She shoved in beside him and tapped on the window. “He was there moments ago. Did you enter the house through the front or cross the mews and come in through the garden?”
“Merritt and I entered through the garden.”
She turned to look up at him and suddenly realized how close he stood. The heat of him dared her to toss all her reservations aside, push herself into his arms, and make him hold her whether he feared he would hurt her back or not. “Uhm…”
“Uhm?” He arched a brow and smiled down at her with a look that said he knew exactly what she was feeling.
She cleared her throat and adopted what she hoped was a stern air. “You left Mr. Wethersby downstairs? Alone? Is that any way to treat a guest?”
“He is not a guest. He is my oldest friend.” Nash cupped her cheek and lowered his voice. “I needed to see you. How are you, my swan? Other than determined to be the death of me by throwing yourself in harm’s way?”
“I am bored, petulant, and extremely dangerous. You would do well to remember that,my lord.” She knew the formal address would irritate him, and it pleased her immensely to do so. After word of her attack had reached the prince regent and Queen Charlotte, they adjusted the timeline of their scheme and gave the title of the fifth Earl of Rydleshire to Nash before the body of herfakebrother had time to proverbially grow cold.
To her utter frustration, he rewarded her childish prattle with a broader smile that only made him more handsome and turned her insides into an aching mess of molten yearning. She so wished it was safe to love him.
“I like it when you are dangerous,” he said softly, then kissed her with a tenderness that was still somehow demanding and oh so wonderfully possessive. He lifted his head and pulled in a deep breath, as if struggling for control. “I missed you, Sophie. Did you miss me too? Maybe even just a little?”
She started to deny the truth and dash the hope in his eyes, but her heart refused to allow her to do so. “I missed you more than just a little.” With a twitching shrug, she added, “The bed seems cold and empty without you beside me.”
He didn’t speak, simply drew her into his arms and held her close. His heartbeat thumped steadily against her cheek, filling her with a warm contentedness. She closed her eyes and tightened her arms around him. “I truly did miss you, Nash,” she whispered, half hoping he wouldn’t hear. She was so weak when it came to him.
“Sophie?” His rumbling voice had taken on the deep raspiness she remembered from when they had made love.
“Yes?” She swallowed hard, struggling to steady her emotions.
“I have a confession.”
Her heart plummeted. Not even married a month, and he had already been unfaithful. She had known he would do it, but this soon? How much more could he humiliate her? She eased away, gently trying to pull herself free of his embrace, but he only tightened his arms around her. “What is your confession, my lord?”
He stared down at her with a slight frown. No, not a frown exactly, but a troubled look, as if he were befuddled beyond reason. His eyes reminded her of a lightning-filled horizon. He didn’t speak even though his lips were barely parted. He merely drew in a deep breath, then eased it back out.
“You are tormenting me, Nash,” she said as calmly as possible. “Please, just tell me. What have you done?”
“I have become impossibly besotted—fallen hopelessly in love with my wife.”
She blinked several times. Was he telling her that to soften the blow of confessing his unfaithfulness? He appeared so serious—sotruthful. “I beg your pardon?”
“I love you, Sophie.” He pulled in another deep breath and snorted it out, his nostrils flaring like an angry stallion’s. “My confession is that I love you and want you to stop waiting for me to break your heart again. You are wasting our life together by living in the past.” He cupped her cheek once more and leaned in closer. “You need to trust me. Ineedyou to trust me.”
“But—”
He stopped her with a shake of his head and a finger across her lips. “There are nobuts. Stop waiting for me to hurt you. We are not those people anymore, and I have apologized for my dreadful behavior all that I am going to, because it does no good to keep saying the words when you refuse to hear them.”He kissed her again, lingering with his lips to hers as if sealing the bond and locking the bitterness of the past away to a place where it would never hurt them again. “I love you,” he whispered against her mouth. “My heart is yours, whether you wish it or not.”
“I wish it.” She reached up and held his face between her hands, struggling to speak through the wild churning of so many emotions. “I love you and will overcome my fears. I promise.”
“That gladdens my heart more than you could ever know.” He kissed her again until she moaned. With a start, he relaxed his embrace. “Forgive me, my love! Did I hurt you?”
She almost laughed. If not for his remorseful concern, she would. Instead, she patted his chest. “You did not hurt me. Have you already forgotten the sounds you coax free of me whenever you give me pleasure?”
“Perhaps tonight…” He held up a finger. “If we are very careful and handlethingsin a subdued nature, we might… Dr. MacMaddenly fears you have broken bones of which we are not aware.”
“I shall be the judge of—”
Nash yanked her to one side and shielded her with his body. “Merritt!” he bellowed as the window beside them shattered.
Chaos broke out downstairs. Doors slammed. Shouts filled the halls.
Sophie tried to twist free to see what had happened, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her in place.
