staggered by it.

What would
his
life be like
if he had
a woman
to
love him with the whole of her heart? He’d never wondered before, but seeing Brock
and Maddie’s joy made him envious.

“I’m going to go tell your aunt,” Maddie called just before she disappeared into the
thickening crowd.

Gavin regarded his grinning friend. “You’re a lucky devil.”

“Damned lucky. Everyday Maddie makes me aware of that.”

Brock sighed after his wife, watching her animated conversation with Aunt Caroline
and the other women. Then he frowned, peering into the crowd.

“Is—is that…”

“Kira Melbourne?” He nodded. “Yes.”

Brock raised a dark brow. “She is still engaged to James?”

“Indeed. I’ve tried to dissuade him.” Gavin laughed in self-deprecation. “Hell, I’ve
tried everything I can think of to drive her away.”

“Knowing you, I’m sure you put a considerable amount of energy into the effort.”

“Right again,” Gavin murmured, but his eyes had drifted back to Kira.

She stood against a wall, beside her brother. Nobody spoke to her. And still she held
her head high, the long column of her neck graceful. She seemed to stare through the
crowd, as if unaffected by their opinion.

Brock followed the direction of Gavin’s stare. “She is a beautiful woman.”

“Yes.” Gavin swallowed.

Damn if he couldn’t feel his body heat up simply by looking at her. How would it feel
to unwind her hair from atop her head and arrange it around the bare luminescence
of her body? To know he could put his mouth anywhere on her that he wished? Gavin
felt himself stirring, too willing to fantasize about her, despite the crowd and the
lascivious nature of his thoughts.

“I’ll wager nearly every man in this room wants her.”

Gavin did not reply to that
.
I
t was too dangerous. But he did not, could not, take his eyes off Kira.

“I think that includes you.”

The soft words finally brought Gavin’s gaze zipping back to Brock. “No.”

His friend shot him a sardonic smile. “That’s not what your face says.”

“It’s out of the question.”

Brock smiled, his face rife with speculation. “But my guess is you’re considering
it.”

Gavin grimaced. “Damn and blast! Is it that bloody obvious?”

His friend clapped him on the shoulder. “It is to me.”