Because as much as he loathed the notion of becoming a husband, he loathed the thought of her becoming some other man’s wife a thousand times more.
He swung at the earl, catching him in the jaw.
With a cry of sheer rage, Ravenscroft charged at him in the style of an irate bull. They went crashing together into the bookcase, sending volumes tumbling to the floor.
“I will kill you, you swine,” the earl rasped, trying to get in another punch.
Decker deflected his fist and landed a blow of his own in Ravenscroft’s midsection. He had only a moment to gloat as the air fled the earl’s lungs in one swift rush. In the next second, Ravenscroft’s fist connected with his cheekbone.
“Julian! Stop this!”
Jo’s outraged cry barely punctured the fog of possessive bloodlust roaring through Decker. He was going to see this through, damn it. And he was going to make her his wife.
“Stay back,” he warned her, removing his gaze from the earl long enough to see her bustling toward the melee.
Ravenscroft took advantage of his distraction and landed another blow to his jaw. Decker’s head snapped into the bookcase.
“Julian! That is enough!” she hollered, leaping on her brother’s back.
Decker would have laughed at the sight if he were not in so damned much pain. Ravenscroft was stronger than he looked.
“Leave this to me, Josephine,” her brother snapped at her, attempting to shake her off.
Jo held firm, her arms wrapped around the earl’s neck as she held on. “No! Stop hitting Decker! This is my fault, and I will not allow you to hurt him when I am the one who should be punished.”
Her defense of him was sweet but unnecessary. He could hold his own with Ravenscroft when she was not there to distract him.
He passed a hand over his throbbing jaw. “I do not need you to defend me, darling.”
“I do not want either of you to fight,” she said, her countenance stricken. “This is madness.”
“Get off me, Josephine, or I will send you to a convent when this is all over,” threatened the earl. “He dared to dishonor you, and now he has to pay the price for his sins. I dare say it will be for the first time in his miserable existence.”
Hell.Nothing about tonight had proceeded in the way Decker had imagined.
He was supposed to be happily checking off another item on her wicked list. Instead, he was sporting a blackened eye and facing the fact that he had just acquired himself a wife he did not want.
Not as his wife, anyway.
He very much wanted Lady Jo Danvers in other ways—on her back, on her knees, for instance—but that was what had landed him mired in this predicament.
“Ravenscroft is correct,” Decker forced himself to admit. “I did dishonor you. The burden to make amends for my actions is now on me, which is why I have offered to marry you.”
“Never happening!” the earl roared.
“Marry me?” Jo repeated simultaneously, her eyes going wide. “You cannot possibly mean that.”
“It is the right thing to do,” he said calmly, holding her stare.
“It is the wrong goddamn thing to do, and as I have already told you, I will never allow you to marry my sister.” The earl finally succeeded in dislodging Jo from her tenacious hold upon his person.
Looking angry enough to commit murder, he took another swing at Decker. This time, Decker was prepared. He feinted to his left. The earl’s fist connected with a row of book spines, sending more volumes hurtling to the carpet.
“Cease this at once, both of you!” Jo screeched, planting herself between Decker and Ravenscroft.
Damn.He was not going to run the risk of landing a blow upon her, just so he could cause the earl a bit more pain.
Decker glared at Ravenscroft. “The lady is right. Beating each other to a pulp will not solve any problems. The sooner you acquaint yourself with the fact that I will be marrying her to save her from any…consequences, the better.”
