Far Too Tempted Page 13

  A slow flush of heat climbed up her neck and suffused her face at his blatant and insulting stare. He had never treated her in such a way. She felt sickened. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Nathaniel.”

  “Don’t you?” A harsh laugh escaped his lips.

  She shook her head and was able to say truthfully, “No.” His gaze lifted back to her face and his mouth twisted.

  “Your denials don’t matter. I have come here to formally revoke my offer of marriage. I am sure you expected this, did you not?” After the evening of hellish misery she had experienced, yes, indeed she had expected it. Hands clenched in her skirts, she had enough pride left to lift her chin. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  His answering smile was thin-lipped. “I wish I could believe you, Jessica. And I also wish it mattered whether or not it was true.”

  She blinked. “Whether it mattered?”

  “I’ll not take as my wife someone who has been rumored a whore, my dear, whether she is one or not.”

  Had he crossed the room and slapped her it wouldn’t have had more of an effect. Jessica jerked and stepped backwards, her mouth parting in shock as she looked at the man she anticipated would be her husband, now a stranger. Once she’d thought him sensitive and intelligent; now she saw the real man, shallow and selfish. In a choked voice, she whispered,

  “You said you loved me. How can you condemn me with such ease and simply toss me aside?”

  “How could you lie with Ramsey knowing I wished to wed you?” The accusation was hurled like a cannonball. Nathaniel leaned back against the fireplace and narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Had I thought you could be seduced, my dear, I would have done it myself.” He lifted a brow. “Perhaps we could still come to some kind of arrangement. I have a mistress now who satisfies me well, but in the future—since I am well aware of your financial situation—maybe you will need a protector. Seek me out if you wish. I may be willing to consider it.”

  She felt like he’d struck her. Nausea crawled up her throat, threatening to further her humiliation. Jessica had dreaded seeing him, knowing what he had heard, but this cruelty and insult was worse than anything she could ever had imagined. She simply stood there, horrified.

  “I’ll seek you out, Greene. On the field at dawn.” A deep voice spoke, filling the room with a steely, deadly sound. “Just spout another word of your filthy insults.”

  Nathaniel straightened convulsively and on the periphery of her vision, Jessica saw Alex move past her into the room. He was dressed elegantly in a dark coat, beige breeches tucked into shining boots, his presence charging the already strained atmosphere into something palatable and deadly despite his very civilized appearance. The expression on his handsome face was impassive but there was something in his tone that made Jessica shiver when he said in soft menace, “Now, unfortunately for you, I happened to hear what you just said, Greene. Apologize to the lady at once.”

  “Ramsey.” Nathaniel snarled the name. “This is between Jessica and myself. You’ve had your fun and made a fool of me in the meantime. I wouldn’t stoop to discuss this matter with you.”

  “Oh, but you will. Right after you offer your most abject regrets for both your absence last evening and your grave insult a moment ago.”

  “Or else?” Greene sneered.

  Alex’s expression changed then, hardening, those blue eyes narrowing. “I could kill you.”

  Jessica felt a small gasp escape her lips at the conviction in his voice. He stood a mere few paces away from her, next to a lovely carved settee with embroidered cushions in soft pastel hues. The sun shining through the tall, narrow windows lit his classic features and highlighted his thick blond hair. The entire scene, the small elegant room, the two well-dressed men facing each other, the aura of fury and lethal conflict, all of this lent the bright morning an unnatural air that made her head swim.

  To her satisfaction, Nathaniel also looked a little taken aback. His voice was raspy when he answered. “Don’t be so bloodthirsty, Ramsey. What is the use of it over a woman?” His lips pulled back over his teeth. “Look at it this way, you can have her now as often as you like.”

  Good God, Jessica thought, I could have married this man.

  “You bastard.” Alex moved so swiftly that she barely registered it until he’d already caught Nathaniel and slammed him hard up against the mantel. His forearm went across the other man’s throat and a small, delicate vase tottered and fell under the impact, crashing on the marble hearth with a splintering sound.

  “Look, Greene,” Alex said in a hiss between clenched teeth, “I’m done asking you politely. Now, understand me, Jessica will have that apology before you walk out of this room or you’ll be carried out. In case you don’t believe me, please think on this; I’ve been fighting the French for four years. The notion of killing a man is so much easier than it used to be, especially a worm like you. So don’t push me.”

  Nathaniel’s response was nothing but a gurgle.

  Jessica’s muscles seemed to finally unlock, the shock that rooted her to the spot transferring from her own plight to an even greater possible horror. She flew across the room and caught Alex’s arm, tugging ineffectually at iron-hard muscles. “Please, Alex, don’t. Just let him go.” Bitterly, she added, “He isn’t worth the trouble.”

  “What the devil is going on here?”

  The interruption made her let go and whirl around gratefully. “Marcus, stop him.”

  Without moving, Alex spoke in cool detachment. “He’s been questioning the lady’s virtue. I simply want to teach him some manners.”

  “Well, he can hardly beg her pardon with your hands around his throat. Perhaps you should let him go, Alex. His face is beginning to turn a rather alarming shade of red.” To Jessica’s ears, the duke sounded infuriatingly unperturbed over a possible murder in his formal parlor.

  “Oh hell, perhaps you’re right.” Alex released his hold and stepped back as Marcus strolled into the room.

  Nathaniel indeed looked a little flushed as he rubbed his throat, rumpling his perfectly tied cravat. Facing both the Duke of Grayston and his very irritated brother, he stood very still. “It seems I am outnumbered.”

  Squaring his broad shoulders, Alex lifted a brow.

  “Very well.” It was an ungracious mutter. Nathaniel glanced at Jessica and she almost winced at the antagonism in his eyes. “If the rumors are untrue, I regret what I have said.”

  She didn’t respond, instead reaching to tug off the engagement ring he’d presented her with some months before. With as much dignity as she could possibly muster, Jessica said quietly, “They are untrue. Here.” She dropped the jewel into the palm of his hand. “Good-bye, Nathaniel.”

  For a split second she could have sworn there was a flash of regret in his expression. Then he pushed past her and quit the room.

  Alex met his brother’s gaze and nodded. Marcus said, “I think I’ll see our guest to the door and make…er…certain suggestions as to his future behavior.”

  “An excellent idea.”

  The ensuing silence after Marcus’s departure was acute. Jessica stood by one of the windows like a statue in the pooling light. Her dark, shining hair was gathered softly at her nape, spilling down her back in a cascade of curls. The rich color contrasted with the pale, perfect hue of her skin and the rose of the high-waisted gown she wore. The only thing detracting from her beauty was the stricken look in her gray eyes and her remote expression. He stood facing her, arms at his sides, resisting the urge to go put his arms around her and comfort her, but the last time he’d done that had proved to be ill-advised indeed. Instead, he said in inadequate regret, “I’m sorry.”

  That wide, unfocussed stare moved to his face. The sunlight moved across her as she lifted her head, highlighting one pale cheek. “For what? You haven’t done anything, Alex. In fact, as I understand it, I should be thanking you. Is it true, did you pay for”—her hand moved slightly to indicate her dress— �
��this?”

  Uncertain of her reaction, he nodded. “I didn’t want you ever to know.”

  “I see.” She swallowed, her throat rippling. Her tone was tight and hard. “You’ve been very generous. No wonder Ariel disliked for me to thank her.”

  “In retrospect, having the bills sent directly to my banker was a poor idea. Apparently someone was indiscreet, no doubt fueled by the sudden interest in our relationship.”

  “Relationship! Devil take it, we have no relationship.” Jessica swung away, her throat working. Slender shoulders quivered with every breath.

  His booted feet were like lead on the rich rug beneath them. In fact, his whole body felt like lead. Though he was as innocent a victim as she was, he still held a great deal of responsibility. “You and I know that. In fact, we both know you dislike me. But the truth doesn’t matter, Jess. Not in the eyes of society. When I woke that morning at Braidwood with you still in my arms, I knew we might be in trouble. I just hoped the incident would pass us by. All of this is my fault. I am older and bit more used to the realities of living in a society such as ours. I should have listened to you and escorted you over to Grayston that night no matter the hour. I’m afraid my temper can be as unruly as yours at times.”

  Silence. It stretched out. As he watched, Alex saw her shaking shoulders slump and her head bow as if the anger seeped from her very bones. When she did finally turn and speak, it was in a quiet voice. “It doesn’t matter, Alex, whose fault it might be. I’ve had all night to think about it. I was resigned to the fact that Nathaniel would no longer wish to wed me.” Her lashes lowered a minute distance. “I just didn’t suppose him to be so unpleasant. I appreciate you defending my honor.”

  A fresh surge of anger spiked through his veins at her hesitant choice of words. Luckily, Alex knew that Marcus would have no trouble making it very clear to Greene that if he spoke one negative word in public about his former fiancée, the matter would be settled with pistols at dawn. And Alex was a very good shot.

  Looking into her gray eyes, he said, “The man is a fool, Jess, for letting you go.”

  “Thank you.” Her hand twisted in her skirts and she looked away, staring blankly into the room. “Perhaps this is all for the best. I thought he loved me. He said he loved me. But I see now that he only wanted a possession. I had no more value to him than a grand house or an expensive painting. When my value diminished in his eyes, I was no longer desirable.”

  How many men would abandon her? Her father first, dying when she was so young. Robert and his stupidity…and now this? “Your value is not diminished, Jess. Don’t say that,” Alex chided, hating the haunted expression on her face. Her bright spirit was one of the most beautiful things about her.

  “Everyone will believe that if he dissolved our engagement, then the whispers must be true, won’t they?” There was a hint of uncharacteristic despair in her voice.

  Ariel had seen this coming. At that moment he was grateful to his brother’s wife for warning him so he wouldn’t completely botch what needed to be said next. He, too, had those long hours until the dawn to think. Alex cleared his throat. “There is a way to easily rectify this situation and still the wagging tongues.”

  “Easily?” She gave a laugh of disbelief. Backlit by the window, her shadow fell at his feet.

  “Many a man has married his mistress.”

  Jessica’s face went blank for an instant, and her lips parted as she registered his statement. Then a flash of the fire that was so much a part of her came back into her eyes. She stiffened her shoulders. “I am not your mistress.”

  He lifted a brow and suppressed a small smile. “More’s the pity. How about a wife, then?”

  She looked genuinely startled. “You can’t mean it.”

  “Why not?” He shrugged.

  “You are not the marrying kind.” It was said with conviction. Her chin lifted in defiance as she looked at him. “And I am not interested in your pity.”

  “Why is it simply because a man has not yet married, he’s not the marrying kind? And as for pity, Jess, don’t be ridiculous. Think about it, a marriage would be advantageous to us both.” He dropped his tone persuasively. “I need a wife to help me restore Braidwood—who would be more perfect than you? I have extended leave for now, but eventually I’ll return to my command in Spain. I don’t want to have the place sit empty, with only servants to care for it. When I return, I want a home.” Taking a step closer, he smiled into her upturned face and wide eyes. “And I’d like a family, which is impossible to manage without a wife. How about it, Jess? There’s no juicy scandal any longer if we marry. We simply become two lovers who like many, gave in to temptation before we spoke our vows.”

  Her protest was a stammer. Stark spots of color had appeared in her face. “B-but…we didn’t do anything scandalous.”

  He continued his advance and she took a small, telltale step backwards. “Not too late for that, of course.”

  “Alex!” Her blush intensified. “What are you doing?”

  “Making a point.” Catching her slim waist with both hands, he tugged her forward until their faces were inches apart and her long skirts brushed his legs. Unexpected emotion spiked through him as he lowered his gaze to her tempting mouth. He whispered, “There’s another very good reason for us to wed, sweet Jess. Something that has nothing to do with backhanded whispers or mean-spirited gossips.”

  Her eyes were wide under their thick fringe of lashes. He could feel the quick wisp of her breath against his mouth as he came closer and closer. She said faintly, “What reason?”

  “Remember this?”

  He gave her no chance to answer. His mouth captured hers, his intention being nothing more than a gentle reminder of the fiery kiss they had shared that night at Grayston. The pressure sweet and gentle, he changed the angle time and again, his arms tightening to urge her closer and closer.

  Apparently she did remember.

  It was her sob of surrender that shattered his gentlemanly resolve. Her arms came up around his neck and she sank into him, warm and infinitely female. Soft lips parted willingly at the exploring touch of his tongue and he swallowed a sigh that sent desire rippling through his entire body.

  He savored her taste, the smooth feel of her teeth, the rich texture of her lips on his. One hand glided up her graceful back and into the satin of her hair and he groaned as she clasped him tighter, her fingers cool on his neck.

  “Ahem.”

  The sound of a clearing throat registered only vaguely. It took a second before Alex realized through the haze of pleasure and passion that Marcus had come into the room. As he lifted his head, he consciously tried to will his breathing to normal. Jessica, still in his arms, simply stared up at him, her breasts lifting quickly against his chest, almost looking dazed.

  Marcus folded his arms across his chest and sat down casually on the arm of a wing chair. “I take it this whole matter has just been settled nicely. Congratulations.”

  Jessica seemed to suddenly realize that someone else was there, witnessing their embrace. She slipped her arms from around his neck and pushed against his chest. Alex shook his head, not slackening his hold.

  “Not yet, my dear. I still don’t have my answer.” His smile was deliberately teasing.

  “Damn you, Alex, your brother is sitting right there.” Her cheeks were bright red.

  He clicked his tongue against his teeth. “No swearing, Jess. And what’s it to be? Are you going to make me a happy man, or leave me in frustrated misery?”

  She glanced over to where Marcus watched with sympathetic, amused interest. “All right, yes,” she snapped. “I’ll marry you.”

  “You honor me, my lady.” Alex released her and stepped back. Immediately she began to smooth her disheveled hair, her pink cheeks much more becoming than her earlier pallor.

  “I suggest a special license.”

  Alex glanced at his brother and nodded. “If I can arrange it, the wedding will be tomorrow.”


  “Oh, you can arrange it,” Marcus told him and winked at Jessica. “After all, your brother is a duke, is he not? Tomorrow it is.”

  “Tomorrow.” Jessica looked stunned. “Why so soon?”

  Alex gave her a slow, sensual smile, letting her see the dark promise in his eyes. “As far as I am concerned, the sooner the better.”

  Chapter 9

  Jessica fingered the white sleeve of the magnificent wedding dress in wonder. The bodice was beaded in pearls, the neckline trimmed in lace delicate as a spider’s web, the skirt draped in shimmering fabric. “Oh, Ariel, it’s beautiful.”

  Ariel smiled wryly. “A bit grand, I know. I thought I’d faint when I was being fitted for it. My mother-in-law has very strict ideas about how the future duchess should be presented at the altar. She’ll be thrilled to know you wore it to marry Alex.”

  Jessica frowned. “Will she be angry to not be here? Alex is the one insisting we be wed right away.”

  “Alex is perfectly right.” Ariel ran her gaze critically over the fit of the bodice and length of the hem, motioning to the seamstress. “Just a little shorter here, Mrs. Wheaton. The rest seems perfect.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.”

  As comfortable as a lady’s maid as she was a duchess, Ariel helped Jessica slip out of the gown and it was carried away for the lightning alterations. Donning her day dress quickly, Jessica was very aware that her soon to be sister-in-law hadn’t departed with the seamstress but instead hovered by the wardrobe while she dressed.

  “Are you terribly nervous?” The question was soft, and when Jessica looked up from the dressing table where she had sat down to brush her hair, Ariel gave her a sympathetic smile. “I thought we might talk a bit. With the wedding at four o’clock this afternoon and Alex’s insistence that he’s whisking you away right afterwards, there may not be another opportunity.”